Best
Places To Visit in Surrey UK
For UK
Tourists, London is by far the Number 1 destination for most.
However
the ever so tranquil county of Surrey is located only 8 miles from
Trafalgar Square, London's thronging centre.
Surrey
is in the South East direction from London, and known as a Home County,
Kent is to the East of Surrey, with Sussex in the South and Hampshire and
Berkshire to the West of Surrey.
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Surrey has been an important
county for over a Millennium. Before William the Conqueror invaded from
France and took control of England, AngloSaxon English Kings used to be
crowned King in Surrey at Kingston-upon-Thames.
Further
upstream along the River Thames is the famous Runnymede site in
Surrey where King John signed the Magna Carta - the world's
first constitution.
A
memorial has been erected there to commemorate this historic landmark
occasion.
In
more recent times Hampton Court Palace was a real favourite with
King Henry VIII - the creator of The Church of England by King's Own
Divine Right to do so.
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He
took full advantage of the Thames and hunting wild Boar in the 16th
Century while at Hampton Palace with his Royal Court when he was unaccompanied
by his numerous wives - serial monogamy they call it now - an would that
also be by the King's Divine Right (discuss!).
Surrey
is not one of the largest counties and still keeps its' rural countryside
nature with narrow lanes and lovely country pubs full of real life
characters, very different from the neighbouring Capital City.
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There are of course plenty
of historic attractions for you to consider adding to your Must See
List.
 For example Loseley
Park in Guildford, Guildford Cathedral, Hampton
Court Palace not far from Richmond, Clandon Park also in
Guildford, Painshill Park in Cobham, Claremont Gardens in
Esher, or Polesden Lacy in Dorking, Great Fosters in
Egham, Ham House and Kew Palace, Farnham Castle to
name just a few.
Surrey,
the birth place of Cricket, is also home to some very popular touristy
attractions that your children will absolutely love ie. Thorpe Park,
Chessington World of Adventures and of course Birdworld.
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Many
of the towns in Surrey are also must visit destinations in their own
right.
Guildford is the biggest town in Surrey
County with it's cobble stoned High Street and it's twisting little
lanes.
Guildford
Castle has a large stone tower keep and you will find on the first floor
a reception chamber with a permanent exhibition.
The
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre plays many West End Shows after they finish their
London runs, and we must mention that Guildford Cathedral is home to the
Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra.
From
Guildford you can amply explore picturesque villages close by such as
Ripley, Compton, Chilworth and Albury in South West Surrey.
One of
Surrey's loveliest villages is Farnham with its beautiful Georgian Times
architecture and Farnham Castle was where many medieval Monarchs
reigned supremely from with their often brutal "Olde World
Ways".
Godalming
has many ancient buildings whereas Dorking and Leatherhead in the Surrey
Hills boast a range of restaurants, cafes and bars. Dorking will
definitely give you a chance to spend your wealth in some of its'
excellent Antique Shops.
Come
& visit Surrey soon.
For
moving information and service, visit olerrelo.com .
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Golden Guildford by Sarah Todd
I
first visited Guildford in 1988, and have been back at least eight times
since then, so I know the town pretty well. I've done all the touristy
things, and have friends who have lived in the area for around forty
years... so I'd like to invite you to accompany me on a tour of Guildford.
Situated in the
county of Surrey south of London, it is believed the town is almost 2,000
years old. The first part of the name means "gold", but it is
believed to refer to the golden sand of the River Wey, a tributary of the
River Thames which winds its way to Guildford. Another thought is that it
might refer to the golden flowers fringing the river's banks, but neither
story has been proved. Still, they do both conjure up some romantic
images! Although the name does not refer to the precious mineral, in the
tenth century Guildford became a location for the Royal Mint, the place
where the country's coinage is produced. It's no longer there - three
centuries later it was moved to The Tower of London.
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One of Guildford's most
famous sites is Guildford Castle, which dates back to the eleventh
century. At the time Guildford was the only town in Surrey, so the
castle was probably used as a resting place by the king during his
travels. Today what remains of Guildford Castle has been turned into a
museum, and visitors can access the castle's tower via a stone
staircase, where they are afforded a wonderful view of the castle
grounds and surrounding farm fields.
