Photo: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.010 children's activities at 4 National Trust places in Surrey, in one list, and all 20 places on a map. Entry is free for members at most places; where an activity costs extra, the price is on it.
Polesden Lacey, Great Bookham · 5 September to 8 November 2026
An autumn family trail round the garden inspired by Moominvalley, with characters from the Moomin stories to meet along the way. It is presented by Bakehouse Factory, which makes interactive theatrical events.
Hatchlands Park, East Clandon · 10 October to 1 November 2026
A National Trust trail based on the We're Going on a Ghost Hunt picture books, following the Bunnies of Hoppity Hill as they look for ghosts hidden around the grounds. It is pitched at pre-schoolers, with things to spot and do along the way.
Polesden Lacey, Great Bookham · 17 October to 1 November 2026
Polesden Lacey's prized pumpkin has gone missing, and children help Detective Grizwald work out who took it by solving puzzles round the grounds. It runs through both weeks of half-term.
Hatchlands Park, East Clandon · 18 October to 1 November 2026
Families can pick up a sheet and count the wooden pumpkins hidden around Hatchlands' parkland. Inside, the house is dressed for Halloween and shown in low light.
Hatchlands Park, East Clandon · 1 November to 31 December 2026
Hatchlands Park, a National Trust house near East Clandon, hosts a Christmas trail from 1 November to 31 December 2026. Visitors can see Christmas decorations inside the house and follow a family trail around the parkland inspired by the Christmasaurus books by Tom Fletcher. Booking is recommended, and details on times and prices are on the event page.
Winkworth Arboretum, Godalming · 14 November to 3 January 2027
Ten giant gnome characters inspired by Scandinavian folklore are hidden around the Upper Arboretum. Families pick up a booklet, complete challenges and collect an embossing at each gnome.
Polesden Lacey, Great Bookham · 21 November to 3 January 2027
The ground-floor rooms of the Edwardian house are dressed with displays inspired by each verse of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Outside, families can follow a trail around the grounds and collect a small gift at the end.
Claremont Landscape Garden, Esher · 28 November to 3 January 2027
Children find out whether they have what it takes to be an official Christmas elf on a trail around Claremont's lake. They get an elf name, track down Father Christmas's reindeer and do some elf fitness training.
Hatchlands Park, East Clandon · 28 November to 3 January 2027
Hatchlands Park bases its Christmas on Tom Fletcher's Christmasaurus books, with an interactive trail of scenes, puzzles and games in the parkland. Inside, the downstairs rooms of the Georgian house are decorated for Christmas.
Hatchlands Park, East Clandon · 17 November 2026
A volunteer from the Heritage Archaeology team leads a guided walk around the estate and parkland at Hatchlands Park in East Clandon on Tuesday 17 November 2026 at 11am. It suits visitors interested in local history and the landscape of the estate, and booking is recommended.
Surrey places in colour and activities in orange, with Kent and Sussex in grey so you can plan further afield. Tap a pin for details and directions.
Gardens, houses, castles and countryside worth a visit any time, with opening times and what to see.
Photo: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0Grassland and mixed woodland above Abinger Hammer, with oak trees more than 300 years old and clearly marked, fairly flat paths. Charles Darwin walked here in the 1870s, and a short trail covers the history from the Stone Age to his visits.
Ancient commons recorded in the Domesday Book, with grassland plains, old oak woods and ponds. The London Natural History Society has surveyed its wildlife since 1941, making it one of the most closely studied sites in the country.
Photo: Victor Ochieng, CC BY-SA 2.0A chalk hill on the North Downs with wide views over the Mole Valley and the Weald, ancient box woodland and chalk grassland. It is a popular start for waymarked walks, the North Downs Way and the Zig Zag Road cycle climb used in the 2012 Olympic road race.
Photo: nick macneill, CC BY-SA 2.0An 18th-century garden shaped by Vanbrugh, Bridgeman, William Kent and Capability Brown, once a royal retreat for Princess Charlotte and later bought by Queen Victoria. Paths lead round a serpentine lake to a grass amphitheatre, a grotto and the Belvedere Tower.
Photo of Dorking: Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0A chalk escarpment above Dorking with views towards Leith Hill, named after John Denby, a 17th-century farmer. The North Downs Way runs along the top past Second World War pill boxes, and Ranmore Common's woods lie across the road.
Photo: Peter S, CC BY-SA 2.0A 13th-century fish pond set in heathland between Farnham and Hindhead, owned by the National Trust and part of the Wealden Heaths National Nature Reserve. A level walk circles the water, with the Tern Café looking over it.
Photo: David Hillas, CC BY-SA 2.0A Georgian country house built in the 1750s for Admiral Edward Boscawen, with Robert Adam ceilings and the Cobbe Collection of more than 40 keyboard instruments linked to composers such as JC Bach, Chopin and Elgar. Around it are more than 400 acres of parkland and woodland, partly landscaped by Humphry Repton.
Photo: Peter S, CC BY-SA 2.0Open heathland, chalk downland slopes and mixed woodland with a wide network of tracks for walking, cycling and riding. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with heather, gorse, deer and heathland birds such as stonechats and woodlarks.
Photo: Christopher Hilton, CC BY-SA 2.0A huge natural hollow in the heathland above Hindhead, reunited with the commons since the A3 went into the Hindhead Tunnel in 2011. Trails lead around the rim and up to Gibbet Hill, Surrey's second-highest point, past grazing Exmoor ponies.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0An ancient common just off the A24 south of Dorking, once owned by King Harold and then William the Conqueror. It is fairly flat, with woodland, sunny glades and ponds, which makes it easy going for families, though it can be wet underfoot.
Woodland, heathland and farmland around the highest point in south-east England, topped by a tower with views towards London and the Channel. Trails lead through ancient woods, the Rhododendron Wood planted by Caroline Wedgwood and the open heath of Duke's Warren.
Photo of Oxted: Stacey Harris, CC BY-SA 2.0An ancient common on the Greensand Ridge with heathland, beech woods and a stretch of old Roman road, once used by commoners for grazing and collecting stone and firewood. Its open, mostly flat spaces suit family picnics, and the woods fill with bluebells in spring.
Photo: ChrisParkinson, CC BY-SA 3.0The Edwardian country retreat of the society hostess Margaret Greville, set in a 1,600-acre estate of downland and ancient woodland with views across to Ranmore Common. The ground-floor rooms hold her collection of paintings, ceramics and French furniture, and the gardens include a walled rose garden and long herbaceous borders.
Photo: Gaius Cornelius, CC BY-SA 4.0A chalk escarpment on the North Downs with views south across the Weald, linked along the North Downs Way to the Capability Brown landscape of Gatton Park. Reigate Fort, built in the late 1890s to help defend London, sits beside the path.
Photo: Jim Osley, CC BY-SA 2.0A National Trust stretch of the River Wey Navigation, opened in 1653, where it passes Pyrford Lock and the Anchor pub. The Walsham length runs from here towards Send with RHS Wisley as a backdrop, and a 7-mile circular walk links the Wey with the Basingstoke Canal.
Photo: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0The visitor centre for the River Wey and Godalming Navigations, one of the earliest canalised rivers in England, on a wharf behind Surrey County Cricket Ground in Guildford. Displays tell the story of the waterway and its boatmen, and electric boat trips leave from here.
Photo: Irid Escent, CC BY-SA 2.0The Thames-side meadows where King John sealed Magna Carta in 1215, now cared for by the National Trust as open countryside with memorials and modern artworks. Across the river, Ankerwycke has priory ruins and a yew thought to be around 2,500 years old.
Photo of Haslemere: Mertbiol, CC0Woodland, orchard and pasture right behind Haslemere High Street, owned by the National Trust and grazed by Belted Galloway cattle. It is the start of the 64-mile Serpent Trail and links to the Sussex Border Path and Greensand Way.
Photo: Alan Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.0A hillside arboretum of more than 1,000 trees and shrubs planted by Dr Wilfrid Fox, running down to a lake and boathouse, and famous for its autumn colour. A visitor centre with a café and shop sits at the top.
Heathland, woodland and grassland a few minutes' walk from Witley village, with sandy paths that stay dry in most weather. A natural play trail starts from the Webb Road car park, and a map shows the nature trail and the Second World War baseball pitch.
To Do in Surrey is independent and not connected to the National Trust. Activities are checked against the Trust's own event pages; for membership and opening details see nationaltrust.org.uk.
