Surrey Hills · Silent Pool
St Martha's gets you the twelfth-century church, the climb and the silence. Coming down the hill, you arrive almost exactly where you want to be.
St Martha's Hill sits on the old Pilgrims' Way, the route walkers once took towards Winchester and Canterbury, with its rebuilt twelfth-century church only reachable on foot. The path links to Silent Pool and the North Downs Way, and brings you down close to us.
Mandira's Kitchen is a 400-year-old converted cowshed on the track above Silent Pool, serving hot masala chai, Indian lunch, cake and Afternoon Tea seven days a week. The pilgrims did this stretch without samosas. You do not have to.
What you actually eat here
Lunch, seven days a week
Indian street food, handmade daily. Samosa chaat, papri chaat, biryani, kathi rolls, keema pav, chilli cheese toast, all with our own chutneys. Chai ice cream if you have room. Gluten-free options. Booking wise at weekends.
The weekend thali
A limited number of thalis at weekends — a changing round platter with Bollywood playlist and film recommendation. Pre-booking required, pickup Fri/Sat, or post via subscription.
Freezer meals to take home
The same food frozen the same day it's cooked. Take a stack home or have them delivered anywhere in the UK, free over £100.
A barn above one of England's strangest pools
Silent Pool is a spring-fed chalk quarry on the Albury Estate, so still and clear it looks lit from below. Tennyson came here to think. Agatha Christie's car was found at Newlands Corner in 1926. There is a legend about a girl called Emma and a king on a horse. Our barn sits on the track just above it all, where pilgrims once walked and cardamom now drifts across the hills by mid-morning.
Good questions, briefly answered
Is there a cafe near St Martha's Hill?
Yes. Mandira's Kitchen sits above Silent Pool, near where the St Martha's and Pilgrims' Way paths come down, serving Indian food, chai and Afternoon Tea seven days a week.
Is Mandira's Kitchen on the Pilgrims' Way?
It is on the track above Silent Pool, close to where the Pilgrims' Way and North Downs Way pass, a natural stopping point on the walk.
Can I walk from St Martha's Hill to the cafe?
Yes, the paths link St Martha's Hill to Silent Pool and the North Downs Way, bringing you down close to the cafe.
Where is it and is there parking?
Silent Pool, Shere Road, Albury, Surrey GU5 9BW, just off the A25, with free parking when you register at the cafe.
Book a table at the foot of the hill
Open seven days a week, on the track above Silent Pool.
Book a table →