TRANSCRIPTIE 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:06.740 --> 00:00:11.140
Hello, I'm Jim Cornall and this is the WalkingPost
00:00:11.140 --> 00:00:20.399
.com podcast. WalkingPost .com is the news website
00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:23.320
dedicated to walking, with all the latest on
00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:26.800
gear, books, trails, festivals, events, health,
00:00:27.019 --> 00:00:31.719
fitness and more. This podcast is number 58 and
00:00:31.719 --> 00:00:35.380
it's going live on August the 14th. Heatwave
00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:38.640
number four, is it now? It's even warm here in
00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:42.700
Scotland. But, of course, no clear skies for
00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:45.960
the eclipse this past week. Watching it on the
00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:49.159
news isn't really the same thing. We were filming
00:00:49.159 --> 00:00:52.299
in St Andrews last week, not the one in Canada,
00:00:52.420 --> 00:00:55.600
the one in Scotland, and I was attacked twice.
00:00:56.429 --> 00:00:59.710
once by a very angry wasp, and the other was
00:00:59.710 --> 00:01:02.869
a very hungry herring gull that flew into my
00:01:02.869 --> 00:01:05.909
head to try and knock a sandwich out of my hand
00:01:05.909 --> 00:01:09.010
just as I took a bite. It was like being punched,
00:01:09.189 --> 00:01:12.469
but I did hold on to the sandwich. There are
00:01:12.469 --> 00:01:15.310
signs everywhere saying don't feed the gulls.
00:01:15.450 --> 00:01:19.370
Well, I managed not to, just. I wasn't even angry,
00:01:19.489 --> 00:01:22.290
they are just hungry. It always amazes me how
00:01:22.290 --> 00:01:25.549
people get mad at animals going after food or
00:01:25.549 --> 00:01:29.170
coming into urban areas. We've destroyed their
00:01:29.170 --> 00:01:32.049
habitat, what are they supposed to do? Anyway,
00:01:32.150 --> 00:01:35.049
moving along, let's have a look at August the
00:01:35.049 --> 00:01:39.870
14th. It's World Lizard Day. It's Tattoo Removal
00:01:39.870 --> 00:01:42.569
Day, and the only way that I could do that is
00:01:42.569 --> 00:01:45.510
if I had one in the first place. It's also Pakistan
00:01:45.510 --> 00:01:49.230
Independence Day. When you look back over what
00:01:49.230 --> 00:01:52.609
happened on this day in history, it's all wars
00:01:52.609 --> 00:01:56.209
and massacres, depressing stuff. But on this
00:01:56.209 --> 00:02:00.709
day in 1893, France became the first country
00:02:00.709 --> 00:02:04.750
to introduce motor vehicle registration. I imagine
00:02:04.750 --> 00:02:07.209
that was a pretty easy job in the early days.
00:02:07.849 --> 00:02:11.610
It's the day offshore pirate radio was made illegal
00:02:11.610 --> 00:02:16.229
in the UK. That was in 1967. I did used to enjoy
00:02:16.229 --> 00:02:19.469
listening to Radio Luxembourg and sometimes Radio
00:02:19.469 --> 00:02:23.270
Caroline as well, depending on the weather. For
00:02:23.270 --> 00:02:25.610
birthdays of people you might have heard of,
00:02:25.729 --> 00:02:29.050
we have David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash,
00:02:29.310 --> 00:02:34.030
Steve Martin, Magic Johnson and Sarah Brightman.
