Viewing 31 posts - 1 through 31 (of 31 total)
  • PSA – Coldharbour, Leith Hill welcomes cyclists
  • tealeith
    Free Member

    Resident of Coldharbour and frequent mountain bike rider of the Surrey Hills here and just wanted to shamelessly plug my local pub “The Plough Inn”.

    The Plough has gone through a terrific transformation this year and has just opened a village shop on site alongside the pub. I know the owners well and they’re looking at putting in specific facilities to help out the passing cyclists with things like a track-pump and tools for general usage. These will be hanging in the renovated red telephone box opposite.

    The shop opened last Friday and as well as coffees and teas they have hot sausage rolls, sandwiches and I believe cheese-straws to come too. Those who ride around the Surrey Hills and know Peaslake village stores and the scene over there now have an accompanying facility on Leith Hill which is a most welcome addition.

    Oh, the till has contactless payment, and even includes Apple Pay – so no fumbling around for spare change in your bike gear either!

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    Thanks and great to hear. It was quite a sad dingy place last time I was in there which was 5+ years ago

    dovebiker
    Full Member

    Great stuff – was planning to ride over to Leith Hill next weekend and I’ll need this as it takes 4 hours to get there!

    atlaz
    Free Member

    I always liked the Plough. Had many post ride beers or lunches there over the years. Not fancy but was always friendly

    joolsburger
    Free Member

    Last time I was in the plough the cider was stronger than expected. The climb back up was not ideal.

    tealeith
    Free Member

    Yes, the cider is Biddenden. Crazy strength stuff!

    MoreCashThanDash
    Full Member

    Great to hear of a business making the most of an obvious market.

    Our local used to let us hose off bikes and shoes in the beer garden. Till their soakaway got blocked with imported mud…..

    hatter
    Full Member

    Fair play, may park there rather than Peaslake next time I’m Surrey way.

    Great to see locals wanting us there and interesting that the Plough’s had a refurb, could be worth a punt for lunch now.

    Cheezpleez
    Full Member

    Yup, the Plough is much improved these days. No parking to speak of in Coldharbour so stick to the Leith car parks and ride in for your sausage roll and pint.

    akira
    Full Member

    Misread that as they had a pump track and was very impressed, still good to hear about the track pump but slightly disappointed….;-)

    tealeith
    Free Member

    Akira – you’ve heard about the chair lift up from Dorking too right?

    😉

    mattjg
    Free Member

    It’s lost a litte of the charm of the interior however the Plough is very much on the up (if a little “Surrey Hills” priced).

    Make sure you try the brewed-on-the-premises (by a buddy of ours) beers – Crooked Furrow, the soon to arrive Surrey Puma, and Smiler when it’s back on in the spring.

    CAVEAT: when you go out the door and down the steps after a couple LOOK TO THE RIGHT. There is no pavement and roadies zip down the descent there, near silently. The previous landlady was involved in a life-threatening collision this way, no repeats please.

    PS shout outs are also due to the Stephan Langton at Friday Street (singletrack all the way from the Plough) and Cobbett’s micropub in West Street, Dorking. Both are bike friendly and serve highly quaffable ale.

    Dorking – the drinking biker’s ultimate home!

    mattjg
    Free Member

    Further tip, if you’re riding back to Dorking Station allow 20-30 minutes, ride into the Denbies vineyard and around the back of the big building you’ll find Surrey Hills brewery. They do takeaways at 2 quid a pint, the Shere Drop was recently voted best bitter in UK, and personally I love the Ranmore Ale. Straight from the barrel it’s nectar. You can drink on the premises (outdoors) too.

    tealeith
    Free Member

    Drink-riding mattjg? :O

    mattjg
    Free Member

    Obviously not me personally.

    tuskaloosa
    Free Member

    sweet

    acidtest
    Free Member

    Misread that as they had a pump track and was very impressed, still good to hear about the track pump but slightly disappointed….;-)

    Damn, I misread that too! Was looking forward to the pump track 🙁

    mattjg
    Free Member

    there’s a trail on Leith Hill called Pump It – it’s a reasonable alternative!

    acidtest
    Free Member

    Thanks, I’ll have a look for it although it’s probably one I’ve already done at some point.

    tealeith
    Free Member

    I’m 12th on that on STRAVA, and 2nd on “Pump it, prod it” which includes the extended part after the main bombholes.

