Reigate Hill B-17 Crash Site and Colley Hill

Walk from Wray Lane to the B-17 crash clearing on Reigate Hill, then continue around Colley Hill with a lower woodland return. On 19 March 1945 a USAAF B-17G struck the hill while returning to Grafton Underwood in low cloud. All nine crew members died. The National Trust documents the event and the oak wingtip sculptures placed in the clearing to mark the aircraft’s wingspan. Pause here to read the memorial and remember the crew.

Start at Wray Lane car park, beside the toilets and refreshment kiosk. Follow the North Downs Way west, using the footbridge over the A217. Pass Reigate Fort and the mown crash-site clearing, then reach the Inglis Memorial. Continue along the ridge across Colley Hill for the views. At the western end take the descending track past the coal-tax post and turn east onto the lower woodland footpath. Follow the plotted route through the woods to Underhill Park Road; where the road bends, take the steep uphill path towards the Simpson Memorial and climb back to the Inglis Memorial. Retrace the ridge path to Wray Lane. The ridge approach is shared on the outward and return legs; the western and lower section forms the circuit.

Allow about 2 hours 45 minutes for the 6.4 km plotted route, including memorial stops. This circuit follows the National Trust’s Reigate Hill walk outline, including the Wray Lane approach and ridge return. The route is not continuously waymarked. Expect steps, steep gradients, roots and slippery mud or chalk after rain. Underhill Park Road is a short shared road section without a pavement: stay alert for vehicles. Use the A217 footbridge and keep back from steep slopes. It is unsuitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.

Parking is at Wray Lane; check signs and availability on arrival. The National Trust lists toilets there, normally open 9 am to 5 pm, and refreshments depend on the kiosk’s opening hours. Bring water and footwear with good grip. Keep dogs under close control, use leads around grazing livestock and on Underhill Park Road, and leave memorial objects and any historic material undisturbed.

History and access: National Trust, B17 wartime plane crash on Reigate Hill and Reigate Hill walk (nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/reigate-hill-and-gatton-park). Route geometry independently traced from OpenStreetMap data, © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright).