Photo: DimiTalen, CC0Leatherhead is a town on the River Mole, close to the National Trust's Polesden Lacey and to Bocketts Farm Park, with Box Hill a few miles south.
Photo of Leatherhead: DimiTalen, CC0A 530-seat theatre and cinema opened in 1969 in a former 1930s cinema, reached by a short corridor off Church Street. The auditorium keeps its original concrete balconies and brick-tile walls, and hosts films, live shows and screenings of opera and theatre.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0A small local history museum run by volunteers of the Leatherhead and District Local History Society in Hampton Cottage, a timbered 17th-century house on Church Street. It covers Leatherhead, Ashtead, the Bookhams and Fetcham.
Photo of Leatherhead: DimiTalen, CC0A family-run working farm on the A246 between Leatherhead and Fetcham, with animals to feed, racing pigs, tractor rides and large play areas indoors and out. Much of it is undercover, so it works in most weather.
Photo of Leatherhead: DimiTalen, CC0A large estate of woodland, farmland and chalk grassland between Leatherhead and Dorking, bought by Surrey County Council in 1931 to save it from development. Colour-coded self-guided trails start from the car parks, with views towards Box Hill and the River Mole below.
Photo: ogwen, CC BY-SA 3.0A National Nature Reserve of woodland in north-east Surrey looked after by the City of London, known for more than 2,300 ancient oak pollards. Their decaying wood is home to rare insects and fungi, and the common is a few minutes' walk from Ashtead station.
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: 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: 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: 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: Cjc13, CC BY-SA 3.0A large single-estate vineyard on the slopes of the North Downs outside Dorking, with a visitor centre, wine shop, restaurants and an art gallery. Visitors can take a guided cellar tasting or a vineyard train tour, or walk the 7 miles of public footpaths through the vines.
Photo of Epsom: Oscar248, CC BY-SA 3.0Open chalk downland around Epsom Downs Racecourse, home of the Derby, owned by the racecourse and managed by the Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators. Around 150 racehorses train on the gallops each morning, and the afternoons are for walkers, cyclists and riders.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0A 400-acre country park on the north-west edge of Epsom, about half of it a Local Nature Reserve of fields, hedgerows, ancient coppice woodland and ponds. Paths are open to walkers, cyclists and riders, and Hobbledown, a golf centre and an equestrian centre share the site.
Photo of Leatherhead: DimiTalen, CC0LP Creatives' Christmas pantomime for Leatherhead is a comic take on Beauty and the Beast, set in the village of Marsh de Mello. Jon Hughes returns as the dame, with Tom Beard as the villain Baron Biscuit.
Photo of Leatherhead: DimiTalen, CC0The team behind Leatherhead's family panto put on a one-off adults-only version, full of innuendo and rude jokes. The cast meet audiences in the bar after the show.
The first week of Bocketts' Halloween season is aimed at younger children, with a spooky stamp trail, Halloween crafts and a Pumpkin Village for photos. The usual farm activities and play areas carry on alongside.
Bocketts' second Halloween week adds science and slime shows and a reptile roadshow to the spooky trail, crafts and Pumpkin Village. It runs to the end of half-term.
Children ride the Santa Express trailer to Father Christmas's grotto, get a golden coin and choose a gift from the Toy Shop. The rest of the day is spent on the farm, with gingerbread decorating, a giant snow globe and reindeer food making.
Friends of West Ashtead's main fundraiser of the year is a school-field fireworks night with a professional display at 7pm. Food vans, the FOWA bar and a light-up toy stall keep it a relaxed local evening.
Photo of Leatherhead: DimiTalen, CC0Surrey Wildlife Trust runs drop-off holiday days in the ancient woodland at Nower Wood. Younger children explore nature, while the teen club covers activities such as pond dipping, bushcraft and woodland conservation.
Santa sits inside a giant Christmas pudding at Ashtead Park Garden Centre, with time for a chat, photos and an early present. Children also get an elf hunt sheet to complete for a small prize.
Parkside School's fireworks night opens to the wider community after its early-bird period, with a bonfire, fire pit and music before the display. The school's caterers serve hot food and there is a bar with cocktails.
Photo of Leatherhead: DimiTalen, CC0A 530-seat theatre and cinema opened in 1969 in a former 1930s cinema, reached by a short corridor off Church Street. The auditorium keeps its original concrete balconies and brick-tile walls, and hosts films, live shows and screenings of opera and theatre.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0A small local history museum run by volunteers of the Leatherhead and District Local History Society in Hampton Cottage, a timbered 17th-century house on Church Street. It covers Leatherhead, Ashtead, the Bookhams and Fetcham.
Photo of Leatherhead: DimiTalen, CC0A family-run working farm on the A246 between Leatherhead and Fetcham, with animals to feed, racing pigs, tractor rides and large play areas indoors and out. Much of it is undercover, so it works in most weather.
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: Cjc13, CC BY-SA 3.0A large single-estate vineyard on the slopes of the North Downs outside Dorking, with a visitor centre, wine shop, restaurants and an art gallery. Visitors can take a guided cellar tasting or a vineyard train tour, or walk the 7 miles of public footpaths through the vines.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0A small local history museum run by volunteers of the Leatherhead and District Local History Society in Hampton Cottage, a timbered 17th-century house on Church Street. It covers Leatherhead, Ashtead, the Bookhams and Fetcham.
Photo of Leatherhead: DimiTalen, CC0A large estate of woodland, farmland and chalk grassland between Leatherhead and Dorking, bought by Surrey County Council in 1931 to save it from development. Colour-coded self-guided trails start from the car parks, with views towards Box Hill and the River Mole below.
Photo: ogwen, CC BY-SA 3.0A National Nature Reserve of woodland in north-east Surrey looked after by the City of London, known for more than 2,300 ancient oak pollards. Their decaying wood is home to rare insects and fungi, and the common is a few minutes' walk from Ashtead station.
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: 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: 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.
