Haslemere Hotels

This affluent market town, which is popular with commuters employed in central London, features many attractive half-timbered cottages and Arts and Crafts-style residences. Like many other communities in Surrey, Haslemere expanded after the opening of the railways in the Victorian period, which provide novel opportunities for wealthy Londoners to build homes in the countryside and still earn a living in the capital.

Places of interest around Haslemere:

The Haslemere Educational Museum

Nominated for the Museums and Heritage Awards Culture Pros Pick Award, the Haslemere Educational Museum opened in 1888 and exhibits tens of thousands of historic artefacts related to human and natural history. The venue, which moved to its present location in 1926, includes three permanent galleries and was pioneered by Sir Jonathan Hutchinson, an esteemed medical professional and the first person to diagnose the rare genetic disorder Progeria.

Petworth House and Park

This imposing 17th-century house features many impressive art collections from artists such as Blake and Turner, and is now managed by the National Trust. The wonderful 283-hectare grounds, meanwhile, were designed by the distinguished Georgian landscape Lancelot 'Capability Brown', who also designed the grounds of Blenheim Palace.

The South Downs

Designated a national park in 2011, the South Downs is famed for its attractive chalk-cliff coastline around Beachy Head, and features the 280-metre high Black Down, the third highest hill in Southeast England. The park also contains the unique V-shaped valley of Devil's Dyke, which was a strategic military defence around the Iron Age and was renowned for its thriving fairs in the 19th century.

Hotels and restaurants

For sophisticated Haslemere hotels, choose the romantic country themed Lythe Hill Hotel & Spa or the comfortable and homely Georgian House Hotel & Spa. For delicious lunches and cakes, dine at the Sweetpeas Café, or head to The Red Lion Public House for some superb British cuisine.