On
Stag Hill, just outside the town, is Guildford Cathedral, a rather
imposing brick building. It's very modern; construction began before
the Second World War and it was eventually completed in the early
1950s. I'm afraid my thoughts when I first saw it was that it looks
more like a hospital building than a cathedral, but then it is supposed
to be modern, not traditional. The original "Omen" film used
Guildford Cathedral to film the church scenes in the film's climax. The
golden weather vane the filmmakers constructed especially for the film
proved so popular with the congregation they asked the producers to
leave it there after shooting was completed!
Although
the town centre is a lively, busy place Guildford's history is clearly
evident. High Street has a very steep slope, so walking up it can be a
bit tiring - even for a very fit person! The street is cobbled, the
surface bubbled with worn grey stones.
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ATM
machines and banks line High Street, together with an eclectic selection
of some of Europe's most well known commercial businesses and department
stores. There are also many small alleyways branching off from High
Street, and walking down them is an interesting experience. There are
small shops with wonderfully decorated windows, and dress shops mingle with
cafés, shoe shops, jewellery and herbal stores
A
modern shopping complex called The Friary is located at the bottom of
High Street. Architecturally it blends well with the older buildings, so
that the vast amount of glass used in the roof and windows to give
shoppers a feeling of "openness" is not glaringly obvious.
Twice a week a market full of books, fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables
trades in the open air in front of several associated shops, including a
bakery and butchery. There's also a big farming community in Surrey, so
Guildford is a market town, and on the first Tuesday of every month the
farmers' market is open to the public.
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There are many different
nightclubs, pubs and restaurants in Guildford. I've been to several
pubs in and around Guildford, and my favourite is "The White
Lyon", which serves real ale - beer brewed using natural
ingredients. I'm not a beer drinker, apart from a slight affection for
Guinness, but I do enjoy traditional pub lunches. My favourite is "bangers
and mash", which is sausages and mashed potato covered with gravy.
My friend Helen lives opposite the Woodridge Road cricket ground -
fortunately she likes cricket, so the occasional shouts of
"Howzat!" and the crack of the cricket ball meeting the
willow bat doesn't bother her. Surrey's Country Cricket club is the
venue for several matches every season between Surrey's different
cricket clubs - cricket is a popular sport in England!
Another
famous historical property is Sutton Place, which was once the home of
the billionaire John Paul Getty. The house has had many famous owners
since it was built in the early 16th century. I remember reading Dinah
Lampitt's wonderful series of books about the characters with
connections to this place, including Henry VIII's wives Jane Seymour
and Ann Boleyn - they are excellent books.
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Sutton
Place contains an ornamental pomegranate that was once owned by another
of Henry's wives, Catherine of Aragon, as well as the bloodstained ruff
of Saint Thomas More. He was the man who first wrote about Utopia, and he
was beheaded by Henry when he refused to accept the King's claim to be
the head of the Church of England.
Just
outside Guildford lies Clandon Park estate. At the centre of the park is
a magnificent house, home to the Onslow family since it was built in
1730. The estate includes one of the quaintest villages I've ever seen.
Clandon Village's stone houses are linked by narrow winding roads,
fringed with graceful, gently swaying trees. A variety of pheasant,
rabbit, foxes and deer live on the grounds. When I was there in January
2007 I bought some delicious bacon and ham produced on the farm. Pork is
not available in Turkey, so this was a great treat for us! And still
is... when I got back to Izmir I packed and froze the bacon and ham. It's
our treat for weekend breakfasts, and it is probably the best bacon I
have ever eaten.
I find
it incredible that Guildford has managed to retain so much of its charm
in a world that sometimes doesn't take the time to appreciate heritage,
and the history behind so many of our places. Every time I return to
Guildford I learn something new, and yet the town doesn't seem to change.
I feel like I'm visiting an old, treasured place when I go to Guildford.
It's a town that is growing, but so far it has managed to handle its
expansion without compromising its history. That's not an easy thing to
do, and I for one hope this trend continues.
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About
the Author - The writer was born in Africa, and lived there
for the first 38 years of her life. She worked in the world of public
relations for over five years, running her own PR company and dealing
extensively with the world of journalism and the print media. She is an
author on http://www.Writing.Com/,
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