by Hi my lovely readers!
On Thursday in my Travel Thursday Quote post I told you that I was going to go for a little hike on Sunday, which I managed to do.
The weather played along just fine and my partner and I decided to head back to Norbury Park in Surrey, which is only a short drive away from where we live. We went for a short hike back last year in May and wanted to try out one of the other trails in the park.
A lovely countryside walk in Norbury Park – Views, Fields and Cows
Norbury Park is located within the Surrey Hills, which is an AONB – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The area is protected and great for hikes, dog walking, getting some fresh air, picnics and admiring the beautiful and amazing views that the Surrey Hills are famous for.
Norbury Park can be accessed best by car. However, there’re a few busses from the Kingston and Dorking direction that can also get you close to the park.
There’re a few car parks scattered around the park and some of them have abolished the parking charges now, which is a bonus as you can park for free.
There’re several different trails and paths in Norbury Park that you can choose from. Some of them lead you through woodlands, some cross open fields where the cows are grazing and others lead you to farmland.
We hiked for around two hours that day. Our goal was to reach the viewpoint in Norbury Park, which we missed last time. From the car park, we first had to cross some fields where the cows were grazing. Watch out for the giant piles of poo though! They’re everywhere.
From there, we headed into the woodlands and reached the view point after about half an hour walk. There are a few slopes, but nothing too difficult. The view of Box Hill was really pleasant and you’re able to even spot some of the National Trust properties in the distance that are close by such as Polesden Lacey.
A handful of benches are positioned at the viewpoint for walkers to take a break while enjoying the view. Which is exactly what we did.
After a small break we continued our walk and ended up at a car park on the opposite side of the park. From there, we headed to the closest little countryside village called Westhumble. The village has lots of old buildings, some made out of flint, which was a building material widely used back in the days, I believe around the 15th century.
From Westhumble, we crossed to the Box Hill side of the Surrey Hills and walked back to the car park. On the way, we managed to pass a few more impressive buildings and grand homes. Close to the car park, we had to pass a farm and you know they really use the best fertiliser there is in the world on those fields. But this is what real countryside walks are about.
In the UK you’re allowed to cross farmland such as fields where the sheep and cows are grazing when they’re indicated as Footpaths. Landowners voluntarily give permission and provide access to the public to pass their land to be able to enjoy nature, which I think is just fabulous.
