Hi

I have recently moved to elstead (near churt/frensham/thursley).

I am desperate to find some good trails, but every time I head out and I start to expose a good looking trail – I quickly end up in a bog or swimming in sand. I have head North/South East and West, but to no avail.

From reading forums, it looks like there are good trails around puttenham, and south toward gibbets hill/crooksbury/devils punchbowl. I just keep getting lost.

Question: Does anyone ride this way ? Are there any clubs or groups I could join or tag along with ?
Failing that … does anyone have and .gpx routes I could follow ?

Desperate to ride some trails.

Hope you can help.
thanks
Matt

I’m from a bit further south but ride up round your way from Milford on a thursday night, VCGH are based around you too who do both road and offroad rides. Theres a group that head out from Haslemere way too for night and weekend rides. Drop me an email and I’ll give you some contacts and pointers on whats about or join us on a thursday one week.

Matt – what type of riding do you like? You are in the middle of perfect XC riding country but the “fun stuff” tends to be too short and relatively hidden. You have obviously learned already that the centre of Thursley and to a lesser extent Hankley Common are wet and sandy – but there are still good routes across both.

As a starter try

http://www.vcgh.co.uk/mtb/routes

for basic XC route advice. Once you describe your likes, I will drop some hints on the other stuff while respecting the “shhh-dont paste on the web” traditions of STW.

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the replies, appreciate it.

I ride single track (or at-least like to).
I used to ride over Leith Hill, but really want something abit closer to home. Odd trip away to afan etc etc. I ride an Anthem X2 short travel F/S.

Really desperate to find some trails around here. Thanks for the links. nice one.

Look forward to the hints. and yes … mum’s the word

Thanks
Matt

I used to live in Shackleford, and despite moving to the centre of the Surrey Hills, I miss the riding, esp at this time of year as the sandy nature drains better.
There is some really good stuff on Puttenham Common – enough to play around on for an hour or so, and used to be our regular night ride. It takes a while to work out the best trails. Dedicate an afternoon to exploring every little dead-end animal track, but be prepared to get frustrated. The upside is you’ll work out a great loop with some really sweet sections of singletrack every bit the equal of Surrey Hills, just a bit shorter. I used to run a few times around there and used this to explore new trails.

You’re right in the middle of trails 🙂

Lots of stuff around the Devil’s Punchbowl which is a short ride from Elstead.

Also, Puttenham Common as mentioned above and Ash Ranges/Tunnel Hill on t’other side of the Hogs Back.

All my local stomping ground 🙂

I normally ride Tuesday nights from slightly more Farnham/Alton direction. But often start at lower Bourne. Could export a few GPX files of some rides that way, drop me an email if you want them or fancy a Tuesday night ride.
Rode around Bourne, Tilford, Frensham last night, it was cold.

Thanks HantsNightRider.
can’t see your email address via you profile. Uhmmmm

Mcrofty
stw at mcriley co uk

Maybe we should get together at some stage. I keep getting funny looks from people when I pass them riding and enquire, “are you all the pies?” One bloke almost hit me!! 😉

As I said before, most of the stuff nearby is really mainly XC. Best jump in the car and quick pootle over to Tunnel Hill, Swinley or Surrey Hills for ST and “trails” as such. Plus its a great ride from you all the way over to Winterfold via NDW/Blackheath or Bramley, the old railway line and the back route up onto W’fold. You are fully warmed up for the trails then. 😉

The immediate vicinity is great riding but trails/fun bits as such are quite short. Puttenham is an obvious starter for you (only part road as you can link in through Lower Puttenham Common). The best bits IMO are near “Common” on the map and various descents off the main ridge. Otherwise, its a bit cruisy plus bike eating labradors! There are some cheeky jumps not too far away but best not to talk about that on here (but explore nearby woods!!).

Puttenham links on to Britty Wood and Crooksbury nicely. Again Crooksbury has some cheeky links which are basically easy to find between the common and the hill. The hill itself is a giggle up and down with obvious descents and less obvious and more interesting ones too. Sadly rather short.

Crooksbury can be easily linked (via Sheephatch) to either Bourne Woods or back to Tilford and round Hankley home. If going to Tilford beware the final track past Tilhill House can be busy with walkers and there is a little drop that can catch you out at speed if you are not looking!

Hankley and Thursley are both better around the edges plus the odd fun bits off the various ridges. But again frustratingly short. A few cheeky jumps and harder stuff toward Pitch Hill.

Its an easy ride from you up to the Punchbowl. Go past farm shop and down lane to the end (avoid the bogs just after the obvious gate after the bend past the archery club). Follow BW and cross road (which goes up to Hankley CP – leave that to the dog walkers and the soldiers). Either follow stoney road ahead or break up escarpment on LHS. At the end of the road, bear R and then quickly left up BW to the edge of Pitch Hill. Go round to the road, then turn L for 200m and then R to BW that takes you straight up to the edge of the Punchbowl. Its a bit rocky and narrow but quite a good workout all the way to the cafe. From there, you can go across to Gibbet Hill (more DH stuff) or explore the P itself. I have found some fun little trails on the W side including a straight drop down thru the heather. There is also the obvious BW descent towards Thursely which will have your fillings dropping out (at speed) and from there across Thursley (various routes and a couple of fund drops off the ridge) back to Elstead. Avoid the middle of Thursley though!!

The TH Trolls do a lot of night riding I think on a Thursday and there are several groups out lamping around Crooksbury and Puttenham.

Thanks for that detailed reply TeamHurtmore, nice one.
Really appreciate it. Loads of details there … and sounds like I don’t have to trek far from home too.

I am heading out to find some trails. And I aint coming home until I find some 🙂

Saying that, it’s snowing all weekend … so I’ll probably get lost good and proper.

Thanks again.
may see you around.

When it snowed heavily last year, I was up on Hankley Common on the ridge on the LHS of the stoney road I described. Great fun until my seat post snapped on the steepest bit!!!

Glad the ideas helped, I could be a bit more detailed but you tend to get your hands slapped doing that on here!!!

mcrofty, I ride with a couple of groups from haslemere and cover the punchbowl, hankley and also the other side of haslemere including blackdown, linchmere etc. u are more than welcome to come along. there are night rides on Tuesday and Thursday and the early morning rides mainly on sat mornings but also the odd one on Sunday’s. ask1974 on here is part of the same groups. txt me on 07771 637 237 if interested.

Rgds jonathan

bloody iphones always double post…oops

Matt get yourself up on Puttenham today in the snow. The easy trails are much more fun in the snow. You might even find my solo tracks on the hidden stuff!

Hey Teamhurtmore,

I’m going tmrw morning, early.
Just going to ride around Puttenham Common and explore. (and try and find some trails hidden in the snow)

Just hope I don’t end up Warren Pond 🙂

Matt, was that you out on Thursley this morning? Saw a guy in the distance on a white bike looking a little lost. Missed mst of the good stuff by going up the obvious paths. I waved from the the steep slope off the escarpment but the rider kept going!