Surrey Hills

With the hours of sunlight gradually decreasing, there is nothing more important than being outside and soaking in whatever rays of brightness while we can.  A little day trip from London to the countrysides of Surrey Hills is a perfect little escape from the busy city and the growing number of restaurants (eg: Arthur Hoopers‘)!  On a crisp sunny day it can be beautiful and full of amazing rays of brightness.  A few hours in the country can do us all some good with some proper fresh air.  Below is a perfect little day trip incorporating a nice bit of exercise while picking up some fresh fruits and vegetables and relaxing with mini picnic, before finishing your day with an incredible view of the valley.  All in a day’s work!

Garson’s Pick Your Own Farm

About 20 miles South West of London is Garson’s farm near the town Esher.  It takes about an hour by car to get to the farm, driving through the likes of Richmond park and Wimbledon common – all a nice little drive for a Sunday morning!  Garson’s was established all the way back in 1871 and is now a combination of a pick your own farm, garden centre, restaurant and farm shop.

We wanted to do a bit of fruits and vegetables picking so the farm’s 34 plots of crops, offering 76 varieties of fruits and vegetables was perfect.  Do bare in mind that each produce is seasonal and you can check their website for its opening months (May to October) and what is ready to harvest each month.

The farm is pretty big but walkable.  We definitely enjoyed the picking and (maybe) trying out their strawberries and raspberries while on our wonder around!  After you have finished picking, head over to one of the counters and you essentially pay by weight based on what you have picked.

Picnic Time

After a good morning’s worth of harvesting and picking, there isn’t a better time for a nice little picnic. We were lucky to have driven by a field with a little cricket match on, so we decided to stop by and crack open the packed lunches on the perfect lawns.  It definitely brings back memories of school days – sunny afternoons on the weekend watching a nice game on the fields! Makes picnic conversations so much more entertaining!

Leith Hill

The final leg of our trip was a little drive further south to Leith hill, particularly for the views from the 18th century Gothic tower, Leith Hill Tower.  There is a bit of a hike through a forest to the tower from the carpark but the walk is pretty easy and well signposted.

After clearing the forest you reach a nice area with the tower at the top and an astonishing view of the rest of the area.  Leith Hill is the highest ground for 49 miles, so the views are spectacular.  It is always nice to see the rest of the land slowly sprawling outwards away from you.  You can literally see for miles!

All in All

The view from the top alone is worth the little drive down from London.  Throw in a great picnic and some fruit picking and you have an awesome and relaxing day out.  You can also stop by Dorking for a cup of tea or into Guidford for a wonder. Wine drinkers can head over to Denbies Wine Estate for some fresh local wines and a wine tour.  The surrounding area is just so beautiful and full of great things to do.  A perfect little day trip from the busy streets of London.

Also published on Medium.