I left Surrey for the day and within three hours one thing made me want to come back
Visiting a new city for the first time is always an exciting adventure. However, within hours of arriving in a historic city with stunning architecture, including an ornate cathedral and interesting museums, I realised I wanted to come back to Surrey.
While I’ve never been one to get homesick, this trip away has made me realise just how great Surrey really is. Travelling around two and a half hours north, past the Watford Gap, I arrived in Leicester for a weekend away with my boyfriend and dog.
Travelling with my dog Rupert, I headed to Leicester. I’ve visited other parts of Leicestershire before, with Rutland Water near the tiny village of Oakham being one of my favourite places to stroll.
However, the city and certainly the outskirts are different stories. While it doesn’t lack in beauty, and the people are certainly friendly, I had one small gripe.
READ MORE:I visited gorgeous Surrey chain restaurant that's affordable but was missing one thing
Staying in a lovely Air BnB outside the city centre in the Clarendon Park area, it’s a quiet ward that looks like something right off a Coronation Street set. Victorian terraced homes line the streets, some with brightly coloured doors and windows.
You can find plenty of amenities like independent coffee shops, bakeries and grocers nearby as well as a Co-op and Morrisons a short drive away. However, the biggest missing piece of the puzzle immediately stood out to me when looking for a slice of nature following a laborious motorway drive that took much longer than it needed to.
I quickly realised the lack of green space on the doorstep. The nearest park was around a 15-minute walk away and I understand to some this is nothing, but to me, it was an unwelcome revelation and probably would be to anyone on foot.
While on a late-night stroll with the dog at around midnight, I began to feel a bit claustrophobic. I found a play area thinking this could be somewhere for Rupert to stop and have a sniff but alas, not a single blade of grass in sight.
Being so used to parks, woodlands and fields so close to home, I never thought this would be an issue. Even having lived and worked in London, I never had to travel far to find just the smallest solitude even if it was a sad-looking, tiny patch of grass, a couple of trees and maybe a bench tucked away under a huge skyscraper.
Given how mind-boggling it feels to not have trees lining streets or grassy verges on the side of the roads, it just goes to show how spoilt I am to have so many options when it comes to getting in touch with nature on a small scale.
However, many homes around Clarendon Park do have their own land, and of course, Leicester does have some beautiful public grounds including Victoria Park with rolling fields, a botanical garden and Attenborough Arboretum. If you drive just 30 minutes you can find the breathtaking Bradgate Park and Cropston Reservoir.
Then just north of the county and you’re practically in the Peak District, with unmatched scenery, cascading waterfalls and quaint villages like Bakewell and Matlock. That being said, while it’s not nearly on the same scale, the Surrey Hills also offers the same thing if you visit Leith Hill and Dorking.
Some readers may know that I visited Leith Hill last year on Boxing Day for the first time and fell in love with this enchanted part of the world. It's truly the most gorgeous place to get utterly lost, with plenty of villages dotted around like Friday Street and Holmbury St Mary.
However, it’s the little things that do really make a difference day to day. Even Surrey’s most built-up towns like Woking, Guildford, Staines and Epsom are littered with trees, green squares and riverside walks. You don’t need to travel too far to find it either.
Get more news from SurreyLive straight to your inbox for free here.