00:02:34.539 --> 00:02:37.199
I did see something interesting related to that
00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:40.460
a couple of weeks ago and it was a page of four
00:02:40.460 --> 00:02:43.479
autographs of musicians. But what was unusual
00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:46.240
was that it wasn't in a traditional autograph
00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:49.340
book. It was in a book from the early part of
00:02:49.340 --> 00:02:52.979
the 1900s and it was called a birthday book and
00:02:52.979 --> 00:02:55.840
I thought that it was brilliant. So the idea
00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:58.719
is... Kind of like a cross between an autograph
00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:02.080
book and a diary. So when you ask somebody to
00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:05.080
sign your autograph book, they sign it on the
00:03:05.080 --> 00:03:08.659
page of their birthday. A great idea, and I think
00:03:08.659 --> 00:03:11.639
one that should be brought back. Last time on
00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.280
the podcast, we talked about a new book called
00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:18.500
Walking from Home to Rome. with its author Geraldine
00:03:18.500 --> 00:03:21.520
McFall. This week we're heading to a walking
00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:24.639
festival, although not literally, but it is the
00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:28.020
Dorking Walking Festival, so I guess we're talking
00:03:28.020 --> 00:03:30.520
dorking walking. And that's a conversation with
00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:34.080
Joe McGowan, the Dorking Business Improvement
00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:37.139
District Manager. But before we do get going,
00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:40.919
if you do have news, guest ideas or even subjects
00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:44.479
to cover, or comments. Or if you want to advertise,
00:03:44.580 --> 00:03:48.719
please do get in touch via walkingpost .com or
00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:52.539
you can just email me at jim at walkingpost .com
00:04:02.079 --> 00:04:04.419
Normally we would go through the headlines of
00:04:04.419 --> 00:04:06.879
the articles over at walkingpost .com in the
00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:09.759
past week, but as there weren't the usual number,
00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:12.580
I think we'll just skip it. But of course, please
00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:15.080
do head over to the website and check out the
00:04:15.080 --> 00:04:20.379
news. And so let's get to this week's interview.
00:04:20.540 --> 00:04:23.439
It's a conversation with Joe McGowan, Business
00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:27.339
Improvement District Manager for Dorking, a place
00:04:27.339 --> 00:04:30.199
that has a walking festival coming up in September.
00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:34.290
So let's find out some more. Hi, Joe. Thanks
00:04:34.290 --> 00:04:36.290
so much for being with us on the podcast. And
00:04:36.290 --> 00:04:38.529
perhaps you could tell us a bit about what you
00:04:38.529 --> 00:04:41.430
do and about dorking for those who haven't been
00:04:41.430
Load full transcript
--> 00:04:44.800
there. I'm Jo, I'm the Business Improvement District
00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:47.519
Manager for Dorking, which is in Surrey, but
00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:50.000
specifically it's on the sort of the edge of
00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:52.959
the Surrey Hills, an area of outstanding natural
00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:55.860
beauty. So, yeah, I think when people think of
00:04:55.860 --> 00:04:58.459
Surrey, they possibly don't always think about
00:04:58.459 --> 00:05:01.300
the fact that it's got this lovely area, which,
00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:04.319
you know, encompasses Box Hill, Leaf Hill, you
00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:07.699
know, several other areas which are just... so
00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:11.420
picturesque and so beautiful and dorking is basically
00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:14.079
a bit of a gateway to that it's a sort of a historical
00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:17.000
market town and you are literally surrounded
00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:18.839
by countryside you can stand in the middle of
00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:21.439
the high street and turn 360 and you will just
00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:25.300
see hills countryside and that filters through
00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:28.480
into the town it's a beautiful town it's got
00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:31.430
a lot of significant architecture there a lot
00:05:31.430 --> 00:05:33.629
of them are listed buildings it's a conservation
00:05:33.629 --> 00:05:36.990
area so it's a really beautiful place to spend
00:05:36.990 --> 00:05:39.490
time both in the town and the surrounding countryside
00:05:39.490 --> 00:05:43.620
as well does that surprise people it does to
00:05:43.620 --> 00:05:45.959
some degree i mean i've lived in and around surrey
00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:49.000
for all of my life really but my husband's from
00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:50.959
yorkshire and we actually got married in dorking
00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:52.860
long before i had the job there we got married
00:05:52.860 --> 00:05:54.660
at the burford bridge hotel which is at the foot
00:05:54.660 --> 00:05:56.740
of box hill and a lot of his family obviously
00:05:56.740 --> 00:05:58.500
were from yorkshire and they came down and they
00:05:58.500 --> 00:06:01.879
just kept saying we did not realise that Surrey
00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:05.160
was so beautiful and that it had all this landscape
00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:08.480
around it. So they were quite taken by it. So
00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:10.040
actually, I think that was quite high praise
00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:13.019
from them as well. So I think it can be surprising.
