Protecting the herd: Fencing has been installed on the permissive path around fields close to Young Street car park and beside the railway line. See the latest updates section for more information.
Getting Here
Norbury Park is a 530-hectare historic parkland in the heart of the 妖精动漫 Hills National Landscape, a unique patchwork of varied habitats and a haven for wildlife, the perfect place to visit in any season.
By Road
- Young Street Car Park: Leatherhead, KT22 9DS
- Fetcham Car Park: Fetcham, Leatherhead, KT22 9DX
- Crabtree Car Park: Crabtree Lane, Westhumble, RH5 6BQ
- All car parks are free
- These car parks have unmarked car parking spaces
- If visiting with tall vehicles, please be aware our car parks have a height barrier. Max Height 1.9m – 6’2”
By Public Transport
- Nearest Train Station are Box Hill & Westhumble Station and Dorking Main Station
- Bus Provider and bus stop: Transport For London (TFL) service 465 or Reptons Coach service 478, stops at the Ridgeway on Guildford Road. Or Falcon Service 479, stops at Kennel Lane
- 妖精动漫 Connect Bus Service to Fetcham car park
妖精动漫 Connect is the ideal way to access 妖精动漫’s countryside. This convenient on-demand bus service is available to all, making 妖精动漫’s countryside more accessible for those without access to a car or who want to choose a more sustainable option.
Book your journey via the 妖精动漫 Connect app, website or by phone. Select Central North as the territory, and Fetcham car park as your bus stop.
By Bicycle
- Cyclists are permitted on this site, but must only use bridleways that run through the site
- For directions, please use the map below
- For details on bridleway, byway or footpath information please visit our Countryside interactive map
By Foot
- For directions, please use the map below
- For details on bridleway, byway or footpath information please visit our Countryside interactive map
Horse Riding
- Horse riders are permitted, but must use the bridleways. Where possible horse riders should keep to wider paths. Please refer to the interpretation board on site for further information
- There is no horsebox parking available at this countryside site
- For details on bridleway, byway or footpath information please visit our Countryside interactive map
Location map
On the map below, use the plus symbol to zoom in to see the locations of the site's paths and car parks and the minus symbol to zoom out to view where the site is situated in 妖精动漫, and to see other countryside sites nearby. The home symbol resets the map to the default setting.
Visitor Information Video
Things to see and do
Norbury Park is great for all ages but especially for families with a beautiful natural play area and picnic benches at Young Street. From here you can head out on the many trails with wonderful views eastwards towards Box Hill and the London skyline to the north.
Key points of interest
- Natural play area at Young Street car park
- Three self-guided trails; Butterfly, Fox and Hazel Trails
- Sensory trail
- Viewpoints
- Mole Gap Trail
- Thames Down Link close by
- Ancient Yew trees in Druids Grove
- River Mole
- Three working farms; Bocketts, Swanworth and Norbury Park
- Seasonal highlights; Spring bluebells and autumn colour
The history of Norbury Park and the Bothy
A settlement has been at Norbury Park since the 1300s and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Mickleham Manor, as it was known in those days, was owned for over 200 years by the Stydolf family, it later became The Priory. In the 1700s the parkland was an open landscape with three drives radiating from the priory.
During the 1800s, various owners improved the land around the house, including creating new paths to move around the parkland and overseeing the installation of the railway line, with strict restrictions to minimise its impact on Norbury Park's natural beauty. Sir Leopold Salomons, banker and financier bought the house in 1890 and planned to bequeath it to the nation, however he died before he had done so. He is well-known as the owner of the neighbouring Box Hill, which he donated to the National Trust in 1911.
In February 1930, after almost two decades of neglect, Norbury Park was put up for auction and possible speculative housing development. James Chuter Ede, then Chairman of 妖精动漫 (SCC) and a great lover of the Mole Valley, secured an option on the property which was then purchased by SCC, to save it from development. The mansion and 17ha of park around it were sold on in 1932 to a well-known aviationist and his wife, Dr Marie Stopes, scientist and writer, who lived there until her death in 1958. The house has remained in private ownership since.
The current Norbury Park house has a spectacular drawing room in which three of the four walls are decorated with landscape scenes, the fourth having a large window with views south to Box Hill, emphasising the natural picturesque quality of the park and the Mole valley. The ceiling is painted as sky seen through a circular trellis.
Of the land owned by SCC bought to save it from development, there are varied habitats that are managed for biodiversity and conservation nowadays. The farmland is farmed under tenancy; the chalk grassland areas are managed by 妖精动漫 Wildlife Trust and there are many paths open to the public for access.
