10 reasons you should visit Surrey's countryside this spring

From self-guided trails to natural play areas

We manage over 10,000 acres of Surrey countryside known as our Countryside Estate and over the past five years, we’ve made some significant changes.

From improving access for all, upgrading facilities, supporting health and wellbeing initiatives and creating new opportunities for residents to connect with nature, Surrey’s Countryside Estate now offers even more for residents and visitors.

Keep reading to find out how they’re now some of the best places to escape to at the weekend!

1. Over 75 miles of self-guided trails

Across 22 beautiful sites, visitors can explore over 75 miles of self-guided trails. Each trail is clearly waymarked to make it even easier to access Surrey’s countryside and with over 30 hours of adventure to enjoy there is plenty of opportunity to return time and again.

Visit our visitor information pages for details and to plan your next trip to the countryside.

3. New accessible trails

Re-surfaced and thoughtfully designed accessible paths at Newlands Corner, Norbury Park, and Staffhurst Wood ensure the countryside is accessible to all visitors. We also have accessible picnic tables at most of our sites.

Visit our visitor information pages for details and to plan your next trip to the countryside.

(Photo shows the accessible 'Acorn' trail at Newlands Corner).

4. Car Parks upgraded

New surfaces, better layouts, and height barriers now enhance safety and accessibility across the estate’s most used car parks.

Visit our visitor information pages to find out more about our sites and how to get to them by public transport and car.

(Photo shows our Staffhurst Wood re-surfaced carpark).

5. Refurbished visitor centres

The Discovery Centre at Newlands Corner and the Basingstoke Canal Centre at Mytchett have been refreshed to provide modern, welcoming spaces for information and community use.

These spaces are also available to hire for events and activities.

(Photo shows the Newlands Corner Discovery Centre).

6. New sites to provide public access and biodiversity benefits

Two new locations Tice’s Meadow near Farnham and Grafton Stables near Epsom have been added to the Countryside Estate portfolio helping to expand green space access where it was previously limited and protect it for future generations.

Find out what you can see when you visit our nature reserves, heathland, grass chalkland and waterways.

(Photo shows Tice's Meadow).

7. Updated and new toilet facilities

Indoor upgrades at Newlands Corner and new compostable toilets at Norbury Park and the Basingstoke Canal Centre campsite have helped to improve comfort and sustainability for visitors.

8. New information boards installed

Clear site information, maps, and trails for different abilities now greet visitors across the estate with a friendly countryside brand to reinforce visitor understanding that they are on a site owned or managed by Surrey County Council.

Each of our boards has a handy QR code so you can find out information about the site you are visiting.

9. 80% of visitors are confidently using our waymarked trails

Our 2025 visitor survey highlighted the impact of our on-site work with 80% of respondents navigating our trails with confidence due to more accessible paths, interpretation boards and clear waymarking.

Visit our visitor information pages for details and to plan your next trip to the countryside.

10. Volunteer support

Thanks to our wonderful countryside volunteers for an incredible contribution of over 56,000 hours of support, equivalent to 35 full time staff! They help to support a wide variety of our work including, habitat conservation, access improvements, events, and more.

Find out how to volunteer with us on our volunteering web pages, you don’t need any experience, just enthusiasm. It’s flexible, rewarding, and open to all.