Page Contents
Things to do in Surrey
Days out in Surrey
Places to visit in Surrey

The county of Surrey is situated in the south east of England and covers some 1500 square kilometres between London to the North and the protected countryside of the Surrey Hills to the south.

The Surrey Hills are an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Its rich heritage has inspired many famous writers, painters and musicians.

Surrey contains busy towns with excellent shopping facilities, historic market towns and a wealth of quintessentially English villages.

There are family activities and adventure parks such as Chessington World of Adventure, famous racecourses like Epsom, historic house like Hampton Court and gardens like Kew Gardens.

This is in addition to countryside with beautiful landscapes and views. Surrey is a county for everyone, with so much to see and do, choosing can be difficult!

Surrey is the most urbanised County in England but over 6,500 acres of countryside remain. As such, it's still England's most wooded county.

Visit Surrey Tourist Information centres for details of how to explore the beautiful countryside by Ranger guided walks, or via the Surrey Cycleway. The rivers Mole, Thames and Wey running through the County offer opportunities for fishing and boating.

Surrey is famous as the site of the signing of the Magna Carta. On 15th June 1215 King John met 25 barons, somewhere between Staines and Windsor. This meeting at Runnymede fields, resulted in the king attaching his seal to a document that became known as the Magna Carta.

Today you can visit Runnymede Meadow, Egham, to see the Magna Carta Memorial. It was erected by the American Bar Association to commemorate the sealing of the Magna Carta's 750th Anniversary. Here you will also see the Kennedy Memorial, the site was given to the people of America in memory of President John F Kennedy.

The town of Guilford offers some of the best shopping facilities in the south east. You can take a guided walk to learn about its history and fascinating buildings. The River Wey lends a tranquil feel to the middle of town and offers access to lovely countryside - a short walk along the towpath. The surrounding countryside offers a wealth of attractions, including stately homes like Clandon Park, and Hatchlands Park. There is also the River Wey and its Navigations - centred at Dapdune Wharf - and RHS Garden at Wisley.

Leatherhead is a distinctive, historic market town and is a gateway to the Surrey Hills. With nine business parks, it is also an important working destination, as well as being an excellent centre from which to explore the area. The Mole Gap Trail - one of many marked trails - takes visitors through the valley of the River Mole and links the towns of Leatherhead and Dorking.

Dorking nestles in the narrow valley between the Greensand Hills to the south and the chalk hills of the North Downs. One of Dorking's more famous residents was the composer Vaughn Williams. He was the first conductor of the Leith Hill Musical Festival. You can drop into the tourist information centre for details of this and other festivals and events in the area. The local countryside is well worth exploring. There are historic villages, each with its own charm, a wine estate, historic properties, and Bocketts Farm - a great family attraction.

Farnham is to be found in the south west of Surrey, it is a gracious country town with some of the finest Georgian architecture in the south. Its castle dates back to the 12th century. The town is the starting point for the North Downs Way.

Days out in Surrey

• Birdworld & Underwater World
  Have a great day out at Birdworld, see amazing birds in beautiful gardens, Underwater World and the Children's Farm.
  
• Bocketts Farm Park
  Set in the beautiful countryside, Bocketts Farm offers a great day out whatever the weather!
  
• British Wildlife Centre
  In the heart of the East Surrey countryside is the British Wildlife Centre, one of the best places in the country to see and learn about our own wonderful wildlife.
  
• Brooklands Museum
  Brooklands Museum opened in 1991 on 30 acres of the original 1907 motor-racing circuit. The Museum features the most historic and steepest section of the old Banked Track and the 1-in-4 Test Hill.
  
• Chertsey Museum
  The Museum is housed in the Cedars, a Grade II listed Regency town house with an attractive garden
  
• Chessington World of Adventures Resort
  With exciting rides and animals, and action packed shows, Chessington is a whole World of Adventures all in one place!
  
• Clandon Park
  A grand Palladian mansion, built in the 1730s by the Venetian architect Leoni and notable for its magnificent two-storeyed Marble Hall
  
• Claremont Landscape Gardens
  Claremont Landscape Gardens are an early example of what became known as Landscape Gardens in the early 18th century.
  
• Godalming Museum
  A friendly, welcoming Museum which tells the story of Godalming and the surrounding area.
  
• Guildford House Gallery
  Guildford House is a fascinating Grade I Listed 17th century town house, now Guildford Borough Council's art gallery showing selections from the Borough's Collection and varied temporary exhibitions.
  
• Ham House
  Ham House is unique in Europe as the most complete survival of 17th century power and fashion. Built in 1610, it was enlarged during the 1670s when it was at the heart of Restoration court life and intrigue.
  
• Hampton Court Palace
  For over 500 years, Hampton Court Palace has stood serenely on the banks of the River Thames. Many important historical figures, including 12 monarchs, have fallen helplessly for her charms. Will you join them?
  
• Haslemere Museum
  Haslemere Educational Museum is the largest independent museum in the area.
  
• Hatchlands Park
  Built in 1758 for Admiral Edward Boscawen and set in a beautiful Repton Park offering a variety of park and woodland walks, Hatchlands contains splendid interiors by Robert Adam, decorated in appropriately nautical style.
  
• Kingston Museum
  Kingston Museum was built in 1904 with contributions from Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish American benefactor. The Eadweard Muybridge gallery describes the life and work of this internationally renowned pioneer photographer.
  
• Loseley Park
  Built in 1562 by Sir William Moore, a fine example of Elizabethan architecture, set amid beautiful parkland grazed by the Loseley Jersey herd.
  
• New Ashgate Gallery
  New Ashgate Gallery exhibits and sells contemporary fine art and craft in a beautiful grade II listed building in the heart of Farnham.
  
