{"id":926646,"date":"2026-10-09T15:06:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/926646\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T15:06:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:06:13","slug":"relocating-after-60-5-reasons-judi-dench-loves-englands-leafiest-county-its-where-i-escape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/926646\/","title":{"rendered":"Relocating after 60? 5 reasons Judi Dench loves England\u2019s leafiest county \u2013 \u2018it\u2019s where I escape\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you imagine Surrey, what do you see in your mind\u2019s eye? Manicured lawns? Tinkling water features? Well, according to Dame Judi Dench, we may have the county all wrong. <\/p>\n

The actress moved to Surrey nearly 40 years ago, nurturing a six-acre woodland of which she has said: \u2018Whenever I can, whatever the season, this is where I escape to.\u2019 Now in her 90s, she recently told Jo Whiley that it continues to bring her \u2018hope and joy\u2019 despite deteriorating eyesight, saying, \u2018I can\u2019t see it, but I know it’s there.\u2019<\/p>\n

She\u2019s not the only one to celebrate Surrey\u2019s wilder side. The Sunday Times named the Surrey Hills one of the best places to live this year. So could the county be a secret gem for the over-50s?<\/p>\n

It’s England’s most wooded county\"bansteadNickos\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Banstead woods in Surrey, England. <\/p>\n

Surrey is, in fact, England’s most wooded county, with woodland covering approximately 24% of its area, according to Surrey County Council. What\u2019s more, around a quarter of that is ancient woodland.<\/p>\n

Move to Surrey, and you can walk in Alice Holt Forest, Banstead Woods, Ashtead Common\u2026 the list goes on. And you probably should, given the huge body of research linking access to green space \u2013 and forests in particular \u2013 to better mental and physical wellbeing.<\/p>\n

It’s a hobby paradise\"wisley,Lana2011\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

View of RHS Garden Wisley in autumn. <\/p>\n

That said, there\u2019s more to Surrey than sycamores. It’s also home to some of Britain’s most beautiful gardens and country estates.<\/p>\n

Gardeners can get their kicks at RHS Garden Wisley \u2013 the second most visited paid-entry garden in the UK, topped only by Kew. Across the county, more than 40 stately homes and gardens are open to visitors, so you won\u2019t run out of options to develop hobbies such as gardening, photography, walking or wildlife watching. Then, of course, there’s Box Hill \u2013 a firm favourite for cyclists. <\/p>\n

You won’t run out of things to do<\/p>\n

More of an indoor type? No problem. Guildford\u2019s lively cultural scene includes the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and the G Live venue for top-quality touring musicals, comedy and dance. The Watts Gallery, in nearby in Compton, is home to art exhibitions, talks and workshops. In fact\u2026<\/p>\n

There’s a Surrey town to suit almost every lifestyle\"mixedNickos\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Mixed architecture of old buildings in Godalming, Surrey.<\/p>\n

Take your pick from\u2026<\/p>\n

Lively Guildford \u2013 for cultural attractions, shops and excellent transport connections.<\/p>\n

Historic Farnham \u2013 a market town with independent shops and beautiful surrounding countryside<\/p>\n

Picturesque Godalming \u2013 for attractive streets, riverside walks and nearby woodland.<\/p>\n

Market-town Dorking \u2013 surrounded by the Surrey Hills, with access to Box Hill.<\/p>\n

Urban Woking \u2013 with fast rail connections to London and access to green spaces.<\/p>\n

London\u2019s on your doorstep<\/p>\n

Plus, if you\u2019re still working, have children in the capital or just want to keep your brain busy, London is within reassuringly easy reach. The capital\u2019s galleries, museums and theatres are around 35-40 minutes from Guildford or Godalming by train and you\u2019re also within an hour\u2019s reach of Gatwick and Heathrow airports.<\/p>\n

But\u2026<\/p>\n

Surrey isn’t cheap. It\u2019s proximity to London and attractive countryside comes with a substantial property-price premium. Recent analysis from Lloyds suggests that the Elmbridge district is Britain\u2019s least affordable local authority.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you imagine Surrey, what do you see in your mind\u2019s eye? Manicured lawns? Tinkling water features? Well,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":926647,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[49,48,2910,318403,784,237154,783,318402,273948,87674],"class_list":["post-926646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-content-type-feature","tag-contentid-6ba95e1c-30f7-4e3f-bd68-eae7ba402d35","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-5-reasons-judi-dench-loves-englands-leafiest-county","tag-sponsored-false","tag-surrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/926646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=926646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/926646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/926647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=926646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=926646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=926646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}