Colley hill on the north downs next to Reigate in Surrey south east England is a viewpoint and location I have been meaning to visit for sometime. Early February began a road trip west and stopped off at Colley hill for a sunset and sunrise.
Colley Hill to Reigate Hill
Was staying in the Reigate Manor for one night which is at the foot of Colley Hill. It was a blustery mixed weather Sunday afternoon when I arrived in Reigate. Parked up at Margery Lane and took the short walk to Colley Hill. The plan was to explore the location and catch a sunset. In the morning would return to Colley hill for a sunrise, then continue the road trip west.
The views west of the Surrey Hills including Box Hill and Leith Hill are spectacular on this part of the North Downs. I used to live close by and hard to believe never been to this location before. Even a Surrey walking guide book missed Colley Hill. Good thing with Landscape photography you constantly discovering new locations and viewpoints and getting outdoors.
Inglis Memorial
On top of Colley Hill is the Inglis Memorial. It was catching the afternoon light breaking through the clouds.
The Inglis memorial is named after its founder and was originally used as a drinking fountain for horse riders back in 1909. Walked the stretch of the North downs way over Reigate Hill which is part of the same escarpment as Colley Hill but without the views. Colley hill is often called ‘Reigate Hill’. Along the path there are some good views of the city of London, a memorial where a US flying fortress crashed during WW2 and a fort. Eventually you come to Gatton park where I managed to get a coffee just before it closed at 4pm.
Headed back to Colley hill hopefully to catch a sunset, but thick clouds and rain was moving in. Got another shot of the Inglis memorial more face on using it as a focal point in the foreground. The immediate foreground is messy though with footprints etc.
Colley Hill Sunset
Tried to find a good composition for a potential sunset from Colley Hill and shelter from the wind. With the blustery weather it could go either way very colourful and dramatic to dim and dull light.
Eventually the sky was somewhere in-between with some splashes of purple and yellow but no light on the north downs escarpment. The best you can expect is to get lucky with just one visit to a new location.
Colley Hill Sunrise
The next morning took the footpath up to Colley Hill which you can join just up from the Reigate Manor hotel. These were viewpoints I had missed the evening before and the compositions were better from here.
The escarpment was very steep to walk but worth the effort. As usual with this part of the Surrey Hills on the North Downs its orientation makes it hard for sunrise and sunset.
The better composition was looking west with some side light on the escarpment during morning golden hour. The sky was almost cloudless very little wind, looked like it was going to be a nice day in Surrey.
Waited until golden hour was over observing how the morning light interacted with the norths downs escarpment and the Surrey Hills to the west. Would like to return to this area and explore more walking west to the Buckland Hills. But now needed to return to the hotel and continue the road trip west.
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