Despite Hurtwood being one of the UK’s busiest riding spots, its trail network relies heavily on the continued goodwill of landowners and volunteers. Adele takes a ride to find out more.
Words Adele Mitchell Photography Paul Mitchell
The Hurtwood in the heart of the Surrey Hills National Landscape has become one of the most popular places to ride a mountain bike in the South of England – despite having no official mountain bike trail. This 2,000-acre area of common land is centred around the Pitch and Holmbury hills. It has spectacular hilltop views across to the South Downs and Central London, just 30 miles away, and a maze of trails that crisscross the forested hills and are enjoyed by lots of mountain bikers. However, it doesn’t take long to notice that none of the tracks are signposted (though if you look on Strava, almost every inch of it is named!). Neither are they graded or inspected. And there are no convenient maps in the car parks to direct you to Barry Knows Best, Supernova, Yogurt Pots, or anywhere at all. That’s because – and this may come as a bit of a surprise if you’re aware of the area’s reputation for great riding – there are no official mountain bike trails here.
Ride Friday
I’m joined by three of my buddies from our Friday Ride group – we’re a bunch of women who live locally and have ridden here for over 20 years. So we’ve had plenty of time to explore and there’s not much in the Surrey Hills that we don’t relish riding.
Sally is a long-time group member. She’s generally fearless and was the first of us to conquer the infamous and frankly rather challenging Jacobs Ladder descent on a recent ‘girls’ trip’ to the Peak District (next time we might just opt for a nice sensible city break in Barcelona like normal women do). Mel is new to the group but not a new rider: she’s ridden in the Surrey Hills for ten years and used to travel down from London before realising it was easier to just move here. She recently recovered from breast cancer and is riding an e-bike but, being a good sort, resists the temptation to leave us for dust on the hills. Jack is the newest rider (though she’s been a good friend for years). She’s on a hardtail and prefers to avoid the more sketchy descents. None of the trails are long so there’s no danger of newer riders being left behind, but neither are the trails graded or inspected. Plus, pedestrians have the right to roam, so there’s every chance you will meet one on the trails. In other words, you never know what’s around the corner so it’s always best to ride within your limits.
Here Comes The Hill
This is a circular ride of our favourite trails with some cross-country fire roads to join them up. There are plenty of short, sharp climbs too. There are numerous tracks leading off the route all the way round so allow lots of extra time if you want to explore – and pack some food as you can easily end up being out for hours and doing a lot of climbing. As I mentioned before, none of the trails are signposted so expect to get lost occasionally. It’s all part of the fun.
We start at Walking Bottom car park (no, I haven’t made up that name) adjacent to the village of Peaslake, a pretty Surrey village with a rider-friendly pub, village shop (for post-ride pastries), and a handy bike shop where you can hire a bike or get assistance if you suffer a mechanical.
The ride begins with a nice warm-up climb to the top of Pitch Hill and its far-reaching views across the Weald to the South Downs which, apparently, inspired George Harrison (yes, him from The Beatles) to write ‘Here Comes the Sun’. Having paid homage to the view, we drop down into the entrance of the Graveyard Trail, a swoop-filled run that used to finish at the local church but which has now been diverted and bermed by the trail-building team to follow the contours of the hill down to the car park. A little jump line (all rollable) makes for a fun run that conveniently finishes back at the car park.
From there we ride through the village. At weekends, Peaslake is often very crowded with riders whose purchases, happily, help keep the pub, bike shop and village shop in business. However, it’s also home to lots of people who don’t ride bikes so be considerate while you’re here; they would really rather get on with their busy lives without having to witness endless riders wheelie past the pub like they’re Danny MacAskill.
Coffee and Yogurt
But, for now, it’s too soon to stop for refreshment at the pub (you may feel differently on your ride, of course) and soon we’re climbing again, this time to the top of neighbouring and very slightly higher Holmbury Hill. The two hills sit side by side, but from Holmbury you can see both the South Downs in one direction and, on a sunny day, the distant glint of The Shard on the horizon, a sparkling reminder of just how close we are to London.
