Things to see and do at Reigate Hill and Gatton Park

Two people cycling through a tree-lined avenue at Reigate Hill and Gatton Park in Surrey with sunlight flooding through the leaves onto the road — Take an autumn walk | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

This 600-acre stretch of the North Downs offers flower-sprinkled grasslands, shady woods, dramatic views towards the Weald and the South Downs and a landscaped park designed by none other than ‘Capability’ Brown. It's great walking and cycling country, as well as a lovely spot for family picnics and games, and features numerous historic points of interest, including Reigate Fort, a modern stone circle and the site of a crashed Second World War bomber.

Explore Gatton Park

Gatton Park was created in the 1760s by renowned English landscape designer Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. It features sweeping vistas, copses of trees and a series of ponds winding their way down the valley to a large lake.

Preserving 'Capability' Brown’s vision

Covering around 600 acres, the park is managed by two trusts with the joint aim of preserving Brown’s vision. The 260 acres overseen by the Gatton Trust include the gardens, open on selected days throughout the year. The remaining 340 acres looked after by the National Trust are made up of mixed woodlands and open parkland, open to everyone, every day.

Follow the North Downs Way

Join the North Downs Way at Reigate Hill and follow the signposts along the chalk ridge that stretches from Farnham in the west to Dover in the east. If you’re feeling energetic, you may want to tackle the walk to Box Hill where you can reward yourself with refreshments at the National Trust café.

An image of the entrance way to Reigate Fort in Surrey with a sunken gravel passageway between grass banks and the red brick fort ahead — Discover Reigate Fort in Surrey | © National Trust Images/Chris Jonas

Visit Reigate Fort

Reigate Fort was built in 1898, one of 13 forts that ran along the 72-mile defence line between the North Downs and Essex, built to protect London from an attack by the French. Reigate Fort was used as a mobilisation centre, storing vital tools and ammunition to supply soldiers and artillery at short notice.  

The site is open daily for you to look around.   

Wartime bomber crash site

On Monday 19 March 1945, an American B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crashed into the side of Reigate Hill. The clearing in the trees created by the plane is still there, along with a memorial to the nine men who lost their lives.  

Go on a military history walk

Reigate Hill has been at the centre of some large-scale military activities over the years. Find out more with our mile-long military history walk, which takes in Reigate Fort, the site of the crashed American bomber and a mystery wartime structure.

A view through woods to a tall, white, circular Inglis memorial structure with a domed roof and column details at Reigate Hill and Gatton Park in Surrey — The Inglis Memorial at Reigate Hill and Gatton Park in Surrey | © National Trust Images/A Wright

The Inglis Memorial

Consisting of a circle of pillars supporting a carved stone roof, this memorial on Colley Hill was donated to the Borough of Reigate in 1909 by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Robert William Inglis VD. It was built as a rather grand drinking fountain for horses but is now an ideal place for walkers to take a break and drink in the view.

The Millennium Stones at Gatton Park

The Millennium Stones is a modern stone circle created by sculptor Richard Kindersley to mark the double millennium in 2000. Placed in Gatton Park by the Jerusalem Trust, each of the 10 stones represents a 200-year period and bears an inscription from that era.

Spot the old quarries 

If you’re driving here, you may spot a slice of local history in the form of the disused quarries that can be seen from the A25. Reigate stone was quarried here from the Middle Ages to the end of the 19th century and used in buildings such as the miners’ cottages in Reigate.