...to ask for your help in locating a village in Surrey/Sussex I once drove through?

[Merryoldgoat]

This is a bit bonkers but I’ve seen the amazing things Mumsnetters can do so here you go...

About 5 years ago DH and I went to a wedding in Arundel and on the drive from Wimbledon area to Sussex, we passed through about 3 GORGEOUS villages. They had lovely village greens, rustic pubs, chocolate box cottages etc.

My DH and I are getting a night free of children soon and I would love to book a night in a nice inn in one of these villages.

Is there anyway you can help me work out which villages these might have been?

I wasn’t a driver then so I paid no attention to the route so can’t accurately retrace the journey looking on a map.

5 YEARS I’ve been thinking about these villages!!

Me too. Vicariously travelling with you OP!

Abinger Hammer or Shere? Shere is absolutely beautiful. Great walks, nice pubs and ice cream shops, ducks on the river.

Sounds like Ockley from your description.

This is a lovely thread aww we dont see enough love for Surrey villages on mumsnet ...my mum is from a little village there and I live near the West Sussex ones mentioned. I say visit the Surrey ones at weekends and stay in Sussex

Shere is beautiful but you won't have driven through it (unless to purposely stop there)

If you want to stay somewhere special near Lurgashall thebarnatroundhurst.com

Despite living on "the dark side" (East Sussex) and loving it, I'm forced to concede that West Sussex has prettier villages and nicer small towns.

Smellylittleorange I agree. People love to mock Surrey for being stockbroker belt but it's one of the most beautiful parts of UK imo.

When I first used Twitter, the police would send notifications of where their policemen were - I suppose so we’d know they were out doing their jobs.

I would therefore receive reassurance that PC Whoever was busy fighting crime in...
Tilford...
Frensham...
Dockenfield...
Etc..

I envied that man his job so much!

@smellylittleorange - that’s a good idea - a really easy drive from where we are to lots of them.

@applepinkierainbow - just WOW! Not sure my budget will stretch but it looks amazing!

Definitely not Cranleigh, which is meh.

A few others have said Amberley.
Its very chocolate boxy but not a village you would drive through. So possibly not the one you are thinking of.

OP it's worth knowing that lurgashall no longer has a cricket team. There are some teams using it but not as regularly.

Loving this thread feel free to PM me if you want to know anything. Also I would make sure you avoid dates when goodwood FOS and revival are on because traffic is a nightmare and all b&b's etc will be booked up with sky high prices.

Thank you @WreckTangled - I’ll defini keep that in mind - DH actually goes to Goodwood most years so we are unlikely to clash but good to know.

I’ve got visions of sinking into a lovely bed covered with crisp linen and a big roll-top bath in the bathroom.

I’ve been alone with both boys all day today and I’m actually thinking it might be nice to go alone...

Loads of these places, although nice are not places you would drive through to get to Arundel from London. The sensible route would be the A24 then the A29, or possibly A24 and then across on the A27. Ockley is an option but quite a way from Arundel as it’s still in Surrey. Maybe Coldwaltham? Amberley is sweet but not on your main route.

Petworth is a town and many of the other places mentioned, such as Wisborough Green although lovely, should not be en route.

Spend half my childhood in a village on the A29 in West Sussex so know these areas well. :)

Meowandthen a scenic route might be a possibility?

Haven’t RTFT but, based on the OP, can say with 100% certainty it was Chiddingfold

Buteo scenic route or WAY off course! 😉

Ooh! This is my neck of the woods, I grew up round these parts. Climping, petworth, midhurst, amberley, yapton,

@Normhonal - looking at google images I suspect Chiddingford was one of them for sure. Lots of the PP suggested it and were going to stay either there or Lurgashall but we want to try to find somewhere a cricket game will be in session.

@Meowandthen - every possibility that we took a stupid route or got lost or took a wrong turn. My DH and I are not ‘comfortable’ travellers, although we have got better over years.

Hambledon cricket club is just down the road from Chiddingfold and is the perfect place to watch cricket. The community run shop has a bakery and serves great coffee and you can either sit outside the shop and watch or wander across the road to get a closer view hambledoncc.play-cricket.com/website/web_pages/138781

Also fixtures for Chiddingfold here www.chiddcc.uk

@Meowandthen
The other sensible route from the Wimbledon area to Arundel would be down the A3 and then onto the A283 which is why I suggested Chiddingfold etc. Some of the places suggested on here would require one heck of a detour.

The crown innin chiddingfold is very nice and the food is excellent. We did their Sunday night package and loved it

Everywhere everyone has mentioned is very beautiful and we've spent a good few years pootling along those roads through those villages.

We've stopped at pubs many times and unfortunately in some places the chocolate box exterior seems to hide some unfortunate social and political views voiced loudly and with abandon in pub gardens....never been so happy to get back to London.