00:06:13.100 --> 00:06:15.220
And I think also because we're so close to London,
00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:18.199
that can be a surprise that it is so full of
00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:20.839
countryside and beautiful landscapes. But people
00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:23.519
often think, oh, I'll go to London, but that's
00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:25.779
all I need to do. But actually just going half
00:06:25.779 --> 00:06:28.189
an hour out. and you're in a totally different
00:06:28.189 --> 00:06:31.029
landscape and exploring lots of different things
00:06:31.029 --> 00:06:33.189
as well. Could you tell me a little bit about
00:06:33.189 --> 00:06:36.790
the walking festival and some of the history?
00:06:37.230 --> 00:06:39.360
Yeah, so this is the second... Second year that
00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:41.860
we've done it. So last year was our inaugural
00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:45.040
festival. I've only been in this role coming
00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:46.860
up to two months. It'll be two months in September
00:06:46.860 --> 00:06:49.660
that I've done this job. And it was a conversation
00:06:49.660 --> 00:06:53.800
with a lady called Chris Howard, who is the chair
00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:56.459
of Visit Surrey, the tourism organisation for
00:06:56.459 --> 00:06:58.399
Surrey, but also is involved with the Surrey
00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:01.019
Hills Society as well. And she had a chat. She
00:07:01.019 --> 00:07:04.360
said, are you aware that there was almost a dorking
00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:06.779
walking festival? They were sort of planning
00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:09.139
to do it in 2020. And of course, we all know
00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:11.160
what happened then. So I think all the plans
00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:13.339
had been laid down. But then, obviously, because
00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:15.740
of COVID, it never happened. And then, you know,
00:07:15.779 --> 00:07:18.139
various things, change of personnel and just
00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:21.120
life moving on. It didn't happen. And from what
00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:23.259
I've described to you, I thought it was a bit
00:07:23.259 --> 00:07:25.180
criminal that there wasn't a walking festival
00:07:25.180 --> 00:07:27.699
in Dorking because there are. so many opportunities
00:07:27.699 --> 00:07:30.360
to just get out and explore nature there but
00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:32.199
one of the other things because obviously I'm
00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:35.300
very focused on the town centre so the town centre
00:07:35.300 --> 00:07:37.500
is a business improvement district for people
00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:39.620
that may not know what that is that is a designated
00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:42.040
area where businesses have come together and
00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:44.740
decided that they want a voice as one and to
00:07:44.740 --> 00:07:47.600
be able to do a bit more than what they might
00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:50.019
be able to do individually. So they have to vote
00:07:50.019 --> 00:07:52.579
for it every five years because they pay a levy
00:07:52.579 --> 00:07:55.779
to fund the activity. And we do lots of different
00:07:55.779 --> 00:07:58.459
things. So we do do events and campaigns like
00:07:58.459 --> 00:08:01.300
the walking festival and other seasonal events
00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:04.009
like Christmas. We also do a lot of marketing
00:08:04.009 --> 00:08:07.329
around the town. We do a lot of advocacy for
00:08:07.329 -->
00:08:09.490
the businesses with sort of external organisations.
