Fridays Hill

The walk up Fridays Hill catches most people off guard - it's steeper than you'd think from Godalming, and the final push involves proper scrambling through bracken and loose chalk. Worth it though. From the top you get proper views across the Surrey Weald, the kind that make you forget how knackered your calves are. On a clear day the perspective stretches for miles, and if you time it right you'll have the place mostly to yourself.

It's the sort of spot that appeals to walkers more than casual strollers - there's no café, no facilities, just open hillside and the views. Families with older kids who don't mind a challenge will manage fine, but toddlers would struggle with the ascent. The whole thing takes perhaps forty minutes to an hour depending on pace and how long you linger at the summit.

Going in autumn gets my vote. The heat's off, the light's better, and the bracken's dying back so the scramble's less ankle-grabbing. Spring's decent too if you don't mind mud.

If you're staying at Little Cowdray Farm Glamping nearby, Fridays Hill slots in nicely as a half-day outing - close enough that you won't spend half the day driving, but far enough removed that it feels like proper countryside. The walk leaves you genuinely tired in a good way, the sort of tired that means you'll sleep well and feel like you've actually earned your evening.