Julie, Sally, and Val

They are not alone. Recently the Dorking and Horley constituency was ranked as the third best place in Britain to retire, topping the charts for Surrey. The area impressed judges across six categories, impressing with how healthy its residents were and how engaging the community is.

But what do those on the ground think? Sally, Val and Julie, three sisters, told SurreyLive that they loved the town. “We feel very safe. We’ve got very good access to public transport. We can get to Guildford and Crawley station. We’ve got a beautiful theatre and leisure centre.” said the trio.

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Dorking Halls is one of the cultural highlights of the area. The art deco building was built in 1931 to host community events. It is the site of comedy shows, live music and screenings of all the most recent films. Recently it was named the best Arts, Culture & Theatre venue in Surrey.

Dorking Halls

Sally and Val both live locally and were really impressed with Dorking: “With restaurants, pubs there is a lot going on. There’s a restaurant with an Elvis tribute and that’s brilliant .”

Dorking is known for its food scene. For fine dining there is Sorrel, a Michelin star restaurant housed in an old school building, but there are also plenty of other places to stop off. HolmeStores is a highly regarded café, and Swirl Wine bar also has plenty of admirers.

What is odd, is that the amenities category (which theatres and cafes would fall under) was the area in which Dorking scored the lowest on the best place to retire list. In that category, Dorking scored half as many points as it did when judges looked at the community in the area.

Michael from The Cindy Edward’s Fabric Shop

The importance of community was evident when Michael spoke to SurreyLive. Alongside his wife Julia he runs The Cindy Edward’s Fabric Shop on West Street. He speaks fondly of the other shop owners on the street, and the retail community they have built.

However, for Michael it was Dorking’s beautiful surroundings that made the town so perfect. He said: “It is surrounded by the most unbelievable countryside . It's hard to believe that we are only 12 miles from London as the crow flies. People come here to walk. The vineyard has had a pull on people. It's like being in France on a sunny day.”

The vineyard in question is Denbies Wine Estate, one of the largest wine producers in the UK. It has a tripadvisor travellers choice award and is popular for its drinks tastings and gorgeous scenery.

Dorking river path

There were some parts of Dorking that residents thought could be better. Teresa said she wished more was going on. She said: “ I feel a bit sorry for younger people as I don’t know where they get their fun from. When we were younger in the 60s Mike Jagger would be walking around, and you just went into these clubs, and it was brilliant music.”

But even with these suggestions Teresa still had a lot of positives to say about the town, describing it as the type of place “where people smile.”

While Dorking was ranked the best place in Surrey to retire, it has stiff competition. The county dominated the rankings with four other constituencies in the top ten , and another two in the top twenty.

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