Sometimes on a Sunday we manage to drive a little further afield and enjoy a day's outing with a bit of a walk and a bite to eat.
We haven't been to The Devil's Punchbowl in Hindhead since the opening of the new A3 Hindhead by-pass with the amazing tunnel.
Being a typical female, I must admit I don't usually get terribly excited about new roads, tunnels etc. but I was curious to see how access to the National Trust car park at the Devil's Punchbowl might be affected. Also being married to a civil (most of the time) engineer - sorry, couldn't resist that old chestnut - who for at least some of his working life was involved in similar projects it seemed like a good idea.
The tunnel was very impressive actually; lighter and airier than most road tunnels I've been in before. The old A3 road which ran alongside the Devil's Punchbowl Café is being returned to nature so that Hindhead Common is reunited with the Devil's Punchbowl. The road now stops just after the entrance to the car park. It's very odd driving practically up to the end of a previously very busy road which now just ends abruptly with temporary barriers. It seems to work well enough though and the car park was full as usual so the disruption doesn't appear to have deterred people from visiting this beautiful spot which is a haven for wildlife and walkers.
I didn't think to take any photos inside the tunnel but I found this video on YouTube of a Ferrari going through the tunnel. I'm afraid the only way we're going to drive through in a Ferrari is in our imagination.
Our route also took us past some friendly-looking highland cattle.
The Café came up trumps with Bangers and Mash; we had an enjoyably tiring walk and managed to miss the showers. I think I can say, a jolly good time was had by all.
2 comments:
Lovely field of heather. Where does the name Devil's Punchbowl come from? Intriguing!
Elizabeth,
Lots of local legends. One of the favourites is during the Middle Ages the Devil became so irritated by all the churches being built in Sussex that he decided to dig a channel from the English Channel, through the South Downs, and flood the area. As he began digging, he threw up huge lumps of earth, each of which became a local landmark — such as Chanctonbury Ring, Cissbury Ring, Mount Caburn and Rackham Hill. He got as far as the village of Poynings (an area known as the Devil's Dyke) when he was disturbed by a cock crowing (one version of the story claims that it was the prayers of St Dunstan that made all the local cocks crow earlier than usual). Assuming that dawn was about to break, he leapt into Surrey, creating the Devil's Punch Bowl where he landed.
Another story goes that, in his spare time, he hurled lumps of earth at the god Thor to annoy him. The hollow he scooped the earth out of became the Punch Bowl. The local village of Thursley means Thor's place.
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