Stepping Stones, Dorking

White rendered pub with a single storey extension a few yards from the A24,between Box Hill & Westhumble Station and the National Trust's Box Hill Estate,so popular with walkers,bird watchers,bikers and (less likely),Jane Austen fans. The rows of tables and chairs in the uncarpeted bar area give some kind of schoolroom vibe:a level of comfort emanates from comfy chairs and sofas arranged around the periphery.Further into the pub,an area at right angles is laid up for dining, and was well patronised on my brief mid sunday afternoon visit at the start of Winter. On the bar were the usual fizzy offerings,together with four handpumps,dispensing both National fare,and a surprisingly reasonable pint of Surrey Hills' Ranmore Ale, brewed a few hundred yards away on the Denbies Wine Estate. In such an affluent area,I would think that trade is mostly passing,the local populace favouring the William IV or Running Horses over in Mickleham.

Country Dining Pub, primarily set out for that purpose. Four real ales on and a sample was allowed on request. However, after 10 miles in the summer heat, I had to go for a San Miguel. Nice beer garden and perfectly positioned for the railway station after a days walking in the Surrey Hills. Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2KUei5w

A nice pub frontage but the interior has a strange feel, with a row of tables alongside the bar opening into a large room with a distinct restaurant feel. Very much aimed at the food market but with a couple of good local beers alongside the usual suspects. Cask Marque listed. Handy for the station if visiting Boxhill by train.