From there it’s a short roll to a trail known as Yogurt Pots – it’s been here for as long as I can remember and is short and twisty with lots to roll up and down, and rideable roots. Finish that and you are metres away from the Telegraph track – a singletrack that follows a line of telegraph poles gently down the entire length of the hill. The first section is rocky and probably the most challenging before it becomes a sandy, bermed run with one notable drop in the middle. It never fails to put a smile on your face, no matter how many times you ride it.
Another climb and a loop around takes us into Holmbury St Mary – an idyllic village with two pubs and home to Heartwork, our favourite coffee bar, which is based in a former farmyard and operates out of a horse box. You can enjoy your coffee inside the rustic barns or outdoors, with a choice of ancient upholstered armchairs, bar stools or just a straw bale to sit on. The coffee here is so good that road cyclists make it a destination. And we all know how fussy they are.
Bluebells, green bench
Thoroughly caffeinated, we head to the bridleway climb up to High Ashes Farm. We’re no longer in the Hurtwood but instead are starting to climb Leith Hill – the biggest of our three hills and home to the only official mountain bike trail in the area, Summer Lightning. The land beneath this trail has a different group of owners and it is currently closed, but as we’re not venturing over there today we’ll save the ins and outs of that for another ride. However, it serves as a reminder of how lucky we are to have the Friends of the Hurtwood helping to preserve neighbouring access.
High Ashes is one of those climbs that likes to get steeper as it goes on and never seems to get any easier no matter how many times we ride it. You’ll be delighted to hear then that it is followed by a long bridleway descent past the most beautiful bluebell wood that I know (so lovely I was tempted not to mention it). The bridleway eventually takes us through a farmyard and then to a road. We turn left and then right to start climbing another bridleway which, surprise, surprise, also throws in a challenge by becoming super steep and very stony just at the point when our legs have decided we should have had a stronger coffee. We turn right at the top, follow the lane for a short while and then join another bridleway on our left. If you thought the previous two were challenging you will probably want to get off and walk here. This is a ‘mini Jacobs Ladder’ of a climb. It starts off as a gulley, widens a little and then becomes steep and super rocky before flattening out and arriving at a green bench. It’s about as challenging as any climb around here gets – except for the one we haven’t got to yet.
If you don’t fancy the climbs, you can turn right out of Heartwork instead and rejoin the trails via the track up to the cricket pitch. Pass the pitch on your right and keep going until you spot the green bench, at which point you are back on route.
Cheese straw supernova
From the green bench, we ride back over Holmbury Hill to Barry Knows Best, the oldest trail in the area but, as you may have gathered by now, not signposted, and not an official mountain bike trail either even though it has recently had a lovely line of rollable jumps added to it. Relish the ride as you swoop your way down through the bracken but avoid the temptation to take the cheat lines – it’s a beautiful hillside (especially in evening light) that doesn’t need any more tyre tracks carved into it. Our ride takes a left-hand turn onto the road at the bottom. Warning – there is the mother of all climbs coming up so if you fancy a rest first, turn right out of BKB instead and roll down the lane and into the village for some refreshment.
Those of us who have turned left proceed along the lane to a bridleway on the right and the infamous Gasson Farm climb back up Pitch Hill. It’s long enough and steep enough to have you wondering how you’re going to stay upright, and then throws in a narrow pinch point halfway up that demands to be taken at a speed that our legs can’t quite muster, despite 20 years of trying. So we walk and grumble our way up this section. Thankfully the riding is much easier once you reach the top and we follow fire roads and tracks over the hill before dropping down to a car park. From here we link up road and lane to join the tracks known as Supernova and Vauxhall Nova, the most challenging descending section of the ride (save the best ’til last, eh?). It’s slightly steeper than the other trails, with tighter rollercoaster turns and jumps (all rollable) and a short North Shore section, all of which is worth spending a little time scoping out if you’re new to it. A few thrilling moments later and we exit at Walking Bottom car park. Et voila! We’re back at the start.
All that is left to do is head for Peaslake Village Stores to reward ourselves with a cheese straw, hand-crafted by the shop team. Consuming one of these legends of pastry is a Hurtwood rider’s rite of passage. Congratulations – you’ve earned it.