00:08:09.870 --> 00:08:12.129
And we do things around public realm. We've had
00:08:12.129 --> 00:08:14.170
new plants put in. We've just had a grant to
00:08:14.170 --> 00:08:17.230
renovate a garden area in the town as well. But
00:08:17.230 --> 00:08:20.110
our focus is very much on getting people to come
00:08:20.110 --> 00:08:22.430
in and visit our town. So we've devised this
00:08:22.430 --> 00:08:25.689
festival so that all of the walks start. finish
00:08:25.689 --> 00:08:28.589
or pass through the town centre in some way because
00:08:28.589 --> 00:08:30.730
we want to show that it's actually really easy
00:08:30.730 --> 00:08:33.269
to get out and experience nature and experience
00:08:33.269 --> 00:08:35.850
the beautiful countryside from the town centre
00:08:35.850 --> 00:08:38.809
so if you've got an hour at lunch you can actually
00:08:38.809 --> 00:08:41.850
from the town centre get out in some lovely peaceful
00:08:41.850 --> 00:08:44.669
countryside very quickly if you've got longer
00:08:44.669 --> 00:08:47.559
you can explore further But it's also just showing
00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:50.919
people that there's easy ways to connect with
00:08:50.919 --> 00:08:52.940
nature a bit more and enjoy the landscape around
00:08:52.940 --> 00:08:56.299
you. So that's how it sort of came about. Could
00:08:56.299 --> 00:08:59.419
you give me some details on when it is, how long
00:08:59.419 --> 00:09:03.080
it is, some of the walks? Yes, the actual walking
00:09:03.080 --> 00:09:07.419
week itself is running from the 19th of September
00:09:07.419 --> 00:09:10.059
for nine days, basically. It encompasses two
00:09:10.059 --> 00:09:12.889
weekends and then the week in between. And it's
00:09:12.889 --> 00:09:14.889
part of a larger festival that we're running
00:09:14.889 --> 00:09:17.370
called the Good Living Festival. So the Good
00:09:17.370 --> 00:09:19.389
Living Festival is encompassing not just the
00:09:19.389 --> 00:09:21.269
walking week, but we've got a food and drink
00:09:21.269 --> 00:09:23.230
day where we've got a show kitchen and a food
00:09:23.230 --> 00:09:25.549
and drink market. We've got various creative
00:09:25.549 --> 00:09:28.190
well -being and cultural activities going on.
00:09:28.230 --> 00:09:30.110
It's National Heritage Week the week before.
00:09:30.169 --> 00:09:32.210
So there's quite a few events going on with that
00:09:32.210 --> 00:09:34.330
that we're sort of including in this. But the
00:09:34.330 --> 00:09:37.590
walking week is nine days of lots of different
00:09:37.590 --> 00:09:41.330
walks across the town. So we've got over 25 walks.
00:09:41.769 --> 00:09:44.149
and a number of different organisations running
00:09:44.149 --> 00:09:46.450
them. We have the Mole Valley Ramblers. So Dorking
00:09:46.450 --> 00:09:48.490
is part of a district called Mole Valley. There's
00:09:48.490 --> 00:09:51.029
the River Mole that runs through it. So the Mole
00:09:51.029 --> 00:09:53.529
Valley Ramblers are running five hikes during
00:09:53.529 --> 00:09:56.129
the week. The Surrey Hill Society are running
00:09:56.129 --> 00:09:59.029
a walk. The Museum are also doing a couple of
00:09:59.029 --> 00:10:02.090
heritage walks, more around the history of the
00:10:02.090 --> 00:10:05.049
town as well. We have a couple of forest bathing
00:10:05.049 --> 00:10:08.289
tasting sessions as part of it. We have a quiz
00:10:08.289 --> 00:10:11.090
walk. We have a fantastic quiz master in Dorking
00:10:11.090 --> 00:10:13.529
called Simon Edmonds, who does so much for the
00:10:13.529 --> 00:10:15.750
community, organises lots of charity events and
00:10:15.750 --> 00:10:17.750
is involved with lots of charities. And he is
00:10:17.750 --> 00:10:19.990
the quiz master extraordinaire. And he puts together
00:10:19.990 --> 00:10:22.870
a quiz. People meet in the pub, they go off,
00:10:22.889 --> 00:10:24.809
they solve the clues and then they end up back
00:10:24.809 --> 00:10:27.269
at the pub for a well -deserved pint at the end
00:10:27.269 --> 00:10:30.139
of it. The camera club are organising a photography
00:10:30.139 --> 00:10:32.860
walk so it's going around and pointing out things
00:10:32.860 --> 00:10:35.279
that might be of interest and there's a lot of
00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:37.659
stuff when you look up in the town that you might
00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:40.919
not notice when you're just going from appointment
00:10:40.919 --> 00:10:43.720
to appointment in our busy lives and stuff. We
00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:46.200
have the South East Community Rail Partnership
00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:48.840
are doing, we have three stations in Dorking,
00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:51.039
one at one end of town and the other two at the
00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:52.679
other end of town. So they do a walk between
00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:54.659
them and go through a bit of the history of the
00:10:54.659 --> 00:10:57.019
railway in the area as well. Last year, they
00:10:57.019 --> 00:10:59.700
did that as part of the Railway 200 thing, but
00:10:59.700 --> 00:11:01.379
it was really popular. So they're running it
00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:03.500
again. Hello Dorking, which is the organisation
00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:05.759
I represent, along with the Mall Valley Chamber
00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:08.200
of Commerce, we're doing a networking event as
00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:10.360
well, which is designed for business owners.
