McGresty
as it happens
Abinger Hammer and Gomshall
I boarded a train to Dorking Deepdene, in Surrey, then went around to the main Dorking Station for Bus number 32 toward Guildford. A place enroute with a population of around 500 might be worth a visit. The village got its name because it was historically a center for iron production in the 16th-century. There was a water-powered iron forge that used a large hammer for forming hot iron. It was a few miles from where I lived many years ago and I rode my motorcycle to there once, but did not take any photo's. After the first run in this subject being a bit of a time waster. I reckoned Abinger Hammer would be a good place to visit then walk the half mile to Gomshall and write it all up.
The one thing about the village, currently, is the clock tower. Years ago the figure of the man moved and struck the bell every hour with his hammer. Today it is broken and the hammer is set on the bell.
There some people sitting on a bench and I had a short chat with a man, probably in his 80's, for a while then continued on with my quest.
The surrounding area is like a giant hilly forest and the village is located in it. A lot of the houses sit back amoungst the trees and I couldn't see them. Except the one in the image below.
I had hoped there would be a trail along side of the river so I could walk to the next town, but each time I saw the river, there was no pathway so didn't bother.
I saw this sort of road and walked along it a bit until the signage appeared for the trail (called footpaths in England) on the left and proceeded to walk along it.
The direction was West, fair enough, but the way things twist about in this country I didn't want to end up miles away from where I wanted to go to next. Going back, I continued along the road on its narrow sidewalk. I was in no rush and stopped a few times just for the sake of it.
The visit was okay and I enjoyed the time passing through Abinger Hammer then walked along the road for the next part of the trip. If you ever decide to follow my steps be warned, the road is narrow and its sidewalk is dangerous to walk on. The road is named the A25 and is not very wide. On the left of the pathway are bushes which I had to hold up my arm to push aside and it is still Spring, these things are not fully grown yet. Semi-trucks drove along the road and had my right elbow been sticking out a couple of times, I'd have lost my whole right arm. The older trucks were narrower, not so the newer ones. I stopped a number of times after looking back and pushed myself into the bush as a big truck went by. I hope in they cut the bushes back or someone's liable to be killled!
The Surrey Hills are unique in the UK. The wooded regions are a mixture of trees from around the world. Usually woods and forests have one kind of tree not here. The best definition is, Surreal Surrey.
I passed these houses along the way. Where the churches were in both villages, I don't know, but found a pub and went in.
I hadn't eaten anything so passed up having an on tap Grolsch beer and got a ginger ale instead. Sitting inside I do what I usually do and backed up my photogaphs. My camera can be plugged into my A7 phone which I've turned into a tablet that fits into my vest pocket. From there another back-up is made onto a small flash drive. After that I moved out into the sun, which had been in and out of clouds all day long.
Just down the road a little was a bus stop and I got the bus back to Dorking and returned home. I would still like to have one last trek and hopefully photograph some animals before flying out to Madrid and Pamplona in mid July.
The one thing about the village, currently, is the clock tower. Years ago the figure of the man moved and struck the bell every hour with his hammer. Today it is broken and the hammer is set on the bell.
The village green.
There some people sitting on a bench and I had a short chat with a man, probably in his 80's, for a while then continued on with my quest.
The surrounding area is like a giant hilly forest and the village is located in it. A lot of the houses sit back amoungst the trees and I couldn't see them. Except the one in the image below.
The River Tillingbourne
I had hoped there would be a trail along side of the river so I could walk to the next town, but each time I saw the river, there was no pathway so didn't bother.
I saw this sort of road and walked along it a bit until the signage appeared for the trail (called footpaths in England) on the left and proceeded to walk along it.
The direction was West, fair enough, but the way things twist about in this country I didn't want to end up miles away from where I wanted to go to next. Going back, I continued along the road on its narrow sidewalk. I was in no rush and stopped a few times just for the sake of it.
The visit was okay and I enjoyed the time passing through Abinger Hammer then walked along the road for the next part of the trip. If you ever decide to follow my steps be warned, the road is narrow and its sidewalk is dangerous to walk on. The road is named the A25 and is not very wide. On the left of the pathway are bushes which I had to hold up my arm to push aside and it is still Spring, these things are not fully grown yet. Semi-trucks drove along the road and had my right elbow been sticking out a couple of times, I'd have lost my whole right arm. The older trucks were narrower, not so the newer ones. I stopped a number of times after looking back and pushed myself into the bush as a big truck went by. I hope in they cut the bushes back or someone's liable to be killled!
Gomshall
The village is about the same size as Abinger Hammer, but they both have what is called Parish Councils, which include other places with each council having a population of 1000-2000.I was glad of this space and took a short stand and stare rest.
Entering Gomshall.
The Surrey Hills are unique in the UK. The wooded regions are a mixture of trees from around the world. Usually woods and forests have one kind of tree not here. The best definition is, Surreal Surrey.
Aaah, venison.
I passed these houses along the way. Where the churches were in both villages, I don't know, but found a pub and went in.
I hadn't eaten anything so passed up having an on tap Grolsch beer and got a ginger ale instead. Sitting inside I do what I usually do and backed up my photogaphs. My camera can be plugged into my A7 phone which I've turned into a tablet that fits into my vest pocket. From there another back-up is made onto a small flash drive. After that I moved out into the sun, which had been in and out of clouds all day long.
Just down the road a little was a bus stop and I got the bus back to Dorking and returned home. I would still like to have one last trek and hopefully photograph some animals before flying out to Madrid and Pamplona in mid July.
Nice day out.
Jun 24, 2026