i8o THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER 



Reigate and its neighbour Redhill are, nowadays, 

 practically the head-quarters of hunting in Surrey. 

 Both the Surrey packs, the best of the Burstow country, 

 and much of the country hunted over by the Surrey stag- 

 hounds are within reach of the town, and hunting men 

 by the score have taken up their quarters in and about 

 what is really one of the pleasantest and best situated of 

 small southern towns. Many hunting men from all 

 parts of the kingdom have lately come to know Reigate 

 on account of its most successful and well-managed 

 hound show, but they only visit the place towards the 

 end of May, and can have little idea how different the 

 country looks during the winter months. 



To explain what we mean v/e may mention that the 

 plain on the southern side of Reigate, of which the larger 

 part is Burstow, while the Old Surrey has the northern 

 strip and the Surrey Union the western portion, is for 

 the most part grass, with fair jumpable fences, and a 

 good deal of water. The coverts are not large until the 

 next line of hills, ten miles away, is reached, and 

 there are no towns or villages of any size except 

 Horley. It is, in fact, a really capital piece of hunting 

 country, which lies in a sort of basin of the Surrey 

 Hills, and to give some idea of its flatness it may be 

 mentioned that the main road to Brighton intersects it, 

 between Reigate or Redhill and Crawley in Sussex. 

 How good a galloping country this is the famous Lons- 

 dale-Shrewsbury driving match testifies, for five miles 

 of the road between the two towns just named was 

 chosen for the performance, and as every one knows 

 Lord Lonsdale drove his horses twenty miles within 

 the hour, yoked in four different styles, over the 

 ground. 



But the country is pretty from a picturesque point 



