Discover Peaslake: trails, landscape and village history

Peaslake brings together sandstone scenery and documented trails with village history and community life. When planning a stay, the routes offer different options: from a loop just over 200 metres long to a ten-kilometre circular walk. Viewpoints, the War Memorial and the annual Village Fair also shape the character of the place.

Trails and landscape around Peaslake

The Hurtwood Easier Access Route starts at Hurtwood Car Park 1 in Peaslake and follows a loop. It leads to the accessible artwork Converse; the route also offers wide views across the Weald towards the South Downs. The loop is just over 200 metres long. As parking and access arrangements can change, check them before setting out.

Holmbury Hill offers a different landscape: this sandstone spur rises above the Weald and provides views of the South Downs. You can also experience the landscape along the Peaslake to Farley Heath and Winterfold trail. It starts at Walking Bottom Car Park and passes over sandstone, open farmland and sandy heathland, as well as through woodland.

Another route description outlines a ten-kilometre circular walk from Peaslake Village through farmyards to the woodland of Farley Heath. This gives you a choice of different distances: the short Hurtwood Easier Access Route loop and a considerably longer circular walk. Farley Heath is also a destination on the broader route covered by the published Peaslake–Farley Heath trail. It is home to a Romano-Celtic shrine with an enclosure, designated as a Scheduled Monument.

A route description dated April 2023 describes Maggie’s Walk 4 as a two-hour circular walk on Holmbury Hill. It leads through woodland and along sandy paths to the site of an Iron Age fort. Check the route locally before setting out. Holmbury Hill Fort is known as an Iron Age hillfort. Holmbury Hill also has mountain bike trails such as Barry Knows Best, Yoghurt Pots and Telegraph Row. As trail conditions and land management can change, check locally before riding.

Village history and historic sites

Peaslake War Memorial stands in the centre of the village. It commemorates the First World War, was unveiled in June 1921 and was later expanded to include additions relating to the Second World War. It is listed as a Grade II monument. The unveiling date and later additions show that the memorial commemorates more than one historical period.

Peaslake: St Mark’s Church is also part of the historic village setting: it is located in the Peaslake Conservation Area. Together with the centrally located War Memorial, it offers a glimpse of two different aspects of the village—the church’s protected setting and remembrance of the world wars. Farley Heath adds an archaeological destination to the broader route context; the shrine there is specifically identified as Romano-Celtic.

Village Fair and local cuisine

The Peaslake Village Fair takes place annually. The programme includes stalls, games, food, entertainment, activities for children and prizes. The exact date varies from year to year. If you would like to plan your stay around the Fair, check the date for the relevant year.

The restaurant at the Hurtwood Inn serves Italian and English cuisine, as well as seasonal specialities. The Hurtwood Inn sources its pasture-raised beef and lamb from Coverwood Farm in Peaslake. Menus and supplier arrangements can change; if the current offering or provenance is important to you, ask before your visit. Local cuisine and trails therefore complement travel plans centred on the landscape, history or the Fair’s changing annual date.

Discover more destinations: Sunbury-On-Thames, Ashford, Frimley, Newchapel, Ripley, Godstone, East Molesey, Effingham

For the main travel overview: Surrey.