Every year the Greyhound pub in Tinsley Green takes a popular playground game to its most competitive level. The British and World Marbles Championship attracts 100 competitors in around 20 teams, with team and individual titles up for grabs.
Available :
Apr 2013 (annual)
The Dorking Museum lies in the historic centre of the town, housing an eclectic bunch of displays for the local historian and others.
Available :
Wed, Thu, and Sat only
Eagle-eyed collectors and antiques enthusiasts hunt for gems at the Ardingly Antiques and Collectors Fair, held at the South of England Showground. Hundreds of stalls sell everything from 19th-century silverware to textiles, ceramics and paintings.
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Mar 2013 (various dates)
Great Bookham's Polesden Lacey annually hosts the Polesden Lacey Shakspeare, an open air performance of a Shakespearian classic. This year it is the turn of As You Like It. Performances are preceded by Elizabethan fun and games.
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Jul 2013; Weekends only (annual)
Thousands of people carry flaming torches in an evening procession to the Cranleigh bonfire site in Surrey, where the Cranleigh Lions organise the fireworks that fill the night sky.
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Nov 2013 (annual)
The Chessington World of Adventures theme park is just a short drive or train journey from London and a great day out for adrenalin-starved kids and their excited parents. Apart from countless rides, there's a zoo and Sea Life Centre.
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Mar - Sep 2013 (annual)
Halloween Hocus Pocus takes over Chessington World of Adventures during October, with witches, wizards and goblins all on the loose. You could try to escape them by jumping on the park's roller coasters, although that's not for the fainthearted either...
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Oct 2013 (annual)
Dating back to 1907, Hickstead's Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) welcomes the elite of many equestrian disciplines. There are competitions in everything from international show jumping and dressage to the very best of national showing.
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Jul 2013 (annual)
Hickstead's Derby Meeting is the most exciting competition in British showjumping, drawing enthusiasts from throughout the country. The highlight of these four days is the Derby, when riders pit their wits against a fiendishly difficult and notoriously challenging course.
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Jun 2013 (annual)
Rescued from dereliction by antiquary Denys Bower in 1955, 15th-century Chiddingstone Castle is home to Bower's impressive collection of Japanese, Egyptian and Buddhist artefacts, including Edo period weaponry. Finish the day with a walk around the National Trust village.
Available :
Apr - Sep 2013; Mon, Tue, Wed, and Sun only (annual)
In 2011 the Biggin Hill International Air Fair becomes the Open House Air Fair, moving from June to September. The biggest privately run air show in Europe, it continues to display the best in 21st-century aviation.
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Sep 2013 (annual)
If you thought the Wimbledon tournament was where it's at for strawberries and cream, handsome lads and scantily clad gals, think again. Tennis London International organises this annual gay and lesbian tennis tournament at Sutton Tennis Academy.
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Aug 2013 (annual)
New plays are brought to life at the Warehouse Theatre's annual International Playwriting Festival (IPF). Showcasing works from around the world, the event has become widely regarded as one of the best opportunities for ambitious new playwrights to gain exposure.
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Mar 2013 (annual)
Step into Charles Darwin's slippers and explore Down House, in which he wrote and researched his revolutionary On The Origin of Species series. Watch bees building their honeycomb or pace his Sandwalk path and come up with your own theories.
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Feb - Dec 2013 (annual)
Imagine Henry VIII warming his hands at the octagonal hearth when he came to stay in the 13th-century Penshurst Place and Gardens. Kids love the ancient suits of armour in the Baron's Hall. Visit in June to admire the Rose Garden.
Available :
Feb - Mar 2013; Weekends only (various dates)
From jewellery and ceramics to toys and paintings, the Weald of Kent Craft Show is one for anyone interested in arts and crafts. Special tickets allow visitors to combine their shopping spree with a visit to the medieval Penshurt Place.
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May 2013 (various dates)
Kiera Knightley and co filmed Pride and Prejudice in and around the untouched 17th-century moated Groombridge Place manor house. In spring, thousands of flowers carpet the Formal Gardens. The Enchanted Forest has giant swings, giant rabbits, strange plants and playgrounds.
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Mar - Nov 2013 (annual)
The Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum showcases the amazing creativity of those who have suffered mental illness over the years - and gives us an unwelcome glimpse of the Victorian ways of treating it.
Available :
Weekdays only
Garson Farm still merits the National Pick-Your-Own (PYO) award it received in 1997. Its 180 acres of PYO are accredited by the Les Routiers/NRA scheme and it's the largest PYO in England. The farm is just 15 miles from London and close to Esher, so pop down for an unbeatable selection of fruit, vegetables and farm shop goodies.
Available :
Daily
Situated on the beautiful Epsom Downs and run for more than two centuries, The Derby is the jewel in English racing's crown. Thousands flock to Epsom Downs Racecourse to watch the race. The winning rider nets one of racing's most generous prize funds.
