Banstead: Nature, Trails and History

Banstead brings together nature, trails, local history, art and golf. Highlights include Banstead Commons, Banstead Heath and Banstead Woods, as well as historic sites on Banstead Downs. If you’re looking for hotels in Banstead, you can use these highlights as a starting point when planning your stay: are you more interested in walks, different natural areas, or historic and cultural details?

Walks and trails

Banstead Commons is open to everyone for recreation. The Banstead Commons Conservators organise a programme of guided walks each year. If you’d like to include a guided walk in your plans, check the dates for the relevant programme.

The Narnia Trail starts at the Holly Lane car park. It takes about half an hour and is largely suitable for pushchairs. However, some paths are gravelled and have steep slopes. Bear these limitations in mind when planning your route with a pushchair.

Another circular walking route in Banstead Woods is 3 miles (5 kilometres) long and passes through 250 acres of ancient woodland. The Narnia Trail has an approximate duration, while the circular route has a stated length. This lets you compare the two trails using different planning details.

Natural areas in Banstead

Banstead Heath is designated a Site of Nature Conservation Importance. It includes traditional heathland, acidic grassland meadows and areas of secondary woodland. It also has more than eight miles of bridle paths and permitted horse-riding routes. The landscape types and riding routes showcase different aspects of the Heath.

Banstead Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by the council in accordance with Natural England’s guidelines. Banstead Woods and Chipstead Downs Local Nature Reserve is located at Holly Lane car park, Holly Lane, Banstead, Surrey CR5 3NR; this is also where the Narnia Trail starts. This places the starting point mentioned above at the reserve’s precise address.

Historic traces

The four Gally Hills on Banstead Downs are historic monuments and rare examples of Anglo-Saxon hlaews. The term refers to burial mounds or barrows. The name highlights what makes these monuments special: they are among the rare examples of this type on Banstead Downs.

In the Middle Ages, Banstead Woods was a deer park where royal red deer were kept. The area was enclosed in 1439. This history offers a different perspective from the archaeological sites: it focuses on the woodland’s former use as a deer park.

The site of a Roman villa at Chussex Plain is also located on Banstead Heath. Together with the Anglo-Saxon burial mounds and the medieval history of the woodland, it adds another historic theme to Banstead.

Art and golf

The west windows of the Church of All Saints in Banstead feature designs by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Morris. This is a specific point of interest for travellers who are interested in art and church architecture as well as landscape and history.

Banstead Downs is home to the Banstead Downs Golf Club course. It is a par-71 course, just under 6,600 yards long. Its par and length give golf enthusiasts two specific details to consider when planning their trip.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Ottershaw, Woldingham, Chaldon, Cranleigh, Guildford, Bagshot, Horley, Ockley

Return to the main travel guide: Surrey.