Mole Valley

Dorking and Leatherhead are the main towns in the Mole Valley and are the twin towns of the Surrey Hills!

Dorking is a thriving English market town with a vibrant community and strong sense of history and tradition. Visitors to Dorking will find a town that offers much to be enjoyed with traditions for good food and drink, architecture and heritage, antiques and shopping. A visit to West Street, famous for its collection of antique shops, must not be missed.

Dorking is rich in artistic traditions and has a reputation for festivals of the visual arts, music and literature, offering something for all tastes. By day, Dorking Halls offers a range of rooms for meetings and conferences and by night, is a popular entertainment centre showing films and live performances.

Leatherhead, centrally placed within Surrey, is a successful business centre, historic market town and gateway to the beautiful Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This outstanding landscape boasts picturesque villages, guided walks and the historic house of Polesden Lacey, one of National Trust’s impressive properties.

Linking both towns is the Mole Gap Trail, a scenic six-mile walk along the banks of the River Mole past the great estates of Norbury and Cherkley and through England’s largest vineyard, Denbie’s Wine Estate.

Mickleham, Westhumble and Headley
The Downland villages to the north of Dorking have a special appeal and dramatic landscape settings. Headley is mentioned as far back as the Domesday Book of the 11th century. It is high up on the Downs and set within rolling grass slopes, heath and woodland.

Mickleham lies below Box Hill and was the home of Victorian poet George Meredith. There are many fine houses in Mickleham, including Juniper Hall, built in 1780 and the parish church of St Michael which is the oldest building and famous as the place where novelist Fanny Burney married General d'Arblay.

Westhumble is overlooked by Norbury Park and the magnificent house built by William Lock in 1774. Another prominent house is Cleveland Lodge, former home of musician Lady Susie Jeans and her astronomer husband Sir James Jeans.