Greyhound approved walks in and around Surrey
Norbury Park is a 530 hectare historic parkland comprising mixed wooded and agricultural land, which was alluded to in the Domesday Book of 1086. Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, it occupies mostly prominent land reaching into a bend in the River Mole and is part of the Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment Special Area of Conservation.
Reigate Hill, at a height of 771m above sea level, is described by the National Trust as “a spectacular escarpment with sweeping views across the Weald” and that sums it up perfectly. This stretch of the North Downs hill top boasts a rich history, home to Reigate Fort, the Wing Tips memorial sculpture and the Inglis Memorial.
Hankley Common is a 560-hectare nature reserve near the village of Elstead in Surrey comprising lowland heath and woodland. The site is part of the Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Esher Common dates back at least 6,000 years to the early Bronze Age Neolithic period, with evidence of a settlement on Round Hill. ains several ponds and lakes, the largest of which is Black Pond, which was once a water supply for the nearby National Trust Claremont Landscape Garden.
The Ashdown Forest is in East Sussex and it has some absolutely stunning locations to enjoy. Chelwood Vachery is an estate dating back to at least 1229. Its Forest Garden was created between 1910 and the 1930s.
Wisley Common is managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT). Along with Ockham common/Chatley Heath on the other side of the A3, it is a nationally important site for dragonflies and damselflies, with twenty species recorded. It also attracts many rare birds, including the hobby, which is one of the few creatures that can actually catch dragonflies. In the summer, the heath is awash with purple heather.
Happy Valley near Coulsdon makes up part of the Farthing Downs. It was purchased under the Green Belt Scheme in 1937 by Surrey County Council, the Urban District Council of Coulsdon and the London County Council. It is an area of managed open countryside of just over 250 acres of downland grass and ancient woodland slopes (Devil’s Den Wood), dominated by a steep‐sided dry valley at the centre and considered an important reserve for all kinds of animal and plant life.
Banstead Heath at Mogador comprises open grass land, scrub and woodland. It is the largest and most southerly of the four commons making up Banstead Commons, with a total area of 310 hectares (760 acres), stretching from the M25 in the south to Tadworth roundabout on the A217 to the north with a southern border with Walton Heath Golf Course.
Chobham Common is the largest National Nature Reserve in the south east of England at around 600 hectares – and a prime example of lowland heath, one of the most ancient and characteristic British landscapes, originally created by prehistoric farmers. For over 200 generations, rural communities have carefully managed this open countryside, creating a wildlife rich patchwork of mini-habitats.
Walks with Rena 