Autumn walks

It’s really the most interesting time of the year to go on a walk. Here are some of my favourite places to visit with the family.

Painshill Park at Autumn

The beautiful landscaped gardens of Painshill Park (which you may have glimpsed during the Bridgerton series!) have a host of attractions at any time of year. There’s the Gothic Temple, the Turkish tent, a 14-acre lake, the Temple of Bacchus, the fairytale crystal grotto and the Gothic tower to name a few.

Autumn only adds to its charms. There are a number of walking routes you can follow, which take in the Painshill sights. Additionally, it’s running a Wild Halloween Camp over half term from Monday 28th, October – Wednesday, 30th October 2024 (9am– 3.30pm).

For ages 8-11, it includes:

• Den building – build your own haunted hut
• Campfire cooking and hot chocolate
• Wonderfully wild, weird and wicked wide games
• Making spooky woodland craft

Find out about all of Painshill Park’s activities here: https://www.painshill.co.uk/events-at-painshill/

Leith Hill (Dorking)

We’ve had some lovely walks around here. The Woodland trail is a route of 2.5 miles (takes up to two hours), which takes you through woodland, up to Leith Hill Tower – where you can grab a cuppa and a sweet treat – and Leith Hill Place. This was home to Josiah Wedgwood III (of pottery fame) who was married to Caroline Darwin sister of naturalist Charles. It was more recently the childhood home of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

In season, there’s a huge array of mushrooms (for fungi enthusiasts, this is a great spotter book) and there as loads of great trees, including sweet chestnuts, which offer bountiful foraging opportunities.

Here are the details of the different routes: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/leith-hill/leith-hill-woodland-walk

Claremont Landscape Gardens (Esher)

This is another National Trust favourite of ours near Esher. There are lovely landscaped gardens but with plenty of wild areas, and a big lake complete with plenty of wildlife an opportunities for boating. You’ll also find a very nice children’s play area (Queen Victoria used to play at Claremont when she was a child).

The Wandering Witch returns for Enchanted Claremont, another fun adventure trail around the garden between Saturday, 19th October and Sunday, 3rd November. This year, the garden turns into Magick School – follow the spellbound path and find games and activities inspired by the sprites, goblins and fairies’ favourite lessons.

Find out more about what you can expect to see at Claremont this autumn: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/claremont-landscape-garden/features/autumn-colour-at-claremont-landscape-garden

Winkworth Arboretum at Autumn

What better place to witness autumn’s splendour than at an arboretum? Winkworth Arboretum comprises of 121 acres of wild woodland with over 1,000 species of trees and shrubs. It is wonderful at any time of year, but it is renowned for its displays in autumn.

On its Autumn Colour Guided Walk (Sunday, October 20th) you’ll be treated to arrays of copper, amber, fiery reds, gold and about every other autumn hue imaginable.

There will also be a free, fun-filled autumn trail based on the Sarah the Spider children’s book this October half-term. Children help find all of Sarah’s shoes and boots that have been hidden by the mischievous mice. The trail takes children across the arboretum where they’ll find eight activity stations themed around friendship (and a very friendly spider who loves to dance) all whilst taking in the beautiful autumnal display.

More details about Sarah the Spider at Claremont.

More details about what is on at Winkworth this autumn can be found below.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/winkworth-arboretum/winkworth-arboretum-autumn

Wisley in the Autumn (Woking)

RHS garden Wisley is vast and boasts a wide range of flora. As well as an arboretum, there’s Seven Acres with its wide open lawns, ponds and fine specimen trees. Oakwood is a hot spot for autumn foliage, and you’ll be able to see many autumn-flowerers in the Rock Garden, Alpine Display House and in all the borders.

Find out about all of their half term activities – running between Saturday, 26th October and Sunday, 3rd November – including gardening, walk and talks, shows, a spooky Halloween trail (where you’ll learn about the most wicked plants) and lots of arts and crafts: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/whats-on/half-term

For full details of what’s looking good at Wisley right now, visit: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/explore-wisley/looking-good-now

Autumn at Polesden Lacy (Great Bookham)

From the South Lawn at Polesden Lacey, you can take in the lovely views of Ranmore Common. The ancient woodland has a diverse range of trees, so it is awash with striking colours until late October. Perserve Copse has a variety of Acer trees. These provide a lovely display and there’s plenty to see in the Sunken Garden. There are many trails to explore too.

Discover the autumn highlights here.

There’s also the Autumn Explorers for preschoolers, which takes place every Wednesday from September, 18th until October, 16th. For the adults, check out its Autumn Wreath Making workshop.

Enjoy your autumn walks and please share your favourites.

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