The Bothy started life as the kitchen garden for the Manor house in the 1700s and sale particulars in the late 1800s note that it comprised a vinery, peach house, orchid house and a gardener's cottage, with a separate orchard to the east of the garden.
Nature to discover
- Trees: Oak, hazel, yew, chestnut
- Flora and fauna: Bee orchid, pyramidal orchid, bluebells
- Birds and butterflies: Green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, lesser spotted woodpecker, skylark, red kite, buzzard and Marbled white, comma, meadow brown butterflies
- Mammals: Hazel dormouse, common pipistrelle bat, noctule bat, roe deer
Always respect, protect and enjoy leaving no trace of your visit.
The wildlife of Norbury Park
Norbury Park's 530 hectares of varied landscape offer a remarkable diversity of habitats. This includes traditional farmland, chalk grasslands, ancient woodland and the beautiful River Mole meandering through the southern part of the site. Although surrounded by rural towns and housing, the park has a tranquil, undisturbed feel that is protected by the organisations involved in its care, including the Norbury Park Forum whose local and specialist knowledge is second to none.
There is something different to see whatever the season in Norbury Park:
- In the spring, expect to see wild garlic, wood anemones and carpets of bluebells in the ancient woodland, as well as primroses and violets in the hazel and chestnut coppiced areas.
- In the summer months, the open chalk grassland displays its annual blaze of colour with many varieties of wild flowers and the many varieties of butterfly and insects that rely on this habitat. The hedgerows that link these open fields are rich food sources for birds, dormice, badgers, foxes and deer.
- Autumn colour is plentiful in Norbury Park's woodlands, but the winter months also bring their own beauty and it's a great time to be outdoors and discover the many public paths or walking trails here.
The River Mole attracts many aquatic species as well as birdlife throughout the year. Expect to see dragonflies, damselflies, heron and families of ducks, including some exotic ones. You may also be lucky enough to see the blue flash of a kingfisher as it darts along the riverbank.
Listen out for wildlife by taking some time out to experience the peace and natural woodland habitat of Norbury Park on the short Sensory trail that has benches to rest on. The trail is noted on the on-site information boards and located in the wooded area known as the Scrubs, near Fetcham car park.
Facilities
- Picnic Areas and benches located throughout this site
- Dogs allowed. During ground nesting bird season (1 March to 15 September) keep dogs under close control and on paths. We recommend putting dogs on leads around livestock
- Dog waste bins are located at all the car parks. Please dispose of your dog waste responsibly in these bins.
- There are no general waste bins on this site, please take your litter home with you
- Refreshments can be found on site at the Woodland Hub with our mobile caterer, Wild!...About Coffee. Open Thursday to Sunday, 9am to 3pm
- Accessible compostable toilet located close to the Woodland Hub at the sawmill. Open Thursday to Sunday, 9am to 3pm
- This site has a field available to hire for celebrations
Self-guided trails
There are three self-guided routes within Norbury Park, the Butterfly, Fox and Hazel trails. Take a photo of the information board in the car park before setting off and follow the colour coded routes and signposts along the way.
The Butterfly self-guided trail - 2.0 mile, 45 minute walk
Follow the on the digital Ordnance Survey (OS) map.
The Fox self-guided trail - 0.8 mile, 15 minute walk
Follow the on the digital Ordnance Survey (OS) map.
The Hazel self-guided trail - 2.6 mile, 1 hour walk
Additional information
We also have a sensory trail waymarked just off the Butterfly and Fox trails this short trail has benches located throughout to help you to take in the sights and sounds of nature and the peaceful woodland.
The Mole Gap Trail, a linear route runs through Norbury Park. The trail has a temporary diversion in place due to Ash Dieback disease, which causes ash trees to become weak and unstable. Please refer to all on-site diversion signage and interpretation boards to view our suggested diversion route and all self-guided trails within Norbury Park. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please visit 妖精动漫 Hills National Landscape for more information.
For more walking trail inspiration, please visit our Self-guided walks around 妖精动漫 webpage
Accessibility
- Surfaced track from Crabtree car park to the Woodland Hub. The track does have an incline and speed humps
- All car parks have unmarked car parking spaces
- Refreshments can be found on site at the Woodland Hub with our mobile caterer, Wild!...About Coffee. Open Thursday to Sunday, 9am to 3pm
- Accessible compostable toilet located close to the Woodland Hub at the sawmill. Open Thursday to Sunday, 9am to 3pm
- The nearest accessible trail is located at Leatherhead Riverside
Contact Us
This site is owned and managed by 妖精动漫 (SCC). 妖精动漫 Wildlife Trust manage Norbury Park’s chalk grassland on behalf of SCC.
