A few months ago
I asked you what questions you have for me
For a while
I've been chewing on this question
from Debi at A Tale of Two Cities...
Do you have suggestions for cute towns that would be
great day trips for us London gals wanting to get out of the city sometimes?
We've been to all the tourist sites of course, but we love cute towns
and villages that we can get to by train...
The picturesque village of Shere comes to mind,
in the heart of the rolling Surrey Hills
just 30 miles south west of London
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| (photo by me) |
To get there, take a train from London Waterloo to Guildford
and hop in a taxi for a 20 minute drive to Shere
Because it is a village, it is quite small by definition
Set in Tillingbourne Valley, medieval Shere
is complete with a ford, stream, ducks to feed, ancient church, teashop,
stores, and pubs
Need something to do?
How about a nose around for local film locations :)
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| Shere Lane on filming day via Hooked On Houses |
You can see they pumped snow all over the village for a Christmassy look
but as it rarely snows here, I can't promise you'll see the white stuff on your visit
- I got lucky this week ;) -
- I got lucky this week ;) -
 |
| (photo by me) |
The gorgeous Church of St James is Grade I listed and was built in 1190
It provided the backdrop for the final wedding scene in
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
Cameron Diaz was dropped off in front of the church graveyard
in the romantic comedy, The Holiday (2006)
Take a walk over and enjoy a pint in the former smugglers pub,
The White Horse, built in 1425
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| Filming at The White Horse with Jude Law (Photos used by permission, © Chris Capstick Photography) |
In The Holiday, Jude Law and Cameron Diaz enjoy drinks in this fire-lit pub
with ceiling timbers from Nelson's ship, HMS Victory, which was in the Battle Of Trafalgar
The cast and crew enjoyed their wrap up party here too
Have a rumbly in your tumbly?
Amble over to 18th century pub, The William Bray, for a scrumptious meal
(great outside seating on a sunny day)
To walk off your meal in the breathtaking countryside
go past St James Church
and find the public pathway to the right of the church
Up the hill you will see the field where Iris's cottage was created for The Holiday
Just a film set, the house is no longer standing
In the photo, you can see the church spire in the background
(and no snow on the hills)
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| Front of house via Chalk and Talk Blog Back view via Paul Orford on Panoramio |
In the photo on the right,
it looks like the public pathway is on the left side
it looks like the public pathway is on the left side
(you can just barely see people standing on it)
The field is on private land but can be seen from the church path
And that adorable cozy English interior?
Filmed in sunny Sony Picture Studios, Culver City, California
- the horror! -
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| via Hooked On Houses |
Although you won't see the storefronts from Diaz's famous driving scene here
(filmed 8 miles away in Godalming),
the Shere Shop is a cute village shop worth a visit when in Shere
Another worthy walk is along the stream heading out of town
where you'll pass the community (allotment) garden,
16th & 17th century timber-framed houses, a ford, and a pasture for horses
Shere holds a special place in my heart,
as my husband took me there
to woo me over with the idea of moving to England
As you can see,
Sources: uk.imbd, GreatBritishLife,Pub Explorer,
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