The Devil's Punch Bowl is a 282.2-hectare (697-acre) visitor attraction and biological Site of Special Scientific Interest situated just to the east of the village of Hindhead in the English county of Surrey.

The land is owned and maintained by the National Trust as part of the "Hindhead Commons and the Devil's Punch Bowl" property.

The highest point of the rim of the bowl is Gibbet Hill, which is 272 metres (892 ft) above sea level and commands a panoramic view that includes, on a clear day, the skyline of London some 38 miles (61 km) away.

However, during the Tudor period in the 16th Century, Portsmouth developed into a major naval dockyard which resulted in access to London becoming an important issue.

Unfortunately the steep gradients associated with the Devil's Punch Bowl and nearby Gibbet Hill would provide significant geographical obstacles to these communication.

However, by the early 19th Cenutry increased pedestrian and horse-drawn traffic meant this steep section of highway between Portsmouth and London required major improvements.

By digging into the hillside at a lower height, the new road removed the steep ascents and descents of the summit over Gibbet Hill.

Due to daily traffic volumes, this section operated at or above capacity for much of the day and had an accident rate 40% higher than the national average for that class of road.

The beauty of the area and the diversity of nature it attracts resulted in the Devil's Punch Bowl being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest on 30 April 1986.

The National Trust co-operated with developers Balfour Beatty, who designed the alternative Hindhead Tunnel, running underneath the area.

The tunnel preserves not only the area from the road widening originally proposed but also removes the heavy traffic congestion which previously affected this section of the A3 in peak hours.

(One version of this story claims that it was the prayers of St Dunstan that made all the local cocks crow earlier than usual.)

Several sculptures marked the completion in early 2013 and a carving from a 3-tonne block of Portland stone by Jon Edgar now sits on the spine of the former A3 near the visitor centre.