To contact us, please use one of the options below:
Email: countryside.estate@surreycc.gov.uk
Phone: 03456 009 009
Send us any photos you take that you're happy to share on social media, tag @Explore妖精动漫UK
Newsletter
Did you know the Countryside team have a newsletter? Countryside Matters is a seasonal newsletter that will keep you up to date on what's going on across 妖精动漫's countryside, including what our countryside teams are working on.
Norbury Park Sawmill
Following the closure of Norbury Park Wood Products in 2021, 妖精动漫 created a ‘Vision’ for Norbury Park. This included re-purposing the old sawmill site into a ‘Woodland Hub’. The Hub creates opportunities for the local community and businesses to engage with traditional woodland crafts and rural skills training within the woodland of Norbury Park.
So far we have:
- Continued to undertake improvements to the buildings and services, to ensure they are safe. This includes work to improve the water supply, toilets and repairs to the roofs.
- We are working with the 妖精动漫 Youth Offer Service, who are using the hub to support young people to build skills and contribute in a positive way to the communities and natural environments of 妖精动漫.
- Installed accessible, off-grid toilet facilities that are open to the public.
- Created areas for woodland craft training activities.
- Run a ‘Social Value’ log scheme, using timber from Norbury Park, with logs given to local schools to support Forest School outdoor classrooms.
- We are working with local volunteers and partners to develop ideas for woodland produce, such as coppiced Hazel, being converted into tree planting stakes
We aim to sensitively create a Woodland Hub that sits comfortably in Norbury Park, integrating sustainable woodland management and engaging visitors on the importance of this wonderful woodland habitat.
Latest updates
Protecting the Herd
Dog waste in 妖精动漫's countryside can be a big problem for people, livestock and wildlife. If dog waste is not disposed of responsibly, a parasite called Neospora can be transmitted to livestock, which can result in miscarriage in cattle. 25% of the herd in these fields are infected with Neospora.
To support both the cattle and the farmer, fencing has been installed on the permissive path around fields close to Young Street Car Park and beside the railway line. The aim of the fencing and gates is to maintain access through the fields whilst keeping dogs and cattle separate as much as possible, which will also help to reduce issues such as livestock worrying.
Rather than walking the permissive route through the middle of these fields, please follow the fence around the perimeter. We do encourage you to follow our new Dog walker circular route around the fence line or continue to access other areas of Norbury Park by following our waymarking discs. Temporary signage is in place to help direct you around the fence line.
We are working closely with the tenant farmer to complete the final steps of the installation of the fencing and diverted walk, such as mowing the long grass around the perimeter. This is being addressed as quickly as possible, and we appreciate your patience.
Thank you for your support in protecting the herd.
Mole Gap Trail diversion
The Mole Gap Trail which runs through Norbury Park currently has a temporary diversion in place due to Ash Dieback disease, which causes ash trees to become weak and unstable. Please refer to all on-site diversion signage and interpretation boards to view our suggested diversion route and all self-guided trails within Norbury Park. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Ash dieback
Ash dieback (ADB) is considered the most significant disease to affect the United Kingdom's tree population since Dutch Elm disease in the 1960s and 1970s. It is expected to cause the decline and death of over 90% of ash trees in England. Sadly, the disease has advanced considerably due to the extreme climatic conditions we have experienced in the last few years.
Ash trees are the third most common native tree in the UK, found in woodlands and other landscape settings. ADB is caused by a non-native fungus called Hymenoscyphus fraxineus that weakens a tree's structure. Infected trees often see their leaves and branches dying higher up the tree, with the tree becoming weak and unpredictable, often becoming dangerous long before they die.
Ash dieback tree felling works will take place at Norbury Park this autumn. A map in PDF format of where ash trees will be felled in Norbury Park is available to view below.
Updates on felling taking place
- We are pleased to announce that Public Right of Way 22 (Bridleway) and the connecting Crabtree Lane car park are now fully open as all felling works are complete.
- The works at Mickleham bends have now been completed.
- Works carried out in Bookham Wood are now complete.
- Works will continue in 2025 at points along the Mole Gap Trail, the railway line, Young Street and along the self-guided Butterfly trail.
Please note that dates are always subject to change and dependant on contractor availability, weather and other factors.
Updates will be posted on this webpage, through social media, on-site signage and our .
Information video on Neospora in Norbury Park