00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:14.019
to get out and instead of networking, we do a
00:11:14.019 --> 00:11:16.179
walk at the same time. So it's a lovely way to
00:11:16.179 --> 00:11:18.879
sort of catch up. We've also got a family walk
00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:21.179
that is being organised by the nursery. That's
00:11:21.179 --> 00:11:23.059
going to be a little picture trail that they're
00:11:23.059 --> 00:11:26.600
going to put on there. There is also a ladies
00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:29.480
only
walk of an evening, a hike with a group
00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:32.159
called Girls Alive that are very much about getting
00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:35.740
women fit and all the benefits of that. Another
00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:38.759
slightly quirky off -topic one is our local theatre
00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:41.000
dorking halls that also manage an arts centre
00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:43.779
called Pitbrook House are doing two film screenings
00:11:43.779 --> 00:11:46.480
during the week. One is a walk in the wood and
00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:48.980
the other is a pilgrim's way. So they do those
00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:51.940
as a sort of a slightly different way, but a
00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:53.860
way of them getting involved. And what we try
00:11:53.860 --> 00:11:56.379
and encourage is people to get involved in whatever
00:11:56.379 --> 00:12:00.509
way they can. couple of walks that are very accessible.
00:12:00.690 --> 00:12:03.450
The Surrey Coalition for Disabled People are
00:12:03.450 --> 00:12:06.169
running a walk that is accessible with anybody
00:12:06.169 --> 00:12:09.590
on wheels basically. So there is really, and
00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:12.129
I know this is overused this phrase, there is
00:12:12.129 --> 00:12:14.549
something for everyone on this walking week.
00:12:14.750 --> 00:12:16.889
We're very keen that everybody feels there is
00:12:16.889 --> 00:12:19.450
some way they can access. There's easy walks,
00:12:19.570 --> 00:12:22.330
there's a harder walk that is a leatherhead to
00:12:22.330 --> 00:12:25.029
dorking walk which I think is about 10 miles.
00:12:25.419 --> 00:12:27.480
maybe wrong on that maybe longer than that but
00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:29.019
it's you know that's a hefty walk but there are
00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:31.379
ones that are just gentle strolls as well and
00:12:31.379 --> 00:12:35.279
everything in between so um lots to explore do
00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:38.019
people have to book for these or is it just turn
00:12:38.019 --> 00:12:41.799
up it does vary some do need you to book others
00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:44.080
you can just turn up the majority of the walks
00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:46.460
are free a couple of them are just a small charge
00:12:46.460 --> 00:12:49.639
for the walk but it's all on our website so we
00:12:49.639 --> 00:12:52.240
have a dedicated section to the walking week
00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:55.039
on hallowedalking .com and there's a banner on
00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:56.600
our home page you just click through then you'll
00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:58.740
find all of the walks and it says on there it
00:12:58.740 --> 00:13:00.860
gives you the level of the walk it tells you
00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:02.679
the meeting point and whether you need to book
00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:04.639
or not and then you know how to book if you if
00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:07.379
you do need to book on so yeah is there a limit
00:13:07.379 --> 00:13:09.759
to the number of people on any of them some of
00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:11.580
them there are that tends to be the ones where
00:13:11.580 --> 00:13:14.259
they've asked people to book but most of them
00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:16.279
you know it's a decent number on a lot of them
00:13:16.279 --> 00:13:18.240
and i know the quiz walk i think had about 50
00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:21.860
people take part last year so Yeah, it really
00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:24.039
does vary. So it's best to look at the website
00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:26.179
and then see what it is. And, you know, if it
00:13:26.179 --> 00:13:28.559
is nearly booking, you know, get booked in early
00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:30.720
so that you don't miss out. But yeah, there's
00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:33.720
such a variety on there that you really will
00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:36.080
find something that will suit your needs on there
00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:39.360
as well. What about dogs? Are they welcome on
00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:42.830
some or all? Yeah, and a lot of them they are.
