Dorking ...

Sounds like a dubious activity to me - but it turns out to be a quirky little town just a little beyond the M25. Driving in, you navigate a roundabout with the statue of a much larger than life-sized hen. Apparently the Dorking is a superior class of poultry. 

We didn't see any live examples, but we did find a vineyard, large and busy. This year's crop have been harvested, of course, but we enjoyed wandering around, admiring the autumn trees on Box Hill which lies just beyond the perimeter.

We didn't sample any, but did buy quite a lot. We've had it before and know it will be good. But TM says we have to save it for C******** :-(

After that we wandered round the little streets. There are many old buildings, very quaint, and almost as many 'antique' shops. We browsed but did not buy. 

Down one alley we happened on the local museum, which was just about to reopen after suffering a nasty fire a while ago. They were waiting for the Fire Brigade to turn up as guests of honour. But the public were already in and admiring the new layout. It was rather lovely - and all run by volunteers. Well done, Dorking.