Country Walks Near London

A few weeks ago, a couple of classmates and I decided we needed a break from the hustle and bustle of busy London city life and took a day trip out to Surrey, where we took a walk through beautiful British countryside. Most of us had never been on a country walk like this before, but we were all very excited, so we put on our sneakers and slathered on the sunscreen before heading out to the country. Being a group of mostly beginners, our walk was one of the easier routes we could have chosen - although it definitely didn't seem that way in the beginning.

Our walk began with a climb up a long, steep hill. We didn't think that boded well for the rest of the walk, but were pleasantly surprised when, having made it over the first (literal) hump, our walk took us through wide green fields, a wonderful little forest, and past cute a few adorable little streams - one of which we stopped in the middle of to play Pooh Sticks! Although the forest we walked through was a little more Forbidden Forest than Hundred Acre Wood, with dry grass and overcast sky. We also passed by a lovely medieval church on the Pilgrim's Way trail, St. Martha-on-the-Hill, set on the top of a hill in the middle of the forest, which afforded us stunning views of the surrounding towns and countryside. Our walk ended with a late lunch in a small pub in a quaint little Surrey town (unfortunately not Little Whinging). It was an afternoon I'll not forget any time soon, and definitely an experience I'd reccommend to anyone the next time they're in the UK.

Helpful English Hint of the Post: Sneakers are called 'trainers' in the UK, sweaters are 'jumpers', and pants are 'trousers'.

*Cheers to Patricia Kriebel for her contribution of this post.