After the second world war, Surrey was one of the poorest counties in the UK. Much of the soil was considered to poor to farm. Great swathes were left and became forest and down-lands. There are the remains of abandoned villages in places where a two bed cottage will
sell for millions. Everything changed with the growth of London, the M25 orbital motorway. Surrey is now probably one of the most expensive counties in the UK. Houses with big gardens get bulldozed and replaced with half a dozen houses all crammed in. I worked there in the early 90’s and eventually bought a tiny house in Leatherhead when it had just been voted one of the worst towns in Britain, so it was slightly cheaper than where we living in London. It got us on the property ladder and we managed to upgrade to something we couldn’t afford. We left Surrey and the UK nearly ten years ago, selling everything and still with a massive burden of debt.
I don’t want to be gloomy! It is a beautiful place as much of the forest and downs have been preserved. It has areas which are wild and close to London. Much of the land was protected by Greenbelt - a policy to stop the expansion of London. I don’t know how strong that legislation is but it continues to be eroded and threatened. I had many friends from SA though, who worked in IT sending money home with the awesome exchange rate at the time.
I worked for the National Trust as a
volunteer for many years on land restoration. This might be a good road in. The wardens know a great deal and have connections with the farming community.
There are vineyards on the downs which now produce some exceptional wines. The climate is now more conducive to growing and producing ‘champagne’ than Champagne in France thanks to climate change. The French and other wine lovers have been buying up downland farms. You may be able to get viniculture work but the agricultural down-lands are probably too valuable to rent or sell. However, if there’s land that’s been bought as a hedge against the demise of Champagne then they might be available.
Another option is farmers markets and farm shops - there are lots dotted all over the county. Speak to them.
Guildford has an annual county fair which is more of a carnival / circus than other counties, however, last time I went, fifteen yers ago, there were still some old farmers turning up.
Zoopla is the default property searching website and app. This will at least give you an idea of prices to buy / rent and which parts of the region are a little less expensive.
Have you thought about getting some
PEP badges under your belt giving yourself additional credibility?
I wish you luck - I have many happy memories of my time in Surrey.
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