Days Out in Surrey

The British Wildlife Centre is a peaceful, relaxing place to see over 40 different British wild animals.  Animals include harvest mice, otters, foxes, deer, badgers, stoats, weasels, owls and buzzards, to name but a few.  Animals are homed in large enclosures that reflect their natural environment. Much of the area is outside and you will see most of the animals, whatever the weather. The British Wildlife Centre was established in 1997 and is a not-for-profit organisation.  Your visit is likely to take from two hours to half a day, but their is no limit, and there are Keeper talks every half an hour to give you more information about the animals. Please click here for more information.

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre opened its doors in 1965 as a proud memorial to the much loved French actress who had made her home in Effingham Common, and whose warmth, humour and talent gave her an unrivalled position on the English stage for nearly fifty years.  Today Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, under the Directorship of James Barber, is a busy producing and receiving house creating shows in Guildford and touring nationally with many transferring to the West End. On both the Main Stage and in the Mill Studio an eclectic mix of classical and contemporary work is staged by new, lesser-known and established writers. Ballet, opera and children's events are also staged, alongside music, comedy, contemporary dance and more experimental theatre in the Mill Studio. An annual pantomime, art exhibition and film season feature and the Youth and Education facility offers an exciting mix of activities for young people and adults all year round. Extensive catering facilities are available to suit all pockets, providing a complete night out for everyone - not just theatregoers. The Yvonne Arnaud opened the 80 seat Mill Studio in 1993 to provide a venue for work that would not otherwise be seen in Guildford. It also forms the base for the Youth Theatre's activities.  Yvonne Arnaud is located in an attractive setting overlooking the River Wey. The Riverview Restaurant and Riverbank Café Bar are both ideally located overlooking the river, with the restaurant serving classic dishes and the Riverbank Café Bar offering great sandwiches, light snacks, main meals and regularly changing specials.

Mercedes-Benz World offers a complete day out starting with a ten minute cinema showing the history of the luxury car manufacturer, then see over 100 examples of the vehicle, before taking a driving experiences for adults and children.  There are also exhibitions, a simulator and an interactive laboratory for children, before going onto the Brookland's museum.

The Brit Oval in Kennington, South London is home to Surrey County Cricket Club, and it was here that shortly after the foundation of the Surrey County Cricket Club in 1845, the club leased the grounds that they play on to this day.  Capacity seating at the Brit Oval is 23,000, and is now one of the world’s leading test match grounds.  The cricket season runs until the end of September, with the popular Twenty20 event taking place in June. Surrey CCC has two indoor cricket centres, one at the Brit Oval, the other based at the Surrey CCC Centre in Guildford, both offering professional cricket coaching for adults and juniors, cricket development courses, one-to-one or group sessions, bowling machines for batting practice and video analysis of bowling and batting styles.

Bowlplex owns 18 bowling centres in the UK.  South East centres are in Brighton, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Tunbridge Wells, Camberley and Oxford.  Facilities include numerous bowling lanes, American pool, dining, big screen TVs and video game arcades.

Outdoor swimming pool located just over the Surrey border in Hampton, Middlesex.  Open 365 days a year, the 36 metre pool is heated throughout the year, and there is separate learner pool for children.  Situated in two acres of woodland next to Royal Bushy Park, the pool is overseen by professional lifeguards.  

For something a little different, trek through the beautiful Surrey hills with a llama.  Choose from a basic walk, or various different packages that include champagne walks, picnics and barbeques, to name but a few.  There are also opportunities to adopt a llama.

Near By: Woodlands Park Hotel, Cobham

Public and members golf club just of the A3 in Surrey.  The 18-hole golf course is a par 71, with a large and beauiful lake to navigate to reach the 18th hole!  Other facilities include a large driving range, golf shop, putting green, golf shop, bar, restaurant and various levels of lessons.

Sports activity centre with courses in sailing, kayaking, canoeing, yachting and windsurfing. Courses for adults and juniors based on a lake at Mercers Country Park and the Solent in Hampshire. 

Leisure centre with ice skating rink, four indoor swimming pools and 32 lane ten pin bowling alley. For children under 10, there is a four storey softplay area.

Painshill Park is set in 160 acres and dates back to the 18th century. Activities for both adults and children, with park trails for children and families, and historic sights to see such as The Gothic Temple, Ruined Abbey, Chinese Bridge, Crystal Grotto and Giant Waterwheel.

Storytelling & Craft Workshop 13th-17th February.  Go dressed as your favourite fairytale character for half term fairytale fun. Includes magical storytelling and cutting, sticking, mess-making craft workshop.

26 acres of animals and landscaped gardens with three destinctive areas to visit. Birds, Gardens and   Underwater World.  Children can get up close to animals such as cows,  chipmunks and rabbits in the Jenny Wren Farm.

Tenpin is the biggest chain of bowling centres in the UK, with centres across the South East.  General facilities include numerous bowling lanes, American and English pool tables, amusements, Cosmic Bowling and dining. Centres in Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Kent.

Charrington Bowl is owned by Hollywood Bowl and the Tolworth based centre has 32 lanes, a games arcade area and cafe.

Alice Holt Woodland Park is beautiful ancient woodland known for its oak trees and run by the Forestry Commission.  Explore the park by foot or cycle, and at weekends hire a bicycle from the visitor centre. Alice Holt Forest is a great place to experience the fun and freedom of cycling through the trees, with a beginners cycle track, a three mile family cycle trail and guided rides. Cyclists can also use existing paths to explore further into the forest for longer rides. Quench Cycles operates cycle hire from the Alice Holt Forest centre with bikes suitable for both kids and adult bikes, elite bikes, tandems, children's buggies, tag-a-longs and baby seats.

The New Vic believes in the power of theatre to change lives. Our mission is to make theatre-going and theatre making available to everyone. The Victoria Theatre Company was the first professional company in Britain to perform permanently in the round - that is, with the audience on all sides of the acting area. Today, the New Vic is known both for its professional productions and for its award-winning work in the community.  

Near By:

Good Country Pubs & Restaurants - The Inn at Maybury 

There has been a history of theatre in the Leatherhead area since Tudor times, with Henry VIII and his cultured palace at nearby Nonsuch Park.  The last theatre closed in 1997 but in 2001 Pioneer People signed a 15-year lease on the Theatre which now stages a whole host of entertainment to cover everyone's task.   The Mezz Bar is Leatherhead's premier Live Music & Comedy Bar. Each month there will be at least one open mic night, one Jazz night, one Comedy night and one featured artist night. Every year there will be a chance to see three of four of the previous months open mic acts on the main auditorium stage.