Surrey has a good claim to the best autumn colour in the country. Cottages.com ranked the Surrey Hills National Landscape first in the UK for autumn colour, going by its share of broadleaf woodland, as reported by Surrey Live. The same piece notes that the Surrey Hills was the first place in the country to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Here are the gardens and woods we would point a friend towards. Peak timing shifts with the weather, so treat the windows below as typical rather than guaranteed.
Winkworth Arboretum, near Godalming
The National Trust calls Winkworth its only arboretum, and it is famed for autumn colour. The whole hillside lights up, with acers, katsuras and maples as the stars, and liquidambar leaves turning crimson, orange and purple. It was created in the early 20th century by Dr Wilfred Fox and covers 121 acres, with about 1,000 species of trees and shrubs.
When to go: Surrey Live says the colour is usually out from mid-September to mid-November, with October the busiest month. Its writer recommends a weekday and a late-afternoon visit, when the car park has far more space than at the morning opening.
Worth knowing: at weekends and half-term there can be queues on the main road at the entrance. The National Trust suggests parking in Godalming town centre and taking the No 42 bus, which stops outside and also runs from Guildford bus station. The Arbor tea room serves hot drinks, sweet treats and light lunches. Its autumn page lists extras such as early-morning colour photography and fungi forays, so check it for hours and booking before you set off.
RHS Garden Wisley, near Woking
Wisley (GU23 6QB) is the RHS flagship garden. Tripadvisor lists the Rock Garden, the Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden, Mixed Borders, Seven Acres and the Exotic Garden among its highlights, with magnificent autumn colour as a seasonal must-see. Surrey Life includes it in its autumn list for walks among wide mixed borders that change with the seasons.
Allow three to four hours. Winter hours are shorter than summer ones, so check the closing time on the RHS website before you go. It suits gardeners, and anyone who wants colour with level paths and a good tea afterwards.
The Savill Garden, on the Surrey side of Windsor Great Park
Reached from Englefield Green (TW20 0UU), the Savill Garden is 35 acres of interlocking gardens created in the 1930s. Surrey Life describes fiery foliage in reds and golds. The Keeper of the Gardens names Japanese maples, sweetgums, hickories and tupelos as autumn highlights.
It is open all year except 24 and 25 December. Entry with a traditional cream tea is £20 and with afternoon tea £40, and the cream tea must be booked at least 72 hours ahead. Ticket prices vary by season and whether you book ahead, so check the Windsor Great Park page first.
Painshill, Cobham
Painshill, on Portsmouth Road in Cobham (KT11 1JE), is an award-winning 18th-century landscape garden. Winding paths lead to the Ruined Abbey, Gothic Temple and Turkish Tent, with the Serpentine Lake in the middle. Surrey Life says the lakes and follies make a backdrop for autumn shrubs and trees.
The Crystal Grotto is closed on Mondays, except bank holiday Mondays. Opening hours change in winter, and the park has closed early in high winds, so check its website before travelling.
Box Hill, Tadworth
The National Trust describes Box Hill (The Old Fort, Box Hill Road, KT20 7LB) as a landscape of panoramic views and outstanding ancient woodland, with waymarked walks and a gentle hilltop stroll. Surrey Life describes red and copper tones, with beeches and oaks turning gold and views towards the South Downs. It is the one for a proper walk with a view.
Hatchlands Park and the beech woods
At Hatchlands Park, East Clandon, the National Trust describes the red of wild service trees and a glorious mass of gold and yellow beech woodland, with oaks turning amber, cinnamon and umber later in autumn. In other words, beech goes gold earlier than oak, so a later visit rewards you with the oaks.
Leith Hill, near Dorking
The countryside at Leith Hill is open dawn to dusk, with a tea kiosk at the tower. The tower itself was closed at last check, and Leith Hill Place is closed until spring. From Starveall Corner car park an easy three-quarter-mile footpath leads to the tower. Rhododendron Wood is a spring highlight, so come here for the woodland and views rather than the flowers.
Hindhead Commons and the Devil's Punch Bowl
Surrey Life describes a natural amphitheatre of heath, woodland and small streams (postcode GU26 6AB), with mist rising over the rim on sunny autumn afternoons. The National Trust's one-mile Sailor's Stroll leads to Gibbet Hill, the second highest point in Surrey.
Timing your visit
Cottages.com advises not waiting for peak colour to book, since searches spike in September and October, by which point you may have missed the best of it. The National Trust says October brings glorious colour to the hillsides at Winkworth, Polesden Lacey and the Surrey Hills. Go on a weekday if you can, and check hours before you leave, as several places move to shorter winter opening around now.