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Jun 2013 (annual)
The Sandown Park Exhibition Centre hosts the Stitch & Creative Crafts Show - South East. For those with a flair for creativity this is the perfect occasion to discover everything affiliated with the world of knitting, needlecraft and creative designs.
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Jan 2014 (annual)
Get away from it all in the rolling Sussex countryside. Tucked on the edge of the Ashdown forest, the Rivendell Retreat Centre has been quietening minds and chilling people out for over 15 years.
Available :
Daily
The streets of Kingston come to life with the impressively noisy and colourful Kingston Carnival. There's plenty of live entertainment all day, including Bollywood dancing, African jazz and Caribbean steel drums fresh from Kingston Carnival's grand-daddy, the Notting Hill Carnival.
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Sep 2013 (annual)
The all-holistic, GM-free, New Age, organic One World festival arrives at Sevenoaks School this summer. Set in the heart of the beautiful Kent countryside, the event offers a magical week-long celebration of all things alternative.
Available :
4 - 10 Aug 2008 (annual)
Kingston Museum was built in 1904 with contributions from Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish American benefactor. There are permanent galleries telling the stories of Kingston and the photographer Eadweard Muybridge as well as a gallery hosting temporary exhibitions representing arts, crafts, photography and local history.
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Daily; not Wed or Sun
Henry VIII and novelist Vita Sackville-West have both been residents of the National Trust house, Knole. Surrounded by a 1000-acre deer park, its early 17th-century state rooms contain an important collection of tapestries, and paintings by Van Dyck and Gainsborough.
Available :
Mar - Sep 2013; not Mon or Tue (annual)
Enclosed within 1930s Art Deco splendour (with a sweeping staircase in the large foyer) the Stag Community Arts Centre provides an artistic hub for Sevenoaks. It has two digital cinemas, a 450-seat theatre and the adaptable Plaza Suite.
Available :
Daily
Masterminded by Anthony Wilkinson, Wimbledon Music Festival brings top international artists to south-west London around St Cecilia's Day (22nd). First held in 2009, it fills St John the Baptist Church, Wimbledon Synagogue and other venues and churches with great music.
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Nov 2013 (annual)
The Guildford House Gallery occupies a 17th-century townhouse on the High Street. The permanent collection includes work by Guildford-born artist John Russell, and the gallery also welcomes Arts Council touring exhibitions and displays by local artists.
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Daily; not Mon or Sun
Guildford Castle keep stands proudly (thanks to a £4 million renovation) in its splendid grounds, which are open to the public all year round. Visitors can venture to the top of the keep to enjoy sweeping views of the town.
Available :
Daily
As well as a local archaeology exhibition, Guildford Museum also contains an extensive collection of objects and pictures outlining the area's history. Trade, history and the lives of Guildford's famous former residents are all considered in this popular local museum.
Available :
Daily; not Sun
Revisit Tudor times by tracing 500 years of royal history at Hampton Court Palace. Set in 60 acres of manicured gardens, it features opulent public rooms, Henry VIII's State Apartments, original Tudor kitchens and a priceless collection of Italian Renaissance art.
Available :
Daily
Henry VIII's favourite house is the venue for a series of spectacular concerts in early summer. There are performances in the grounds to whet every music fan's appetite during the Hampton Court Palace Festival.
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Jun 2013 (annual)
For over 150 years, London's residents have flocked to Hampton Court's funfair at the former royal residence south of the river. Alongside traditional attractions like the Victorian games stalls and a historic carousel there are also dodgems, waltzers and orbitors.
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Apr 2013 (annual)
Stories of the strange goings-on throughout the centuries at Hampton Court Palace will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Discover the palace's spooky secrets on this 90-minute ghost tour, held on Fridays and Sundays until spring.
Available :
Oct 2012 - Mar 2013; Fri and Sun only (annual)
One of the few remaining 1930s lidos in the country, Guildford Lido in Surrey is a heated Olympic-sized swimming pool that proves popular every time the sun makes an appearance. There is also an onsite gym.
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May - Sep 2013 (annual)
The Brooklands Museum tells the story of the development of British motorsport and aviation at its site from 1907. There are plenty of vehicles to marvel at.
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Daily
The world's best athletes compete at the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, part of the annual Diamond League Athletics series. Held over two days, the meeting features more different disciplines than any other Diamond League event.
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Aug 2013 (annual)
Widely considered the world's greatest tennis tournament, top-seed players, traditional strawberries and cream and the infamous rain delays set Wimbledon apart from other Grand Slams. Some of the greatest matches of all time have been fought out here on Centre Court.
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Jun - Jul 2013 (annual)
Wimbledon's Lawn Tennis Club is not the only reason to drop by this leafy suburb in southwest London. If you call by Wimbledon Park First School on a Saturday, site of Wimbledon Farmers' Market, you'll discover a variety of trestles given over to hoards of prime English produce.
Available :
Sat only
08457 76 76 76
