Reigate highlights: autumn 2018

3rd September 2018

From craft markets and beer walks, to Heritage Open Days and gypsy jazz, Reigate has a little something for everyone this autumn.

(Image: Reigate Castle)

Food and drink

Reigate Artisan Food & Craft Market first opened in May this year and has become a hotspot for local foodies. This is a place to find prosecco, paintings and antiques alongside exotic fruit, street food and hand-made crafts. The market is held on Tunnel Road, which was built in 1823 – making it the oldest road tunnel in Britain and one of the oldest in Europe. During autumn, the market will be running on a monthly basis from Saturday 22 September and on the third Saturday of the month thereafter (except for a special Christmas-themed event on 15 December).

Reigate has a proud beer brewing history, with the Mellersh and Neale families brewing beer from at least the 1800s. Some earlier brews were made in Reigate’s caves, with water obtained from wells on Reigate Hill. The colourful beer history of Reigate coupled with new craft beer makers setting up home in the market town means Reigate is now a popular destination for beer fans. Reigate Beer Walk offers an insight into Reigate’s brewing credentials, and some tickets are still left for the beer walk in early September.

On Friday 19 October, combine food with a thrill at The Case of the Invisible Corpse – a murder mystery evening at Reigate Manor Hotel. Enjoy a three-course meal and filter the evidence along with your team of detectives to find the killer!

(Image: La Barbe, Reigate)

Among Surrey's longest serving independent restaurants, La Barbe has been bringing Gallic charm and delicious dining to Reigate for more than 35 years. The restaurant is a paradise for Francophiles and food lovers alike and, if you need an excuse to visit in the coming months, then they will be hosting a Vins du Midi de la France wine dinner on Wednesday October 3, from 7.30pm, featuring a three-course meal, hand-picked wine selections and much bonhomie. Tickets are priced at £66 per person. Step off Bell Street and into La Barbe's welcoming arms for lunch or dinner, and all your favourite memories of holidays in France will soon come surging back.  

Shopping

The Crafters’ Market is returning to Reigate on Sunday 14 October and Sunday 25 November at Reigate Priory School. Expect to find locally handcrafted products, as well as a few foodie treats.

Elsewhere, Reigate has become known as a shopping haven, with a range of boutiques and shopping areas. New shops that have opened in the town this year include Moda In Pelle, Oliver Bonas and Jo Malone, as well as a new Waterstones book store. Explore the high street, duck off into Cage Yard for various boutiques or head to Lesbourne Road for a range of independent shops, boutiques and restaurants. 

History and culture

Heritage Open Days is an event taking place across England during two weekends in September: 6 to 9 September and 13 to 16 September. This is an occasion where properties not always open to the public open their doors and let people explore. In Reigate, this is the perfect opportunity to explore the Grade II listed Town Hall – a stunning example of Arts and Crafts architecture, Barons’ Cave, Reigate Fort and the grounds of Gatton Park. A number of fascinating churches will also be open, including Heath Church, Mill Church – home of the only consecrated windmill in the UK, and one of Surrey’s largest churches at St Mary Magdelene’s Church. A visit to the latter includes the opportunity to visit The Cranston Library, a tiny library in a chamber above the church’s vestry. Reigate’s quirky addition to the Heritage Open Days is the Holmesdale Natural History Club Museum – one of the UK’s oldest natural history clubs dating back to 1857. It has everything from medieval drainpipes to the footprint of a local dog from Roman times.

On Saturday 3 November, The Ben Holder Quartet will be playing an evening of gypsy jazz at Reigate Park Church – ideal for music fans looking for something a little different. Ben Holder is known as one of the top jazz violinists in the UK, and along with a band of gypsy swing musicians, an evening of entertainment awaits.

(Image: Inside Reigate caves)

Reigate is also the proud home of some fascinating castle ruins. It’s believed Reigate Castle was ordered to be built by the 2^nd Earl of Surrey in around the 11^th century, who later gave the order for a town to be constructed below the castle too. Nowadays the castle grounds are fascinating to explore, with the castle gardens a little-known haven of tranquillity in the town. The grounds are also home to Barons’ Cave, where visitors can embark on underground tours guided by lantern-light throughout the day on Saturday 8 September during the Heritage Open Days event. The caves on Tunnel Road can also be explored on the same day.

As 2018 marks 100 years since the end of the First World War, the town of Reigate will be observing the occasion through a programme of activities. This centres on a beacon lighting ceremony and church bell ringing from 7pm on Sunday 11 November. There are also various memorials across Reigate, including a memorial board at Reigate Town Hall, a memorial and scroll at Reigate and Redhill Post Offices and a war memorial at St Mark’s Church.

Get outside

Those who are a little more actively minded will be able to get involved in Run Reigate on Sunday 16 September. Choose from a half marathon, 10k run or 5k run, or get the children involved in the Canon Kids Race. All routes are entirely traffic-free. For those who don’t feel like running, it promises to be a day full of fun anyway, with a food village, exhibitors, live music, raffles and giveaways. 

(Image: Views from Reigate Hill - image credit Matthew Williams)

Reigate occupies a prime position along the North Downs Way, enabling keen walkers to walk sections of the route in either direction from Reigate. Accessible from the top of Reigate Hill, this is the perfect time to walk part of the trail, as the North Downs Way is celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year. Reigate Hill also has a car park, café and the National Trust site where the old fort can be found. 

Everyone in Reigate adores Priory Park, with its lake, café, family activities aplenty and open green spaces. Autumn is the perfect time to embark on a nature detectives hunt using guided sheets, or alternatively enjoy the park’s geocaching trail. Rugby and football clubs are both accessible from the park and are ideal for soaking up some local sporting action this autumn.

And finally, for those looking to learn a new skill while enjoying the great outdoors, Hedges & Hurdles is putting on training courses during October for those interested in learning country crafts. Learn how to make traditional wattle hurdles on 13 and 14 October, or discover how to go about hedge-laying on 20 October.