
Discover more at Swan Barn Farm
Find out how to get to Swan Barn Farm, where to park, the things to see and do and more.
At Swan Barn Farm, on the Surrey-Sussex border, the changing landscape throughout the seasons provides much to see and do, ensuring that one visit is never quite enough. Throughout the year different flora and fauna comes into life, animals can be spotted, and food can be foraged. All of this can be enjoyed from numerous dog-friendly walking trails.
You're welcome to stroll across the footpaths, recharging your batteries in the fresh air. You could even have a picnic if the weather is on your side.
The working pastures at Swan Barn Farm are grazed and cut for hay, which increases their biodiversity, and so there are many wild flowers, flora and fauna to be found.
In summer, the sweet scent of dog rose fills the air as it winds through the hedges. In winter, why not enjoy winter walks made firm of foot under the bright night frosts?
The Serpent Trail is a 64-mile walking trail designed to showcase some of the finest views and countryside in the area, which starts here.
The woodlands at Swan Barn Farm are characterised by mature oak with different aged copes of sweet chestnut and hazel.
Autumn is a particularly fruitful season to explore this habitat, as the trees all put on their mantels and light up the paths in a crackling auburn glow.
Towards winter, traditional coppicing starts in the woodlands, with fogged breath, the sound of the saw and the crack of a fire all drifting on the still crisp air.
The chestnut and hazel coppices are cut on rotation, producing fencing and buildings materials used throughout the estate.
With the land perched so close to Haslemere high street, these woodlands are also a retreat for wildlife. They're rich with birds, moths and mammals, including an array of specialist species such as dormice and nightingales.
You're very welcome to walk your dog at Swan Barn Farm, and there are lots of footpaths for you and your furry friend to explore. You can enjoy a walk in the woodland and pasture at any time of year.
We’ve worked with our partner Forthglade to come up with this Canine Code, which helps to make sure everyone can enjoy their day:
Take a walk through the orchards, one of which is over 100 years old. The team have been restoring it over many years, including planting traditional varieties of fruit.
The newer orchard was planted in 2010 and has a mix of old and new varieties. As tempting as it may be, please resist trying an apple in this orchard as our trees are young and still growing.
We have over 35 varieties of apples in total. Team favourites include Court Pendu Plat, Cornish Gilliflower (an old Truro native), Newton cooking apples – named after the mathematician himself – and Tom Putt for cider making.
In autumn, watch out for small mammals hiding their ripe autumn bounty to tide them over the cold winter months.
No matter the time of year there’s always something to forage from Swan Barn Farm.
Early on you’ll find nettle tips for tasty soups and beer, before succulent blackberries and crisp apples ripen in late summer, providing a seasonal treat for nocturnal badgers and tipsy red admiral butterflies that gorge on fallen fruit.
The autumn months see a bounty of hazelnuts, chestnuts and a host of fungi, while even the winter yields sloes for a warming tot of sloe gin.
A hungry herd of Belted Galloways cattle graze the fields to ensure the pastures stay rich in flowers.
Jacob sheep are a traditional, old-fashioned, hardy breed and manage the grassland in the orchard. Their fleeces are valued for spinning due to the natural colour variation and high quality of their wool.
In the spring, lambs can often be seen out enjoying the morning sun.
There are also Buff and Light Sussex hens including a cockerel named Cornelius. They lay eggs for the volunteers and mainly munch on new grass and even the odd slug in the orchard.
Swan Valley Farm’s friendly native bees are kept in traditional hives in the orchard, and help to pollinate the fruit trees and wild flowers. By keeping them here we hope to encourage others to try their hand at beekeeping.
Look out for birds while visiting Swan Barn Farm. In spring, the dawn chorus of a chiffchaff, rich blackbird and strident great tit all puncture the air on still mornings. Then, as summer beckons the insistent questioning call of the stock dove drifts down from the trees.
In winter, the team will start checking for brown hairstreak butterfly eggs, searching in the nooks and crannies of the bare hedgerow twigs.
As spring comes around, watch out for orange-tip butterflies around the delicate pink of the lady's smock flowers.
In the summer, the pastures buzz with insects like the fast-flying golden-ringed dragonfly, the second largest to the emperor dragonfly.
Below the cool green dappled canopy and along the winding stream you’ll see them hawking up and down the river in search of food.
Find out how to get to Swan Barn Farm, where to park, the things to see and do and more.
Surrey Hills is a one pawprint rated place. With a wide variety of paths and open spaces, the Surrey Hills are an ideal place to bring your dog for a walk. Here’s what to keep in mind to keep your dog and others safe.
Find out how and why we have been coppicing woodland at Witley Copse, and more about the practice itself, in particular the benefits it holds for both plants and wildlife.
Plan a visit to one of the special countryside places in our care and discover the benefits of being in the great outdoors. Pack your walking boots and get ready to explore woodlands, valleys and rivers.
Explore the wide array of countryside settings around Surrey, from tranquil waterways to landscaped parkland, and plenty of hills to climb.
Explore some of the finest landscapes in our care on coastal paths, accessible trails, woodland walks and everything in between. Find the best places to walk near you.