The Surrey Hills National Landscape is a National Landscape in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, England. It comprises around one quarter of the land area of the county and principally covers parts of the

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Be ...

and Greensand Ridge. It was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in May 1958 and was redesignated as a National Landscape in 2023. The Surrey Hills National Landscape borders the Kent Downs AONB to the east and the

South Downs National Park The South Downs National Park is England's newest national parks of England and Wales, national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in t ...

to the south west.

Geography

The highest summit of the Surrey Hills National Landscape,

Leith Hill Leith Hill in southern England is the highest summit of the Greensand Ridge, approximately southwest of Dorking, Surrey and southwest of central London. It reaches above sea level, and is the second highest point in southeast England, aft ...

near Coldharbour, is above sea level. It is part of the Greensand Ridge, which traverses the National Landscape from west to east, and is the second highest point in south-east England ( Walbury Hill at above sea level is the highest).

Blackheath Common Blackheath Common is an area of of heathland in Surrey, England, near the village of Albury in the borough of Waverley. It is part of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and much of the common is a designated Site of Specia ...

is also part of the area. The northern ridge of the hills, predominantly formed by

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

, is separated from the southern ridges, which are predominantly greensand, by the Vale of Holmesdale, which continues into Kent. The North Downs provide a haven for rare plants and insects. Parts of the area are owned and managed by the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

, including Ranmore Common,

and Box Hill.

Other designations

Chiddingfold Forest, a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI), lies within the area. Surrey Hills National Landscape is surrounded by an Area of Great Landscape Value, which covers a further eight percent of the county.

Walking

The Surrey Hills area has three long-distance walks running through it: the North Downs Way, the Greensand Way and the

Pilgrims' Way A pilgrims' way or pilgrim way is a standard route that pilgrims take when they go on a pilgrimage in order to reach their destination – usually a holy site or place of worship. These sites may be towns or cities of special significance such a ...

References

External links

Surrey Hills AONBInspiring Views Trail in the Surrey Hills
{{DEFAULTSORT:Surrey Hills AONB Hills of Surrey Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England Protected areas of Surrey