Commuters waiting to catch a train at Farnham Station are used to the odd mystery thanks to South Western Railway’s timetable shenanigans. But 120 years ago, the legendary Sherlock Holmes arrived on the Farnham platform to solve a more confounding head-scratcher.

The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist, one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 56 short stories, was published in 1904 when Conan Doyle was living nearby in Hindhead, and Farnham's 175-year-old station plays a pivotal role in the mystery Holmes unravels.

The story centres around Violet Smith, a young music teacher followed by a mysterious cyclist as she travels to and from Farnham Station.

Violet is hired by Mr Carruthers, a man who knew her late uncle from South Africa. But things take a dark turn when his friend, the brutish Mr Woodley, tries to force his way into Violet’s life.

She becomes increasingly alarmed by the cyclist’s strange behaviour and turns to Holmes for help.

Holmes and Dr Watson take a train to Farnham, with Watson recounting catching the 9:13 from Waterloo on a Monday in April 1895. Upon arriving, Holmes dives into the case and even gets into a scuffle at a local pub!

In the end, Holmes uncovers a plot involving a fake wedding, an inheritance scheme, and a defrocked clergyman as Holmes unravels the truth behind the mysterious cyclist.

Holmes also remarks on the area's charm, describing Farnham as: "A beautiful neighbourhood and full of the most interesting associations.”

And it seems it wasn’t the great detective’s first visit, as he adds: “You remember, Watson, that it was near there that we took Archie Stamford, the forger.”

In modern times, Farnham’s association with Sherlock Holmes continues in the Young Sherlock Holmes series by Andrew Lane, where the young detective lives near Farnham and frequently uses the station.