00:13:42.889 --> 00:13:44.990
And again, on the on the web page, there is a
00:13:44.990 --> 00:13:47.110
dogs allowed bit and it will say yes or no. But
00:13:47.110 --> 00:13:49.409
actually, the majority of the walks do accept
00:13:49.409 --> 00:13:52.269
dogs on them. So, yeah, you can bring your pooch
00:13:52.269 --> 00:13:54.889
along. And obviously, there are a lot of dog
00:13:54.889 --> 00:13:57.250
owners. It's a great place to own a dog because
00:13:57.250 --> 00:14:00.149
you can be out in the countryside very quickly.
00:14:00.230 --> 00:14:02.590
And actually, Dorking has its own paw wash as
00:14:02.590 --> 00:14:04.950
well. But it is a little area where you can pop
00:14:04.950 --> 00:14:07.389
your dog in and clean them up before you go home
00:14:07.389 --> 00:14:10.179
and stuff. So, yeah, well catered. for dogs in
00:14:10.179 --> 00:14:14.340
Dorking. Do you anticipate getting people from
00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:18.000
the home counties or is it more local? Yeah,
00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:19.940
it was a mix. of both last year i mean i think
00:14:19.940 --> 00:14:21.340
with all of these things you're always going
00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:24.019
to have more of your locals taking part but we
00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:26.799
did have people that were coming from north london
00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:30.600
and further afield to join in so i think the
00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:32.740
great thing about dorking and with any of these
00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:35.360
walks if you come and do say a walk in the morning
00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:37.600
or you're doing one later in the day there are
00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:40.139
plenty of independent businesses to explore in
00:14:40.139 --> 00:14:42.320
dorking as well there's we've got a very high
00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:44.679
proportion of independent shops which is quite
00:14:44.679 --> 00:14:48.259
unusual and they're always worth a moot We have
00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:51.539
a historic antiques quarter in Dorking as well.
00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:54.960
And again, you can lose hours exploring those
00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:57.840
shops and come away with some treasures. We have
00:14:57.840 --> 00:14:59.980
a number of pubs. We're also running a grape
00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:02.799
and grain trail during the two weeks. So you
00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:05.460
can collect stamps to be entered into a prize
00:15:05.460 --> 00:15:08.100
draw for some local food and drink campers and
00:15:08.100 --> 00:15:10.399
lovely cafes and restaurants as well. So you
00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:13.100
can make a day of it or even a few days, you
00:15:13.100 --> 00:15:14.779
know, if you're into your walking and you think,
00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:16.620
well, actually, there's a few walks there. We
00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:18.639
have the lovely Whitehorse Hotel right in the
00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:20.480
centre of the town, which is a great place to
00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:22.940
stay as well. So you could make this into a lovely
00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:25.820
short break. in autumn once the schools have
00:15:25.820 --> 00:15:29.000
gone back and really enjoy the surroundings of
00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:32.200
dorking and the surrey hills and of course it's
00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:35.120
very easy to get to you've got three train stations
00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:37.639
as you mentioned There's a good line that goes
00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:39.919
in and out from London, so that's very easy.
00:15:40.059 --> 00:15:43.259
But we're also on the Reading to Gatwick line
00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:46.139
as well, which comes through Guildford and Redhill
00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:49.240
as well. So it is quite easy to get here by public
00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:51.679
transport. As I say, there's three stations to
00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:54.139
choose from. But also, you know, we're very close
00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:58.179
to the M25, the A25 and the A24, sort of cross
00:15:58.179 --> 00:16:00.860
-section at Dorking as well. So it is very accessible
00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:04.700
from all over the South East and beyond. What
00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:08.019
are some of your favourite? places in the area
00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:11.519
to go walking well obviously box hill is the
00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:14.879
famous one and you can't beat the views up there
00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:17.779
but actually one of the networking we've done
00:16:17.779 --> 00:16:21.440
two networking events so far and both of those
00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:24.539
went sort of to areas that are perhaps not as
00:16:24.539 --> 00:16:26.879
well known we went across the stepping stones
00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:29.019
which are at the bottom of box hill at one of
00:16:29.019 --> 00:16:30.879
them and and actually that was a lovely walk
00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:33.220
and again lots of people on the walk who live
00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:36.559
and work in the area It's always great when you
00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:39.039
hear people say, well, I never knew this was
00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:42.019
here. And now I do. I'll come back and explore.
