Cranleigh, Surrey is famous for two reasons.
First it is of course the home of award winning firm of Chartered Financial Planners Informed Choice.
But it is probably more famous for being England’s largest village.
Why not spend a weekend here? If you did the following might not be a bad agenda for a couple of days.
30 years ago Andy and I drove into the village by accident when we were house hunting.
We fell in love with the place, there and then, and it is just as nice today as it was all those years ago.
Where might you stay?
The Richard Onslow, smack bang in the middle of Cranleigh High Street has some very comfortable, clean and quiet rooms.
I know this because my Mother has stayed there and frankly she cannot tolerate anywhere that isn’t spotlessly clean and quiet. If she thinks it’s good, trust me it must be!
An indicative price for a double room for Friday and Saturday nights in late September shows up at £143. Well worth checking them out.
For Friday night perhaps eat in the The Richard Onslow and enjoy a drop of locally brewed beer from Firebird Brewing, a local micro brewery based in the former brickworks just down the road in Rudgwick.
Get in an early start on Saturday morning and after breakfast choose a bicycle ride along the Downs Link, previously the railway line.
A ride west out of Cranleigh will take you towards Guildford (via Bramley) where you will link up with River Wey and enjoy the water meadows that run alongside this canalised river.
Two hours there and two hours back at a reasonably steady pace will not exhaust you.
Alternative you could go in the opposite direction and head towards the South Downs; peaceful surroundings with plenty of opportunity to spot wildlife along the way.
If you discover mounting your bike that it needs some attention we are fortunate enough to have a specialist bike shop in the heart of Cranleigh, so pop into Pedal & Spoke for a tune up or any spare parts you need.
Either way you could be back in Cranleigh for late lunchtime or early afternoon.
Cranleigh High Street benefits from a number of independent shops and in Cranleigh independent doesn’t necessarily mean small.
In fact we have no less than two department stores; Manns of Cranleigh is a very long-established shop based inside a Tardis.
You will see what I mean if you take a visit the shop front gives no indication of just how large it is inside!
The other side of the High Street will bring you to One Forty and as I always joke with people a quick trip through ladies lingerie will find you at the entrance to a rather nice café so that you can revive yourself after all the shopping in those independent stores.
After an early evening aperitif in one of the many nice pubs in the village for example back to The Richard Onslow or possibly The Three Horseshoes or slightly out of the village to The Park Hatch, its time to think about supper.
Its not just pub food in Cranleigh because for pasta and pizza lovers we have a choice of ASK and Pizza Express and are also spoiled by having three Indian Restaurants.
Time your supper right and you might then choose to enjoy an evening at the Cranleigh Arts Centre with a comedy performance some more serious music or even a film.
After your comfortable nights rest maybe wake yourself up by a swim at Cranleigh Leisure Centre.
And maybe it’s time to venture further afield because within striking distance, no more than a 40 minute drive, are two brilliant National Trust properties to visit; Petworth House and Park (unsurprisingly in nearby Petworth) or Polesden Lacey at Little Bookham are well worth a visit.
A similar time and distance is Denbies, a famous vineyard nestling at the bottom of Box Hill and well worth a trip not just for a bottle of their rather good Rose but also the views from the top of the Surrey Hills.
We haven’t been able to scratch the surface of what makes Cranleigh a great place to visit and even if you haven’t got the time for whole weekend visit this lovely English village for a day even if you spend most of the afternoon watching the cricket on the village green.
