Sussex Scrapbook
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Nature walks throughout the year
Saturday 6th August 2006
Cranleigh and Shere (in Surrey) by bike
For the want of anything better to do, we just jumped on the bike and went! We
first pulled up at Cranleigh (supposedly the largest village in England) where
we parked in the rector's garden and went to explore
St
Nicholas church. The place is dominated by a massive cedar of Lebanon that
is really awe inspiring. The oak door of the church had the date 1702 carved
into it.
Next we went on to the nearby village of Shere, which is reputed to be one of the prettiest villages in England. A shallow river (the Tillingbourne) runs through it and there is a small ford there. The White Horse pub was built in the 16th century from ships timbers. In the 1950's a secret cellar was found in it that still contained casks of brandy dated 1720. This was evidence of the smuggling trade that was supposed to be prevalent in the area.
The ford
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A local resident
