The Surrey Hills was one of the first areas of natural beauty in the country to be designated back in 1958 and is now one of 46 National Landscapes.

It has long been popular with those seeking tranquillity on London’s doorstep, with beautiful countryside, inspiring views and attractive market towns and villages. The diverse and unspoilt area provides a strong draw for cyclists, mountain bikers and horse riders.

The hills stretch across a quarter of Surrey, from Farnham in the west along to Guildford, Dorking, Reigate and on to Oxted in the east. The scenery incorporates the sandy open heathland of Frensham Common on the Hampshire border, the Hogs Back in Guildford and the chalk landscape over towards the border with Kent. To the south is the undulating woodland of the Greensand Ridge, which forms part of the Weald, and rises to the highest point in Surrey, Leith Hill, a well-known beauty spot with an 18th century tower. On a clear day, it’s said you can see 13 counties from the top. Leith Hill, together with Holmbury Hill and Box Hill, form the Surrey Three Peak Challenge, a 23-mile route.

Village life in the Surrey Hills

There is a wealth of picturesque villages within the Surrey Hills – including quintessential Peaslake at its heart, which has an active community centred around the village store as well as a well-regarded pub, the Hurtwood Inn. Nearby Holmbury St Mary is considered one of Surrey’s prettiest villages, with its church, green, duck pond, village hall and pubs including The Royal Oak. Abinger Hammer, in the Vale of Holmesdale between the market towns of Dorking and Guildford, is particularly attractive, with the River Tillingbourne flowing through the village, and The Abinger Hatch pub. There are numerous exceptional pubs in the vicinity, other highlights including The Gomshall Mill in Gomshall and The Grantley Arms in Wonersh.

Shere is a hugely popular village and lays claim to the filming of The Holiday, while Albury is equally as popular, being one of the nearest villages to Guildford. It is known for its historic Grade II* country park, Albury Park, which covers over 150 acres, including the old village of Albury.

Most Surrey Hills villages have a thriving cricket team, including Shere Cricket Club in The Surrey Downs League. All are set within some of the most beautiful surroundings in the Home Counties, and they all play against each other during the season. The area is also home to thriving community rugby clubs including National League clubs, semi-professional club, Dorking RFC, and local teams such as Guildford RFC among many others.

The area attracts a range of buyers, particularly downsizers looking for peace and tranquillity while remaining well connected via the A25, and families upsizing locally or coming out from London for a countryside lifestyle and the excellent schools. These include Cranleigh School, Guildford County School, Cranmore School, Reigate Grammar School, Caterham School, Weydon School, St John’s School in Leatherhead, Duke of Kent School and St Catherine’s in Bramley.

House prices in the Surrey Hills

National Landscape is £926,000, which represents a 52% increase over the county average of £609,000. Despite prices softening very slightly over the last year, both the Surrey Hills and the wider county have seen prices increase by around 6% per cent since September 2020.

The top 10 highest value parishes that fall within the Surrey Hills all have an average sale price of more than £1m.

Below is a selection of properties currently for sale within the Surrey Hills National Landscape: