23/10/2026
A Hollywood film set, a mysterious pool and rather too many opportunities for cake! 🍰
We do love a good walk with a few interesting stops along the way, especially when there’s somewhere lovely for lunch!
This time we headed to Shere, one of Surrey’s prettiest villages and, as it happens, a bit of a film star.
We were lucky enough to find a space in the village car park before setting off on a lovely countryside walk to Silent Pool. On busier days it might be easier to do the walk in reverse, parking at Silent Pool (do check the parking arrangements first).
Silent Pool is a rather magical spot, with its beautiful clear green water and a somewhat gruesome legend involving King John and a young maiden.
There’s plenty to discover nearby too. Albury Vineyard offers tours and tastings of its English sparkling w**e, while Silent Pool Distillery runs gin tours. Both might warrant a return visit when we’re not planning quite so much walking!
Then there’s ’s Kitchen, serving delicious Indian food in a converted cowshed. Not your average refreshment stop! They also offer takeaways and a wonderful selection of frozen Indian dishes, so you can even stock your freezer with something delicious for another day. Now that’s my sort of souvenir!
Back in Shere, there’s plenty to tempt you to linger.
The village is famous for its appearance in The Holiday. You can wander over the pretty little bridge, admire the cottages and pop into The White Horse, which also appeared in the film. Sadly, Rosehill Cottage was only built for filming, so don’t go looking for it!
There are some lovely independent shops too, including Figs, full of gorgeous things for the home, and Shere Delights, where the old-fashioned sweets and ice creams are rather difficult to resist.
And then there’s the important question of where to stop for tea and cake. The Dabbling Duck is a lovely choice, but we particularly liked Hilly’s Tea Shop with its beautifully hand-illustrated menus. Such a charming little detail.
Do have a wander up to St James’ Church too. It has a fascinating history, including a medieval anchoress who chose to spend her life enclosed in a tiny cell attached to the church. Rather an extreme way of getting some peace and quiet!
All in all, a lovely combination of countryside, history, independent shops and rather too many opportunities to eat!
Another one for our collection of recommended walks and days out for guests at The Little House. We do enjoy doing the research so you don’t have to!
Have you visited Shere? Any little hidden gems
Jane