• Painshill Park
  Painshill Park is one of the most important 18th century landscapes in Europe. It was created by the Hon. Charles Hamilton between 1738 and 1773 as a series of subtle and surprising scenes.
  
• Polesden Lacey
  The gracious Polesden Lacey estate dates back to well before the current house was built. The elegant 19th century mansion was designed by architect Thomas Cubitt.
  
• RHS Garden Wisley
  With stunning and facinating orchids in the Glasshouse in Spring time to the ever popular Flower Show and the very much enjoyed A Taste of Autumn, everyone can come and enjoy an event at Wisley.
  
• River Wey and Godalming Navigations and Dapdune Wharf
  The River Wey was one of the first rivers in Britain to become fully navigable, it opened to commercial river barges in 1653.
  
• Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
  On 3 July 2003 the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew was officially inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
  
• Sandown Park Racecourse
  Considered the best viewing racecourse and a natural amphitheatre, Sandown Park's exceptional facilities make it one of the top racecourses in the UK.
  
• The Old Mill
  Outwood Windmill, Britain's oldest working windmill, is Listed Grade 1 by English Heritage. It was built in 1665 by Thomas Budgen of Nutfield, and is what is known as a Post Mill.
  
• Thorpe Park
  For the ultimate adrenaline fix in 2012, grab your mates and take on some of Europe's most extreme rides and attractions at the nation's Thrill Capital, Thorpe Park.
  
• Whitehall
  Whitehall was built in around 1500 when Cheam was a rural community of around 300 people, centred around Park Lane and Park Road.
  
• Winkworth Arboretum
  Winkworth Arboretum is the happy result of one man's passion for trees and his desire to share his collection with the nation through The National Trust.
  

Places to Visit in Surrey

• Abinger
  Abinger is a parish in the Mole Valley that includes the villages of Abinger Hammer, Sutton Abinger and Abinger Common.
  
• Addlestone
  Addlestone is a small town where the thousand year old crouch Oak once marked the boundary of Windsor forest and there is a legend that Queen Elizabeth I stopped to picnic beside it.
• Banstead
  Banstead is close to London but protected by extensive Green belt, so Banstead has managed to retain its rustic village charm.
  
• Box Hill
  Box Hill overlooks the Mole Gap where the River Mole breaks through the line of the North Downs, and gives its name to a scattered village high on the Downs. It is the scene of the famous picnic in Jane Austen's "Emma".
• Byfleet
  Byfleet is a village five miles north east of Woking in Surrey. It is conveniently situated close to the M25, between the River Wey and the River Mole.
  
• Camberley
  The moderately-sized town of Camberley is in the extreme west of Surrey, about 31 miles southwest of London, between the M3 and M4 motorways.
  
• Chertsey
  Chertsey is situated midway between Egham and Weybridge, the town has a long and distinguished history and was once the site of a Benedictine Abbey, first established in AD666.
  
• Chobham
  Occasionally known as the
  
• Dorking
  Dorking is a town of special charm and character, it is particularly well known for its thriving antiques trade in West Street where more than 20 shops represent over 100 dealers.
  
• Egham
  Egham - A busy coaching town in the 18th and 19th centuries, the town is now by-passed by heavy traffic and this, together with the recently pedestrianised town centre, makes it a favourite shopping place.
  
• Esher
  Esher is a delightful suburban village in Surrey, best known as frequently topping the list as the most expensive place to live in the UK. It is located 14 miles south west of London.
  
• Farnham
  Farnham stands on the River Wey, with unspoiled river meadows running through it, an architectural jewel with several outstanding art galleries.
  
• Frimley
  Frimley is tucked away in the west of Surrey, 31 miles south west of London and close to the Hampshire border.
  
• Godalming
  Godalming is a charming town of timbered buildings and cobbled streets, the first town in the country to have electric street lighting.
  
• Guildford
  Guildford - Surrey's county town - has all the richness and amenities of a city and yet remains compact enough to explore and enjoy with ease.
  
• Horley
  Horley is a traditional market town blending the old with the new, offering good convenience shopping to a large residential area.
• Leatherhead
  Leatherhead ';The Gateway to the Surrey Hills', provides an excellent base for visitors wishing to explore the beautiful Surrey countryside and variety of nearby attractions.
  
• Leith Hill
  Leith Hill is not a town but a hill, the highest in the South East of England. On its shoulder perches the attractive little village of Coldharbour.
  
• Merstham
  Merstham is a North Downs village of ancient origin but modern attributes: It is more residential than commercial but is far from being a sleepy dormitory village. It is conveniently located in a gap of the North Downs on the London to Brig
• Redhill
  Redhill is a rural market town adjacent to Reigate and 20 miles south of London. It is situated in the North Downs of Surrey.
• Reigate
  The historic market town of Reigate nestles at the foot of the North Downs which provide a magnificent backdrop.
  
• Staines
  Situated on the north bank of the River Thames in Surrey>, Staines is 5 miles from London Heathrow Airport and 17 miles from Charing Cross in central London.
• Thorpe
  Thorpe is mentioned in the Doomsday Book as 'Torpe'; the village has not changed much in 900 years
• Virginia Water
  The affluent village of Virginia Water is in Surrey and is christened after the lake and stream of the same name.
• Walton-on-Thames
  Walton on Thames is a pleasant riverside town with a new pedestrian shopping centre boasting many designer shops and a multitude of high profile restaurant with al fresco summer time eating.
• Weybridge
  Weybridge is to the south of the River Thames in the Elmbridge area of Surrey. It is situated at the mouth of the River Wey, hence its name.
• Windlesham
  Windlesham is in North WestSurrey and is named after the Windle Brook that runs through the village. It was once a small farming village within Windsor Great Park.
• Woking
  Woking offers convenient shopping, top quality entertainment, sporting action, relaxing countryside and interesting days out for all the family.