00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:44.950
So, you know, that is always great. you know
00:16:44.950 --> 00:16:46.850
box hill is obviously a draw and is obviously
00:16:46.850 --> 00:16:49.090
spectacular but actually there's lots of other
00:16:49.090 --> 00:16:51.789
smaller areas and we do have a park right in
00:16:51.789 --> 00:16:53.629
the center of town called meadow bank which is
00:16:53.629 --> 00:16:56.409
beautiful it's just a new bandstand put in so
00:16:56.409 --> 00:16:58.750
that's a really lovely haven and there's also
00:16:58.750 --> 00:17:01.029
just an area just behind the high street which
00:17:01.029 --> 00:17:03.210
is a residential area and it's called cotman
00:17:03.210 --> 00:17:06.970
dean which is just a lovely green space and if
00:17:06.970 --> 00:17:09.279
you go up there You can get the views across
00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:11.660
the Surrey Hills, but also Dorking has a famous
00:17:11.660 --> 00:17:13.779
church, St Martin's Church, which has an extremely
00:17:13.779 --> 00:17:16.880
tall spire and you get a fantastic view of there.
00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:18.740
So it's a great place to take a picnic up as
00:17:18.740 --> 00:17:20.920
well and just have a wander up there as well.
00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:23.940
So, yeah, lots of hidden gems and also some of
00:17:23.940 --> 00:17:27.400
the more famous spots as well. What was the reason
00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:30.279
for doing the festival in September? Because
00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:33.039
I know a lot of them are in the spring. I think
00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:35.420
it was more timing last year in that we wanted
00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:37.480
to do something last year, but because I was
00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:40.119
new in role, it was a little bit too early to
00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:41.940
get it done for the spring. But also I think
00:17:41.940 --> 00:17:43.980
it's about spreading things out quite often.
00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:46.319
If everything is at the same time, then nobody
00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:48.759
really benefits. It just sort of reduces who's
00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:51.579
taking part. And actually that time of year is
00:17:51.579 --> 00:17:54.119
often a lovely time to get out and explore. It's
00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:55.839
a little bit. Cooler. I mean, in the southeast
00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:58.380
at the moment, we're experiencing an unbelievable
00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:00.980
summer of hot temperatures. And it's probably
00:18:00.980 --> 00:18:04.180
been like this since early May. Heat wave after
00:18:04.180 --> 00:18:06.460
heat wave. So, you know, September can be a little
00:18:06.460 --> 00:18:08.680
bit cooler. You're starting just to see those
00:18:08.680 --> 00:18:11.180
changes in the seasons. You know, it's lovely
00:18:11.180 --> 00:18:13.839
to be able to witness that as well. Normally,
00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:16.819
it's a pretty decent month for
weather. Schools
00:18:16.819 --> 00:18:19.299
have gone back. It may be a bit quieter. So,
00:18:19.380 --> 00:18:21.940
yeah, we feel it works quite well at that time
00:18:21.940 --> 00:18:24.420
of the year and complements perhaps the other
00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:26.700
offerings that are happening earlier in the year
00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:29.460
in the area as well. There are so many in the
00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:32.940
spring that you're competing against 10 different
00:18:32.940 --> 00:18:35.660
festivals every weekend. Yeah, I mean, I think
00:18:35.660 --> 00:18:37.579
whatever time of the year, I mean, obviously
00:18:37.579 --> 00:18:40.420
in the UK, well, we're never guaranteed the weather,
00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:42.359
but we stand a better chance in sort of like
00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:45.240
May to September of getting some decent days.
