Leatherhead Surrey

The River Mole curves through this Surrey market town like a gentle comma, splitting the ancient high street from the newer residential sprawl that's claimed the surrounding farmland. Leatherhead feels properly suburban these days - not the sleepy village it once was, but not quite the commuter belt anonymity of places further out either.

Bockett's Farm Park draws families from miles around, and for good reason. It's a proper working farm where kids can bottle-feed lambs and watch pig racing without the manufactured jolliness of bigger theme parks. The Fire and Iron Gallery showcases local artists, though it's the sort of place you stumble upon rather than seek out.

Walk up Hawk's Hill on a clear day and the North Downs unfurl before you like a crumpled green tablecloth. The climb's a bit of a slog, but those views across the Mole Valley are well worth the effort. Below, the Walnut Tree Clump marks one of several ancient woodland pockets that somehow survived the housing boom.

Leatherhead's real charm lies in its position. You're twenty-odd minutes from London Waterloo by train, yet surrounded by some of Surrey's loveliest countryside. Polesden Lacey sits just up the road - the National Trust's Edwardian showpiece complete with rolling lawns and woodland walks.

Staying at one of the nearby parks like Surrey Hills Yurts or Embers Camping puts you right in the thick of the Surrey Hills National Landscape. From here, you can tackle the North Downs Way without fighting through London traffic first, or simply enjoy having Dorking and Guildford within easy striking distance for proper market town shopping and decent pub grub.