Devils Punch Bowl

This site is a photographic record of the wild natural beauty to be found in the Surrey highlands, and the many lush, carefully tended private gardens that nestle behind secluded drives and leafy lanes in the surrounding area.

One of the best kept secrets in England is an area of outstanding natural beauty located where the counties of Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire meet, around a range of hills that include the Devil’s Punchbowl - a large hollow of dry sandy heath , Blackdown and Hindhead Common. The Punchbowl is a site of special scientific interest and part of an international special protection area designated under the EU Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.

The National Trust, a charity that protects countryside and historic sites, acquired the lands in 1905. The Trust is responsible for maintaining the parklands, much to the appreciation of thousands of visitors every year.

Among the many that have wandered the area’s footpaths and byways are writers such as Conan Doyle, Alfred Lord Tennyson, George MacDonald, Lewis Carroll ,Bernard Shaw, Aldoux Huxley and H.G. Wells.

For many years the main A3 road to Portsmouth Harbour cut through the scenic site, but in July 2011 the £371m Hindhead Tunnel under the Devil's Punch Bowl was opened after a four-and-a-half year construction project, reuniting the wild parklands.

This site also includes a photographic celebration of the natural beauty of Mongolia. There isn’t any particular rationale for doing so, except that those who appreciate the Surrey highlands may also be inspired by the vast steppe and rolling hills of that remote country.  

For more information about the areas featured see:
National Trust Hindhead and Devils Punchbowl
Haslemere Museum 
haslemere.com 
wikipedia Haslemere
BBC Hindhead tunnel walk attracts thousands

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