On probably the wettest day in October – and for that matter one of the wettest days ever for a Surrey Hills Society event – a group of about 20 dedicated members met at Marden Park Woods near Woldingham to learn about trees.

Our expert was Pamela Holt who has spent her career in tree and plant related activities and who is a long standing member of the Society. Our intention had been to enjoy the autumn colour of the woods and surrounding countryside. We saw the nearby trees but the vistas were unfortunately lost in mist and rain. However, the main aim of the day was to learn how to identify trees in autumn and in this we had lots of success.

Within our 2 hour, 2.5 mile stroll through this predominantly broad-leaved woodland we saw and discussed 29 different varieties of trees and shrubs. Naturally we saw the more common species such as Horse Chestnut, Ash, Beech and Sycamore but we also spotted less common trees such as Spindlewood, Goat Willow, Purging Buckthorn and many more. Pamela has an amazing amount of knowledge about trees and other plants so this was a fascinating walk even if umbrellas, waterproofs and good boots were the order of the day.

Our members were more than happy to keep stopping and asking and learning more and more from Pamela. This event was a continuation of a series of seasonal identification walks which Pamela has done for us. She has also written a short article to help you learn how to identify some of the trees in winter when the clues are far more subtle.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the very interesting Pub Crawl on Saturday.” – Alan Thornhill, Society Member

These comments from our members show how appreciated this walk was:

“Thank you for setting up a great walk today. It was very enjoyable.”

“Thank you Stella for a great day. Found it really interesting.”

“Thank you so much for a most enjoyable and interesting walk.”

I joined in recently with the Mayor of Waverley’s sponsored walk on the glorious Greensand Way long distance route. This was a fabulous opportunity to discover parts of Surrey’s countryside that I didn’t know existed from Haslemere to Ewhurst, while raising funds for a worthwhile charity, the Surrey Hills Trust Fund. We were very lucky with the weather over the two weekends which always helps and the colours and views were amazing. Lots of leg-busting climbs but the views and sense of achievement at the top always made it worthwhile. A great event organised by the Society – looking forward to the next one!

Thank you for a really enjoyable day at Pierrepont Farm on Saturday. The children really enjoyed it, the staff were very informative and welcoming. I enjoyed seeing a real stick insect for the first time! Please pass on our thanks to them, particularly Annika!  

"Big thank you to Annika for hosting such an enjoyable and informative event." Chris Howard

We visited Coverwood Farm on the 8^th August 2015, not really knowing what to expect, other than seeing some live-stock and a beautiful garden. Yes, that’s what we did see but it turned out to be so much more than that.

We were greeted by the family (who own and run the farm), with a warm welcome and an above average coffee (not instant) with biscuits. After that we toured the farm on the back of a hay-wagon towed by a tractor that stopped occasionally for Tim and his father to narrate the history of the farm, and did so very eloquently and with some humour. The first stop being in a field full of sheep, where we received a short overview on rearing sheep and a few anecdotes of significant events. One of the accounts being the history of a very large house, which was once part of the farm but was sold off due to the need for funds to keep the farm going. The house subsequently had a number of residents, one of which made the international news channels by getting himself murdered whilst on a trip to New York.

We moved on to another field and were educated on the virtues of the Hereford breed of cows that reside on the farm and appear to be very friendly indeed (although they did try, with some success, to get at the bales of hay on which we were seated), even the Bull was a big softie. We were then taken to see some heifers that were ready to calf and some that already had calved. One of the calves was rejected by its mother and had to be hand reared. In fact it was the calves feeding time, so we were treated to the event, drawing Ooohs and Aaahs from the crowd and this also provided an excellent photo opportunity.

At this point we were all feeling a bit peckish and were pleased to smell the aroma of farm made lamb-burgers, being served from a fantastic American trailer (I think it is known as a silver bullet) suitably converted for the job. The burgers were delicious, as were the home-made cakes that followed. The lunch break gave us the opportunity to chat with the other day-trippers, some of which were local and were able to treat us to some funny anecdotes and interesting facts about local characters.

Our final visit (this time on foot) was to the incredibly beautiful gardens and lakes, made more interesting by the inclusion of a quiz that doubled as a treasure hunt, as we tried to hunt down the answers to the questions. This also gave us the opportunity to capture some photographs of the stunning features of the garden. From here we made our way back to the Silver Bullet for more coffee and those homemade cakes, before heading home. The day was made all the more enjoyable due to the perfect weather; it was as if it was booked especially for the occasion.

Joyce and Bob Clarke

The church is quite a treasure. Designed by George Gilbert Scott, it is built as a mini-cathedral in cruciform layout and has many interesting features. It was at the centre of the Denbies Estate and it served the 300 members of staff and their families who were employed there. The walk up from Denbies afforded some wonderful views back towards Dorking and across the valley.

A pleasant leisurely boat trip on a glorious afternoon. The staff of the Godalming Packetboat Company were very helpful as was the volunteer lady who walked with the horse. Excellent scones for tea and plenty of cream to go with them. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.