One of the very best ways to see our county in all of its glory is via the numerous brilliant bus routes that can take you to just about every corner of Surrey. If you're on the hunt for a particularly scenic bus ride, then there's one route beginning in London that might just be exactly what you're after.
With over 8,600 London buses covering a whopping 700 different routes across greater London, they are also a fantastic way to see the countryside surrounding the city. Several routes travel through the gorgeous scenery of Surrey and, with return tickets costing just £3.50, they truly offer a lot of bang for your buck.
One such stunning route begins in South London, with the 405 bus route from Park Street in Croydon to our very own Redhill. It winds its way out of London and through the countryside passing by a stunning National Trust site, with incredible views, MyLondon reports.
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The route will cost you just the standard £1.75 to take you all the way from London to Surrey, with some gorgeous vistas as you make your way down country roads surrounded by greenery. Running parallel to the London to Brighton railway line, the 405 provides the north-to-south bus service through Coulsdon and the only bus service to the Surrey village of Hooley.
Perhaps the most interesting landmark on the way down to Redhill though are the National Trust park and gardens of Gatton Park, a historic 260-acre estate designed by the famous Edwardian landscaper Lancelot 'Capability' Brown.
You can visit by stopping off the 405 at Rocky Lane, and making your way into the parkland from the eastern side. Blessed with its own lake and some stunning ponds, the gardens at Gatton Park are open to visitors on the first Sunday of each month from 12-5pm February to October and you can explore the wider woodland and parkland at any time.
For £6 on one of the Garden Open Days you’ll be able to visit the restored Japanese Garden with its thatched tea house, the Rock and Water Garden, The Parterre, the Walled Garden and Orchard, the Pleasure Garden and Old World Garden and the Millennium Stones.
It also links up with the beautiful Reigate Hill, which has amazing views of the countryside, a tea shop at the top of the hill, and a stunning walk to the spectacular Inglis Memorial. There's even Reigate Fort to explore - a ruined fort built in the late 1800s with iron gates and stone walls perfect for history buffs to wander around. Find out more info here.
You'll also have no trouble getting the bus again as soon as you're done, with four an hour running along the 405 route so you can head back into London or continue on your way down to Redhill, enjoying the scenery as you do. Not bad for a day out on the buses!
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