I don’t think there’s anything better to do than head out for a countryside walk. Fresh air, exercise and time with some of my favorite people (and dog!) – I can’t honestly think of anything I’d rather do. My family came to visit a few weeks ago (bringing winter clothes – my coat is still unworn, though it will be firmly glued on when I head up to Edinburgh next week!) so I took the opportunity to explore Surrey a little. I’ve lived here since July, but not driving means I’ve seen very little. So the first chance I got, I went exploring and took my camera along with me.
We headed over to Reigate first, a lovely little village with a ridiculous amount of both restaurants and banks. A lovely bagel shop too – I thoroughly enjoy their New Yorker, a mix of mayonnaise, mustard, pastrami and cheese. Unbelievably good. Moving out of Reigate we parked by the golf course and walked around the area there. It’s a mix of forest and field, criss-crossed with footpaths and bridleways. You have to dodge golf balls, but its a lovely place, very quiet.
There’s also a hidden gem. The Skimmington Castle (photograph from their site - camera ran out of battery!) is hidden down a pretty tiny lane. Its actually quite a large pub, extremely popular, and serve damn good sandwiches. Their ham and mustard was wonderful, although huge. Sunday lunches looked pretty amazing too.
The pub is also very dog friendly, even serving doggy biscuits. Someone was pleased!
I’m feeling a little lonely this weekend, it being one of the only weekends I’ve spent completely on my own here. I’ve made plans to do plenty of baking and cooking – I have 5kg of carrots to dispose of, so carrot cake and carrot soup is on the menu! I’m going to go for a run, I’m going to work on a project for the office. But I can’t help feeling that the weekends are so much better when I get out and about. I’m definitely looking forward to adventures with W next weekend!
What are you up to this weekend? Have you voted in the UK 2015 Blog Awards yet? Any recommended carrot recipes?!