00:18:45.829 --> 00:18:48.150
But, yeah, you know, you're always going to find
00:18:48.150 --> 00:18:49.890
that there's something else going on. And that's
00:18:49.890 --> 00:18:51.750
another great thing, I think, about Surrey is
00:18:51.750 --> 00:18:54.549
there is always stuff going on. And we do a weekly
00:18:54.549 --> 00:18:57.930
what's on each weekend for dorking. And it always
00:18:57.930 --> 00:19:00.970
amazes me just how much is going on in your local
00:19:00.970 --> 00:19:03.529
areas. So it's always what I say to people is
00:19:03.529 --> 00:19:06.390
always just have a look because you'll be you'll
00:19:06.390 --> 00:19:08.910
be surprised exactly what goes on locally and
00:19:08.910 --> 00:19:10.910
seek these things out and support them, because
00:19:10.910 --> 00:19:13.750
that's what keeps our areas vibrant and people
00:19:13.750 --> 00:19:15.910
still wanting to come to them. All right. Is
00:19:15.910 --> 00:19:17.210
there anything else that you wanted to mention
00:19:17.210 --> 00:19:20.029
that we hadn't talked about? Just that we're
00:19:20.029 --> 00:19:22.410
really looking forward to the walking week again.
00:19:22.470 --> 00:19:25.069
It was really well received last year. We're
00:19:25.069 --> 00:19:27.230
really pleased to be running it again. And we're
00:19:27.230 --> 00:19:28.789
really pleased that it's part of something a
00:19:28.789 --> 00:19:30.630
bit bigger. So, you know, when you come for the
00:19:30.630 --> 00:19:32.410
walks, you'll find that there's other stuff going
00:19:32.410 --> 00:19:35.130
on. We've got over the two weeks of the Good
00:19:35.130 --> 00:19:38.029
Living Festival, there's over 75 events and offers
00:19:38.029 --> 00:19:41.450
taking place in the town. So if you come to do
00:19:41.450 --> 00:19:43.480
a walk. do have a little look you might be able
00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:45.480
to find that there's a food and drink offer for
00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:48.279
you afterwards or you can go and visit the pubs
00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:50.279
on the grape and grain trail but you know it
00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:52.460
is the sort of thing that you can come just for
00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:55.039
one event or you could come and stay for several
00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:57.279
days and take part in a lot of things and um
00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:00.220
yeah i think it just highlights exactly what
00:20:00.220 --> 00:20:02.680
a lovely area is and how much is going on there
00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:14.960
as well I have actually been to Dorking. I worked
00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:18.000
in Crawley for a few years after returning to
00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:21.000
the UK, and one of my colleagues there was from
00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:23.859
Dorking, and she kept telling me that I had to
00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:27.819
walk Box Hill, and so eventually I did. Wow,
00:20:28.019 --> 00:20:30.960
it's a beautiful walk and stunning views from
00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:33.640
the top, and it's about an hour more or less
00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:36.160
from London, Victoria, and I guess that depends
00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:39.039
on whether you get a train that stops everywhere
00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:42.920
or not. But Dorking and that part of Surrey is
00:20:42.920 --> 00:20:46.099
definitely beautiful. I had no idea before I
00:20:46.099 --> 00:20:48.640
went there. I did know it from a 10cc song though,
00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:52.480
from Rochdale to Ocho Rios. And if you didn't
00:20:52.480 --> 00:20:55.880
know, Ocho Rios is in Jamaica. Not a bad song
00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:58.839
either. Anyway, I'm digressing. I'm sure the
00:20:58.839 --> 00:21:01.680
walking festival in Dorking will be another big
00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:05.240
success, as it was last year. And so that's it
00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:07.359
for this week's podcast. If you do have news
00:21:07.359 --> 00:21:10.700
or suggestions for podcast guests, please do
00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:13.920
get in touch through Jim at walkingpost .com.
00:21:14.180 --> 00:21:16.640
We're always looking for guests, whether it's
00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:19.700
about a new trail, a new book, a walking festival,
00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:23.500
or someone who's done an amazing, unusual, or
00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:26.980
interesting walk somewhere. So I hope you enjoyed
00:21:26.980 --> 00:21:30.000
this week's walkingpost .com podcast, and I hope
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:32.640
you have a great week ahead, hopefully with a
00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:35.819
walk somewhere. whether it's in foxhill oxhill
00:21:35.819 --> 00:21:39.880
or indeed box hill until next time happy trails
00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:49.000
walking post from walkingpost .com is an air
00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:50.640
coastal media limited production