Hunt's Copse

Hunt's Copse is a proper woodland walk just outside Dorking - the sort of place you'd stumble upon if you were exploring the Surrey countryside properly. It's not a manicured attraction with visitor centres or car parks; it's genuine forest, which means you get the real thing: tall trees, forest floor, the works.

You're walking through mixed woodland here - deciduous and evergreen mixed together. It's decent for a ramble, probably takes 45 minutes to an hour depending on how much you're looking around, and it works well if you're staying at one of the nearby camping spots like Sands Farm or Riverside Farm. Not somewhere you'd drive an hour out of your way for, but if you're based in the Dorking area for a few days, it's worth adding to your itinerary.

Families with older kids will find it pleasant enough - there's something satisfying about actual woodland that doesn't feel manicured to death. Younger ones might get restless unless you're making a proper adventure of it. It's free to walk through, naturally. The place gets better in autumn when the light filters through properly, or in spring when things are actually growing instead of just being brown and damp.

Best visited in the morning when you're fresh, and wear proper shoes - it's muddy after rain. The trees aren't ancient or particularly famous, but the walk itself is solid countryside. It's the sort of place that reminds you why people bother camping in Surrey at all.