The Surrey Hills (and Box Hill)
Surrey is one of England’s most affluent counties, with many people living here, and working in nearby London. Perhaps more money has more clout, as it remains one of the most wooded areas of our country, with peaceful villages and rolling countryside.
If out walking, follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe.
The Surrey Hills (and Box Hill)
The Surrey Hills are a National Landscape (the new name for ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, so they thankfully now have more protection.
Box Hill offers quiet footpaths and panoramic views. And Leith Hill (the highest point in south east England) is topped by a tower, where on clear days, you can see as far as London. Wildflowers and rare beetles thrive in these chalky grasslands.
Near Albury, the Silent Pool is a legendary spring-fed pond surrounded by trees and bluebell woods. A nature trail circles the pool and leads to nearby Sherbourne Pond. You’ll spot kingfishers, ducks, and the occasional deer.
The Chalk Ridges of North Downs Way
The North Downs Way National Trail slices across Surrey from Farnham to Oxted. Walkers and cyclists enjoy this long-distance path for its shifting views, chalk cliffs, and stretches through protected downs.
Dotted along the way are old churches, country pubs, and picnic sites with sweeping views of patchwork fields. In summer, butterflies dance across the wildflowers.
A Sandy Beach (in Surrey?)
Frensham Common and Little Pond covers 922 acres of dry and wet heath, woods, scrub and pond, and is a protected site for local birds, insects and reptiles. Often called ‘Surrey’s secret beach’, this is miles from the sea, but resembles a seaside resort.
Owned by the National Trust, this is reserved for wildlife, so no swimming allowed (for people or dogs). Barbecues and inflatable boats/rings are not permitted.
A Safe Haven for English Wildlife
The British Wildlife Centre is a haven for fox, deer, owls and otters, along with pine martens and red squirrels. Pine martens are natural predators of grey squirrels, and rewilding is one idea to save red squirrels.
It also is providing protected colonies for other endangered species like dormice and water voles, by using protected areas (rather than killing everything in site).
