Old Windmill Hill

The walk up Windmill Hill from Guildford is one of those Surrey surprises that catches you off guard - a proper ascent that leaves you genuinely breathless, but the payoff justifies the leg-work. The old windmill itself sits at the top like a modest monument to better days, its weathered brick and sails long since stilled, but somehow that decline adds to its charm rather than detracting from it.

From the summit you get sweeping views across the Weald that make the 20-minute climb feel like a bargain. On clear days you can see for miles - the kind of vista that makes you understand why someone planted a windmill up here in the first place. The hill itself is heavily wooded, so you're walking through dappled shade for most of it, which is genuinely lovely in summer when the crowds around Guildford town centre feel suffocating.

Families with older kids will get plenty from this. Younger ones might find the final push a slog, and there's not much to do once you've arrived except admire the views and the building itself. No cafe, no facilities worth mentioning. But if you're based at Chapel Farm Park or Wyldecrest nearby, this is exactly the sort of walk that justifies a holiday in Surrey rather than somewhere more obviously spectacular. Admission is free, and you can do the round trip in under an hour if you're not stopping to photograph every vista. Go early to beat the weekend crowds.