Regularly referred to as the most affluent of the green and pleasant Home Counties, Surrey is 70% green belt land, meaning these rolling acres can’t be built upon. So this is prime territory for outdoorsy pursuits, punctuated by picture-postcard perfect pubs in pretty and historic villages, and large estates with grand old country houses — quite a number of which have now been turned into some of the best places to stay in Surrey.
Some of our Surrey collections:
For outdoors enthusiasts there's many spots to highlight. Box Hill is well known and loved by cyclists: it’s the closest ‘proper’ hill to London. The Surrey Hills are classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the chalk of the North Downs divides Surrey north and south. Leith Hill, Frensham Ponds, Newlands Corner and Puttenham and Crooksbury Commons are some of the other well-known names. These are all wonderful places to walk or cycle, and Surrey has an extensive, and impressive network of footpaths and bridleways. The county is run through with rivers, too, and some of the best places to stay in Surrey overlook the Thames, the Wey, the Colne, or the Eden.
Surrey’s villages, towns and centres, are a charming bunch too. Guildford is the Surrey's county town and has a good range of shops, bars and restaurant. Plus it's extremely easy to get to London for a quick day trip. Weybridge, and Chiddingfold, smaller, but no less attractive. Surrey also has a couple of racing tracks, a slew of interesting museums, and numerous historic buildings and sites.
As it's so close to London, the best places to stay in Surrey can be extremely busy, no matter the season. If you're planning to visit, make sure you book well ahead.