One of the best things you can do for your skin and your wellbeing on a regular basis is to get some fresh air on a nature walk.
Spending just 20 minutes outdoors three times a week can have a significant impact on your wellbeing, according to scientists, who found that levels of cortisol in the participants’ saliva dropped by 21.3 percent per hour on average after they had a nature experience.
The Japanese have a beautiful term for it – forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku. In Surrey we are blessed with dozens of stunning views, from duck ponds to waterfalls to hills and vineyards. So get out there and get your nature pill.
Silent Pool, Albury GU5 9BW
Silent Pool, Albury: Silent Pool near Albury cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Dominique MacNeill – geograph.org.uk/p/3343962
This stunningly quiet pool at the foot of the Northern Downs, just outside Guildford, is fed by underground springs and home to kingfishers, if you have a keen eye. It’s also said to be haunted by the ghost of a woodcutter’s daughter, drowned in the lake. Agatha Christie was also feared to have drowned here when she disappeared in 1926, before being found staying in Harrogate under an assumed name. Make sure you pop into the Silent Pool gin distillery for a tour too.
Painshill, Cobham KT11 1JE
cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Ian Capper – geograph.org.uk/p/3343042
A grade 1 listed landscaped garden full of wildflower meadows and follies where “the walk is a work of art” – as well as a working vineyard. You could combine this one with a relaxing massage or facial as it’s just down the road from the Kamarla Claremont centre.
Box Hill, Dorking KT20 7LB
Stepping stones across the R.Mole below Box Hill
cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Jonathan Hutchins – geograph.org.uk/p/4152477
The ultimate Surrey walk, the hill gets its name from the ancient box woodland found on the steepest west-facing chalk slopes overlooking the River Mole. Head up to Broadwood’s Tower or take the Stepping Stones trail. Take a pub stop at The Running Horse.
Virginia Water Lake, Egham GU25 4QF
cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Alan Hunt – geograph.org.uk/p/3000480
While Windsor Great Park crosses into Berkshire, Virginia Water Lake sits on the edge of the Surrey borough of Runnymede. A circuit of the lake will cover 4.5 miles and is mostly paved (so great for buggies and bikes) and dogs are welcome. Highlights of this manmade lake, dammed and flooded in 1753 and a favourite picnic spot for Queen Victoria, include the Leptis Magna Ruins folly, shipped in from Libya, the cascade waterfall and the totem pole.
Alice Holt Forest, Farnham GU10 4LS
cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Robin Webster – geograph.org.uk/p/4601703
A beautiful forest full of walking and cycling trails, play areas and wooden animal play structures, as well as a Go Ape challenge. You can even try Nordic walking.