Surrey Hills National Landscape

This National Landscape links together a chain of varied lowland landscapes including the North Downs. Rising near Guildford as the narrow Hogs Back, the ridge of the downs stretches away to the Kent border, an unmistakable chalk landscape of swelling hills and beech-wooded combes with a steep scarp crest looking south to the Weald. The downs are paralleled to the south by an undulating wooded greensand ridge, rising at Leith Hill to southeast England’s highest point (294m). In the west, sandy open heathland, typified by Frensham Common, stretches away to the Hampshire border.

The landscape is home to many iconic species such as the Nightjar, Dartford Warbler and Skylark which thrive on the varied habitat that the Surrey Hills offers. Careful management of the natural environment takes place by conservation bodies, landowners and farmers who have managed the land for generations.

The Surrey Hills is a popular day trip destination with excellent railway links from London. With beauty spots such as Box Hill, Devils Punch Bowl and Newlands Corner, there are a multitude of footpaths, bridleways and long-distance trails including the North Downs Way National Trail. Vibrant towns such as Farnham, Guildford, Dorking, Reigate and Oxted alongside showpiece villages such as Shere and Abinger offer thriving locations for crafts, food and drink experiences and you can even enjoy our Vineyards of the Surrey Hills.