If you fancy a family day out with a new wildlife adventure in the heart of the Surrey Hills - look no further. A free family friendly wildlife trail is open at Albury Vineyard for the school holidays
This July and August, Albury Organic Vineyard, based in Silent Pool, is calling all nature explorers to visit their wildlife trail. Families are invited to take part with a self-guided wildlife walk through the vines. The trail takes around 1 hour to enjoy the self-guided wildlife walk and extra time for food and drinks back at the tasting room or on the patio.
The scenic walk features bat and barn owl boxes, bug hotels, bee hives, butterfly scrapes, an insect highway, wildflower meadows to attract pollinators, compost pits, a pond, and a huge bench shaped as a cow horn. The scenic walk should take around an hour with activity sheets available for the children, visiting stops along the way.
Entry to the wildlife walk is free although there is a suggested donation of £10 to the Surrey Wildlife Trust who helped us create this experience.
Alternatively, you can book a guided tour named 'Wildlife Walk and Wine' - Tickets are £25 and Children are welcome and don't need a ticket but must be accompanied by an adult. This experience includes a guided wildlife walk with Estate manager Alex Valsecchi followed by a glass of Albury Estate sparkling wine.
Albury Organic Vineyard was planted by owner Nick Wenman in 2009 after having worked in the IT industry for 30 years. Nick states: “Ever since I was old enough to drink wine I have always dreamt of owning a vineyard. It’s taken me more than 40 years to get there but I’m lucky enough to have fulfilled my dream.”
Specialising in sparkling wines, the vines you’ll be walking amongst are the traditional Champagne varietals of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Menier as well as some Seyval and Pinot Gris. The vineyard is committed to producing organic fruit without the use of chemicals to produce wines of the highest quality.
Although vineyards are typically viewed as more of an adult environment, Albury works to put on events for all ages with a family musical adventure taking place on August 4 alongside the wildlife walk which is running all summer on Saturdays and Sundays during opening hours.
For butterfly lovers, the wildlife trail is the perfect opportunity to take part in the Big Butterfly Count 2024. The vineyard is home to lots of butterfly species including the rare Small Blue which they have a habitat for.
Post -walk, food and drink are served in the Vineyard’s tasting room with popular cheese and charcuterie boards available alongside wine flights and soft drinks.
Based in Silent Pool, a 10 minute drive from Guildford, Albury Vineyard neighbours Silent Pool Gin Distillery and Mandira’'s Kitchen, offering an abundance of tastings, delicious Indian cuisine and more. A lovely spot to check out with the family during the school holidays.
Plan your trip
- Opening hours - Saturday: 11 am - 5 p, Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm, But closed Monday to Friday
- Address: Vineyard Silent Pool, Albury, Shere Rd, Albury, Guildford GU5 9BW
Albury also recommends booking in advance so they know how many explorers to expect. More information can be found here .
The experience lasts around 2 hours and involves a walk over slightly uneven and hilly ground so is not recommended for those unsteady on their feet.
Dogs must be on leads.
There are no toilet facilities on the wildlife walk itself - toilets are in the vineyard tasting room which is a 5 minute walk from the entrance to the wildlife walk.
Parking is available in the vineyard car park directly outside the shop/tasting room, and overflow parking will be signposted
Fore more news across Surrey visit our homepage here.
