Hands up if you’re missing autumn already! We certainly are what with the abundance of colour and those contrasting blue skies. It might be a little crispier but those red, orange and yellow hues make time outdoors blowing away the cobwebs even more satisfying. Here are just a few of the best places to see autumn colour in Surrey.
Winkworth Arboretum
Winkworth Arboretum is always a favourite in autumn as the colours are spectacular and can change from week to week. Managed by the National Trust (we’re rather spoiled in Surrey with an array of “special places”), it was created in the early 20th century by Dr Wilfred Fox. The landscape at Winkworth Arboretum changes with the seasons but autumn brings a stunning display which is simply unmissable.
Painshill Park
Painshill Park is a beautiful 18th-century landscape garden. With its Serpentine Lake, bridges and woodland, it resembles a painting in autumn. Added to which its follies like the Ruined Abbey, Turkish Tent, Gothic Temple and magnificent Crystal Grotto always appeal.
Hatchlands Park
Hatchlands Park is one of the National Trust properties we visit most often. With 400 acres of woodland and open 363 days a year (the house is open from April to October), it’s a great place to explore with family-friendly trails and a natural adventure area for kids. Although somewhere we visit all year round, autumn here is pretty special.
RHS Wisley
Wisley is one of five gardens managed by the Royal Horticultural Society. It’s awash with colour much of the year, as it’s home to one of the largest plant collections in the world, but autumn is something else. Highlights include the “Wisley Bonfire” and “Wisley King” on Seven Acres which are vibrant shades of red and amber with the Equinox Borders also magnificent. Whichever area of the garden you head to however, there is plenty of colour to be found and the spectacular Glasshouse always makes a visit worthwhile.
Alice Holt Forest
Alice Holt Forest (managed by the Forestry Commission) is a firm favourite much of the year, especially since POD has had her Frog bike. With cycling and walking trails to suit varying levels, there are structures to climb, balance beams and wobbly bridges – more than enough to do whether you’re on wheels or on foot. Added to which the main play area has more than enough to keep kids occupied plus there’s Go Ape and Go Ape Junior for those treetop adventurers. During autumn the light here is quite magnificent and coupled with the golden bracken, makes Alice Holt a superb place for a wander or a cycle.
Other brilliant places to catch some autumn colour in Surrey include Polesden Lacey, The Devil’s Punchbowl and Leith Hill (all National Trust), the Savill Garden (Windsor Great Park) and of course Richmond Park. Much as we love exploring destinations outside the UK, there’s something to be said about having so much on our doorstep in the Surrey Hills.
