Royal Common, Forked Pond and Thursley Nature Reserve fringes

Royal Common, just outside Elstead, is part of the Longmoor Training Area owned by the Defence Estates, which also covers large parts of Hankley, Elstead and Ockley commons. Public access is allowed across the Defence Training Estate provided you adhere to the Surrey Commons Military Lands Byelaws 1978. Army training here (when it takes place) revolves around logistics and minor infantry manoeuvre exercises and you're unlikely to come to any harm, but make sure you follow the instructions of troops if you do encounter any.

Horton Country Park

Between Epsom, Ewell and Chessington, Horton Country Park is a local nature reserve covering 150 hectares, parts of which are used as a golf course, a children’s adventure farm (Hobbledown) and an equestrian centre. It’s a patchwork of fields, hedgerows, woods and ponds and considered to be of great wildlife and historical interest.

Walliswood – Kiln Copse, Chapel Copse and the secret church

Walliswood is a small village near Dorking and home to a little-known church, hidden away in the woods. The Church of St John the Baptist, Oakwood Hill (formerly Okewood Hill) was built around 1220, apparently on the site of a Roman villa, which, in turn, had been constructed where a Druidic temple had once stood.

Outwood Common

Outwood Common comprises open common, woodland and fields, traversed by streams and dotted with more than 100 ponds here and there. A large proportion of the countryside in and around Outwood is part of the Harewoods Estate, which is managed by the National Trust. Some of the ancient oak trees in the wood are over 200 years old.

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