For some walkers, the best routes are the ones that feel like stepping into a story: old mills and pilgrimage paths, hilltop churches and traces of industry tucked into the woods. This week we focus on Episode Three of Ambles & Rambles, the Shalford to Chilworth route, where Luna and Annalees uncover hidden histories, railway heritage and remarkable architecture in the Surrey Hills National Landscape.
Ambles & Rambles is a free four-part podcast series from Whistlestop Arts, leaning into a love of place and history with car-free walks across the Surrey Hills National Landscape. The series, and full route details, can be found at whistlestopart.org/amblesrambles. This article explores one of four new episodes, where a journey from Shalford to Chilworth becomes a walk through stories of rural preservation, industrial heritage, village life and Arts & Crafts design. It also sits within the Rail to Ramble collection on the Surrey Hills National Landscape website, which highlights linear and loop walks that build public transport into the heart of the day.
The walk begins at Shalford train station and leads to Shalford Mill, where they share the remarkable tale of Ferguson’s Gang, the unconventional group whose fundraising helped protect treasured places in the countryside. As with the other episodes in the series, this route is reachable by public transport, helping listeners see the Surrey Hills as a connected landscape rather than a collection of isolated destinations.
From there, the route climbs St Martha’s Hill, offering sweeping views and a strong sense of connection to the ancient pathways of the Pilgrims’ Way. It is one of the episode’s most atmospheric sections, balancing natural beauty with the feeling that the land has been travelled, used and valued for centuries.
The story then shifts to the Tillingbourne River and the hauntingly evocative Chilworth Gunpowder Mills. Local volunteer Debbie Toynbee explains how the site once operated, the dangers involved in gunpowder production, and the extraordinary transformation of this industrial landscape into a peaceful area rich in wildlife and heritage interest.
At Chilworth station, the railway comes into focus through Sara Grisewood of the Southeast Communities Rail Partnership, who talks about community rail work and the blue plaque project celebrating local railway stories. It is a reminder that transport history is part of social history too, shaping how communities connect and remember. That emphasis on travel and access links this episode to the Frensham to Bourne walk and the Leith Hill Place journey, both of which also show how public transport can open up rewarding days out in the Surrey Hills.
A detour to Blackheath adds yet another strand. Patricia Allen introduces St Martin’s Church and its role within village life, while Sarah Sullivan explores the work of Charles Harrison Townsend and the distinctive Arts & Crafts character of Blackheath’s buildings.
The result is a walk that feels both grounded and expansive, intimate in its local details yet full of wider resonances. Alongside the other new Ambles & Rambles episodes, it helps build a richly layered picture of the Surrey Hills, from creative landscapes and farming stories to heritage sites and contemporary rural life.
Ambles & Rambles is commissioned by Surrey Hills National Landscape and funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Access for All programme, in partnership with Surrey Hills Arts and Surrey Hills Society, and supported by the Southeast Communities Rail Partnership.
Join Luna and Annalees for gentle, uplifting audio walks through the Surrey Hills National Landscape, with local experts sharing their love of the countryside, community and cultural heritage. Listen to all four new Ambles & Rambles podcast episodes, visit whistlestopart.org/amblesrambles.