The Hurtwood Access Issue
If you’re new to the area, if you’re a regular rider here or even if you live here, the access issue can be a bit confusing. Here’s a brief insight: the Hurtwood is privately owned (there are nine landowners in total) and public access is managed by the Friends of the Hurtwood (FoTH) charity. In 1926 the original landowners entered into a Deed of Dedication which gave the public access to the land on foot and horseback (and now bicycle). This is still in place although access on foot has subsequently been enshrined into law by the CRoW Act 2000.Users on horseback and bicycle have access to the bridleways, unofficial tracks and firebreaks – but everything we ride is shared with other users. This even applies to those tracks that have names, berms and jump lines (added with landowner permission and crafted by a splendid team of local volunteer trail builders, but still not exclusive to mountain bikers). In other words, the Hurtwood is not a bike park and, before anyone suggests it, there’s absolutely no intention on the part of the landowners to turn it into one. So be nice, say hi, expect the unexpected and be prepared to give way to other users at all times.
Bear in mind that the flipside of all this wonderful access is that the ground is exceptionally vulnerable to overuse. Be mindful of that when choosing your lines, deciding how many people you’re going to ride with, deciding if it’s too wet to ride or contemplating a quick shortcut. And never, ever dig – it’s illegal without permission. Want to know more? Take a look at the riders’ code on the FoTH website, and while you’re there, consider a donation to help keep them up and running.
Why Bother?
The Hurtwood – or ‘Little Switzerland’ as it was previously known – has long been enjoyed by visitors on foot, with dogs, on horseback and more recently on bicycles. It is hilly, chocolate-box pretty and has miles of forest tracks, bridleways and fire roads to explore and all on sandy soil that lends itself to all-year fun. Whether you ride here from your back door or come from further afield, it is easy to access and there are plenty of bike shops, pubs and coffee stops to ease you round. There’s also a huge variety of riding that can be enjoyed by riders of any standard from beginner to Brendan Fairclough (who lives nearby) and while it’s probably not quite steep enough to be termed ‘downhill’, there is plenty to quicken your pulse and focus your mind. You can get away from it all here (the further you ride from the car park, the quieter it gets), you can get fit here, you can have fun here, you can really scare yourself occasionally – and then head down to the pub with plenty of tales to tell over your local craft beer and pizza. And, if it’s good enough to inspire one of the Beatles to write a song about the sunshine, then it’s good enough for me.
GPX File
The Knowledge
- Map: Landranger OS 187 Dorking & Reigate
- Distance: 28.36km
- Ascent: 606m
- Time: Roughly 3 hours
Getting There
By car: Walking Bottom car park, Peaslake, Surrey GU5 9QW is the biggest car park in the area, although there are 14 other Hurtwood car parks if it’s full. They are all free to use. Parking elsewhere is limited.
By train: Gomshall is the nearest station – approx. two miles away. You can travel to Dorking station and take Route 22 on the Surrey Cycleway to Gomshall (six miles) and then cycle to Peaslake.
Food and Drink
Peaslake: Hurtwood Inn, Peaslake Village Stores.
Holmbury St Mary: Heartwork Coffee Bar. The Royal Oak. The Kings Head.
- hurtwoodinn.com
- heartworkcoffee.co.uk
- peaslakevillagestores.com
- theroyaloakholmbury.co.uk
- thekingsheadhsm.com
Accommodation
The Hurtwood Inn, Peaslake
Bulmer Farm, Holmbury St Mary
There are lots of Airbnb options in the area.
Camping – Etherley Farm on the slopes of neighbouring Leith Hill
- hurtwoodinn.com/stay
- bulmerfarm.co.uk
- etherleyfarm.co.uk
Bike Shops
The Riders Hub, Peaslake. Ace Bicycles, 48 Station Road, Gomshall. Clunkerz Bicycle Co, Station Rd, Dorking. Head for the Hills, 43 West St, Dorking
- theridershub.co.uk
- acebicyclesforge.com
- clunkerz.cc
- head-for-the-hills.co.uk
