Bestselling author Adele Parks experiences a bumpy ride when she takes her family for an alternative 4x4 off road tour of the Surrey Hills

Originally published in Surrey Life magazine September 2017

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The question ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ became totally redundant on our latest adventure, where the journeying continued throughout the outing, indeed getting there (and back) was the adventure.

How can I describe what we did? Basically, have you ever considered dashing over the Surrey Hills and squeezing down the green lanes in a customised 4x4? No? Well, do so, because it’s fun; a sort of Surrey safari. Perfect for adrenalin junkies (Husband, Son and his friend) or those who are too lazy to hike over our beautiful Surrey Hills (me).

Surrey 4x4 Tours vehicles are fitted out with buckets seats in the rear and safety harnesses. I will indulge the petrol heads among my avid readers and tell you that there is a Land Rover 110 Defender Soft top called ‘Borris’ and a Land Rover 90 Defender Soft top called ‘Tonka’. I’ve a leaning towards people who name their cars, like dog-lovers, they tend to be friendly sorts. And guess what? ‘Borris’ has fixing points for dog leashes, in case you have a speed-monster dog that wants to come along for the ride.

We kicked off in Farnham with the safety briefing and liability waivers; partially scary and partially exciting. I mean, no one makes me sign waivers to unstack the dishwasher or run the hover around the house, do they? We climbed aboard the 4X4 and sped away. It’s great being in a 4x4, a bit like I imagine it would be to travel in the Popemobile (but faster); people waved and smiled, and we duly did the same in return.

Sightseeing

The journey was clearly planned so it started steady and increased in intensity. I swiftly went from thinking, ‘Oh, this is jolly’ to comparing it a fast-paced thrill-ride that you’d expect in an Indiana Jones theme park. As it happens, I like theme park rides so I was happy with that, although on more than one occasion I looked behind to see if we were being chased by a rolling boulder.

Each Surrey 4x4 trip is customized and can include a huge array of exciting activities, such as clay pigeon shooting, horse riding, mountain biking, cray fishing, foraging or even a brewery tour. Ours was more of a scenic trip. The thrill of green laneing in a 4x4 being plenty! We took in Waverley Abbey ruins and Waverley Abbey House. There we enjoyed a short walk, a brief history lesson and we spotted an adder. You may know that Indiana Jones does not like snakes, nor do I.

We sped past Bourne Wood, stopped for coffee and biscuits at Frensham Little Pond, then back on board, stopping for a delicious barbequed lunch while overlooking the Devil’s Punch Bowl.

We were served locally-sourced premium sausages in rolls and my veggie requirements were amply catered for, with mushroom and spinach burgers - as was my passion for prosecco. Wonderful! An added bonus, the thrilling drive was vigorous enough to register steps on my Fitbit. Oh, what a perfect day!

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Are We Nearly There Yet?

Author Adele Parks explores The Sculpture Park in Churt

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Bargain hunting at Sunbury Antiques Market with author Adele Parks

Author Adele Parks visits Bocketts Farm in Leatherhead