    Great trail, you definitely need to pump the transitions. Won’t be so great once the rain finally arrives though.

    acidtest
    Free Member

    Just found it on Strava and it appears it’s not one I’ve done before. Will have to hunt it down next time I’m up there, doesn’t look that hard to find.

    stuartlloyd2000
    Free Member

    Good to see some competition for Leith Hill tower at last. Cake and drink prices always send us back to peaslake.

    tealeith
    Free Member

    It’s funny how Peaslake became the scene / hub of riding around here. I’ve been riding here since 2004 and back then Leith Hill was where it was at. All the best trails were on Leith with just some very natural deer-track type stuff over in Winterfold on Pitch.

    Pedal and Spoke seems to have swapped all of that around, along with the shop and bus stop in Peaslake. I’m not sure if Leith Hill will ever win back the crown so to speak, but atleast there’s an alternative now for refreshments. The new Plough shop is open from 0730 on weekdays so that’s early enough for a pre-work coffee at the end of my rides in the future.

    Peronally, I think that Leith actually has by far the best trails anwyay, if you know where to look of course. There’s some very tasty new stuff which (when dry) is a little more natural feeling than the trail-centre like stuff on Pitch.

    shortcut
    Full Member

    Sounds good – will give it a go next time I am there!!

    tuskaloosa
    Free Member

    tealeith haven’t been up there for almost a year now ( I tend to avoid Leith in summer cos I invariably get lost between the tower and the quarry, easier to find my way when the bracken is down)

    But wanted to ask about a couple of reoccurring incidents where some guys were allegedly forcefully trying to take bikes of solo riders at the top?

    tealeith
    Free Member

    tuskaloosa – I vaguely remember hearing something about that but I can’t remember from what source. I certainly never saw anything or knew of anyone being clobbered. Maybe a hoax?

    What we do have at the moment are the protestors of the proposed oil-drilling to take place on the hill. They’ve moved in at the site opposite Redlands, just outside of Coldharbour. Lots of vans, tents, banners, and hippies.

    I might buzz them tonight on my solo ride.

    tuskaloosa
    Free Member

    I think I saw it on Pedal and Spoke and Beyond Mountain Bike’s FB feed.

    Oil Drilling? first i’m hearing of this. Isn’t it all NT land?

    teamhurtmore
    Free Member

    Havent been over to Leith in ages – this has inspired me. Thanks

    I always seem to get a little lost in the bombholes and rhe rhodies N of the tower. I have yet to venture over to you-know-where and wouldn’t even know where to start.

    Might pootle over tomorrow

    mattjg
    Free Member

    > Peronally, I think that Leith actually has by far the best trails anwyay,

    Ssshhhhhh!!!!!

    As for bike muggings, I think they are reported here in Spring or early Summer.

    spacemonkey
    Full Member

    may park there rather than Peaslake

    You’ll be lucky. It’s been ramjammed the last couple of weekends.

    I remember the pub kicking off 10+yrs ago about bikers using the carpark and not the pub (fair enough), and would like to think all those cars are full of honest patrons.

    tealeith
    Free Member

    tuskaloosa – there’s been a 7 year legal battle against Europa Oil and Gas who want to do exploratory drilling on the hill. I don’t want to get into the politics as I know people will cry NIMBY and so on but essentially the objection from locals was not about taking the gas/oil but on the how and where. Europa want to drill from just outside the village with trucks having to operate along Coldharbour Lane which is narrow with ancient rooty banks and barely able to allow two cars passing in places. It was thought that drilling directionally from somewhere just off the nearby A24 dual carriage would have been better.

    Anyway, after appeals and counter-appeals they unfortunately won and it appears they will be starting in 2017 now, thus the protestors who have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Incidentally, this group have absolutely nothing to do with the legal challenges raised and funded by the locals. There was an interview with them on BBC South Today last night and they appear to have created tree-houses and all sorts. Maybe they’re trying to create an Ewok village in their battle against the Empire.

    The news piece was about 5 mins in on here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b080h001/south-today-evening-news-01112016

    If you’re interested in knowing more from the (official) action group then they have a web site here:

    http://www.surreycommunity.info/lhag/

Viewing 31 posts - 1 through 31 (of 31 total)

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