Pitch Hill in the Hurtwood rises from the village of Peaslake to a dramatic 257m high summit with fabulous views to the South Downs.
Pitch Hill
Capel Dairy House Nature Reserve
Capel is a village in Surrey just north of the border with Sussex and just to the side of the A24, which used to pass through it before the bypass was built. Like so many of these little places in Surrey, it dates back to the Domesday Book. The area around was mainly used for farming but the heavy clay soil also nurtured a thriving brickmaking industry and by the early 19th century there were several brickyards too.
Hosey Common/Tower Wood, Westerham
You'll find Tower Wood on Hosey Common (also known as Hosey Hill) just south of Westerham in Kent and a little north of Chartwell, the former home of the late Sir Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister from 1940-1945. Tower Wood is so-called because of the ruins of an 18th century folly tower nestled at its heart.
Selsdon Nature Reserve
Selsdon Nature Reserve, also known as the "Bird Sanctuary", is a 200 acre green space on the outskirts of the London Borough of Croydon and part of the London Greenbelt. An impressive bluebell wood in the spring, it's home to a number of wood carvings/statues.
Wotton
As pleasant as it is, there's not a great deal to say about Wotton, which is a 'well wooded parish', according to Wikipedia, a little to the west of Westcott and the town of Dorking. It existed back in the days of the Domesday Book and is home to the stately Wotton House, a pub called the Wotton Hatch, a few houses, and St John's Church.
Arbrook Common
Arbrook Common is part of the Esher group of Commons but has quite different characteristics. While in the winter months it is extremely wet and muddy here, this is a particularly lovely place to visit during the summer, where the woods provide shade and there are plenty of paddling spots.
Friday Street and Abinger Common
Abinger Common is an area of thickly wooded sandstone heath to the south-west of Dorking and, within a headwater ravine here, you'll find the tiny, remote hamlet of Friday Street. Situated on the gentle lower north slope of Leith Hill, there's not much of note here - and that's part of its charm; it feels a little like a step back in time.
Denbies Wine Estate
Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking is one of England’s largest single estate vineyards. The estate is independently owned and run. 265 of its 380 acres are currently under vine and it has a production capacity of 1 million bottles. The first vines were planted on the estate in 1986. In 2024, Denbies was the first UK vineyard to be awarded carbon net zero status, reflecting its ongoing commitment to sustainable and responsible wine production.
Effingham Forest
I'm not entirely certain the area that this walk goes through is Effingham Forest but that's what searching through OS maps, Googlemaps and on Google has led me to conclude. It's an eerily quiet and isolated place, clearly not somewhere many people go. If you're looking for a walk that's really away from it all, this one could be right up your abandoned pathway.
Albury
Albury is a well-to-do village within the Surrey Hills and about three miles east of Guildford. As well as the residential village itself, Albury includes a patch of wooded heathland called Albury Heath and the mixed woodlands of Albury Warren. It's also home to Albury Park mansion, which has featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Midsomer Murders.
Walks with Rena 