Leatherhead between the River Mole, walking routes and culture

The River Mole, various walking routes and cultural attractions open up different travel ideas in Leatherhead, without requiring them to form a single type of trip. You can choose the town as a starting point for an active route, explore the landscape along the River Mole or focus on local history and events. When looking for a holiday apartment in Leatherhead, the most helpful question is therefore which of these experiences should define your trip.

Walking along the River Mole and through commons

A notable option for planning your day is the 10-kilometre Mole Gap Trail along the River Mole. The walking route connects Dorking and Leatherhead. If you want to include this route in your plans, you should take its length into account when organising your trip and also view Leatherhead as one of the two connected towns.

The Leatherhead Common circular walk north of Leatherhead offers a different perspective. The easily accessible circular route passes over commons and through the Ashtead Common National Nature Reserve. It also reaches the south-western tip of this protected area. The route is therefore suited to visitors who are not looking for a connection between two places, but prefer a circular walk with varied landscape sections.

The Leatherhead Riverside Walk follows the River Mole. The most accessible section runs from the Leatherhead Leisure Centre along the river’s western bank. This precise orientation is helpful if you want to include the Riverside Walk in your day’s plans. This allows a longer connecting route, a circular walk north of the town and a waterside walk to be considered as different travel ideas without combining them into a single route.

Local history at the Leatherhead Museum

The Leatherhead Museum of Local History provides a cultural complement to the landscape experiences. It is housed in Hampton Cottage, a heavily altered 17th-century cottage. After its restoration, Hampton Cottage was opened to visitors in 1980. The Leatherhead Museum of Local History comprises six rooms with curated exhibitions, including significant Anglo-Saxon and Roman artefacts.

The museum is therefore suitable for travel planning in which not only the surroundings but also the history of the town plays a role. The combination of exhibitions and walking routes offers different daily rhythms: a visit to the museum can be followed by a walk along the River Mole, while another day can be shaped more strongly by one of the documented walking routes. Accommodation in Leatherhead can accordingly be selected based on whether you are primarily looking for nature experiences, culture or a mixture of both.

Leatherhead Theatre: architecture and events

Another cultural venue is the Leatherhead Theatre. It opened in 1969 and remains an important example of architecture as well as a centre for culture and community. The theatre has 530 seats, a bar, a coffee bar, a gallery, meeting rooms and workshop areas. Live theatre performances and film screenings take place there.

The Theatre thus expands the choice beyond historical exhibitions. If you do not want to focus your trip exclusively on paths and riverside landscapes, a live theatre performance or film screening can provide an independent cultural occasion. This focus can be just as relevant when choosing a holiday apartment in Leatherhead as the desire to explore the River Mole or the Ashtead Common National Nature Reserve during the day.

Ideas for other places when planning further

For more ideas of places in the same area, you can also look at Windlesham, Ottershaw, Frimley, Dorking, Copthorne, Shepperton, Albury and East Molesey.

For the higher-level travel overview: Surrey.