Long shot but always worth a try….
Right, I travel all over the world with work and wherever I go I try to ride, so this is one of those times. I’ve done this before as far afield as Japan and South Korea. In 2016 I managed the UK once and twice in the US.
I'm travelling to Guildford with work for a meeting 9-12 next Monday the 23rd; so could be ready to ride a short time after. Return flight is the next day but could even travel back later and ride AM if worked out. Ideally an XC ride out but open minded and ride everything.
So I’m looking for someone localish to Guildford who would be first available for a PM ride on the 23rd, or night ride and could bring my own lights, or Tuesday AM as day breaks.
Secondly this kind person/s would also be able to lend me a bike, not fussy what really as can ride anything but needs to be size L (ish) as I’m 6’2”; M or XL could also work.
I’m willing to pay to hire the bike if feasible, and of course if it breaks whilst I’m riding it then I’d pay for the repair, having in mind I’ve not broken anything on my own bikes for at least a couple of years (just to add some reassurance!).
Finally, if anyone travels to southern Sweden (Skåne) then I would happily return the favour.
I’d also be happy to hear if anyone know of local bike shops that would hire a bike etc?
Many thanks,
Jeff
Can't help with a school day ride I'm afraid.
Don't know of any bike shops in Guildford that hire, but you could train/drive to Dorking and hire from Head For The Hills. Maybe a bit of lost time riding, but you've got a much greater concentration of quality trails from there. They'll point you in the right direction, too.
Have fun!
If you can get to swinley, then the Bike Hub there rents Marins and Whytes and you can do the world famous blue-red-blue including the reknowned Stickler rock garden and the new Seagull drops.
https://www.swinleybikehub.com/hire/
(it's not that extreme i know but you won't get lost and solves the bike issue too)
Getting there from Guildford is about 45 mins on the train; change at Wokingham and then about a mile and a bit walk from MH to Coral reef
Swinley is a great idea, I can take a hire car and it's only half an hour from Guildford.
I'll probably do this if no one else can help.
Thanks
I could normally but can't get a half day and Monday night is my new football club night and given i've only been a couple of times don't want to start missing sessions yet.
Bream - I may be up for a lap of Swinley next Monday if you fancy some company?
Seems a shame to miss the opportunity to ride the Surrey Hills, Swinley is ok rather than very good.
As mentioned though, Swinley does tick plenty of boxes.
I maybe around next Monday afternoon and have an old school large fs I could lend you, I could show you around the Surrey Hills, be aware that there will be some mud and puddles though the weather looks dry between now and then.
I shall have a chase up to see how I am fixed for next Monday PM and let you know.
Worth getting on YouTube and looking up both Swinley and Surrey Hills mtbing, it may be you'd prefer one over the other.
I'd be up for Swinley too, 3pm onwards if any use.
I can bring 2 bikes... you'll be on the new Parkwood 29. Sad for you, i get the dropper post 🙂
i could join, available for the majority of the 23rd. Happy to ride around Swinley and meet some other riders. The only stickler is that I have no decent lights. MIP
I can bring spare lights... but they're spare for a reason 😉 They're not as good as my good lights 🙂
Great replies, that’s the spirit.
Just off the phone from the Bike Hub and have booked their Whyte T129 hire bike; it’s not a lot of money and I can hand it back muddy without feeling guilty but thanks for the loan offers.
I hope to arrive about 13:00-13:30 and would welcome anyone who can show me around. I will try to find a local hotel to stay in so I won’t be time limited; I can also bring my lights and ride again later if folks are able to ride.
What time could those interested arrive? weeksy says from 3pm but what about you siwhite & HansRey? Could anyone start from say 13:30? I'd be happy to do an hour and half before 15:00 and then carry on into the dark.....
Mbnut, I’d also love to ride the Surrey Hills, would you be available to take a ride out on the Tuesday morning? My flight back from Gatwick isn’t until 13:50 so I could easy fit in another ride if you were free and able to loan me that bike.
If you need hotel, there is a Hilton in Bracknell close to Swinley, but if budget doesn't go that far then there's a Premier Inn about 2 miles away at Bagshot.
http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/surrey/bagshot/bagshot.html
And if you're not Bagshot, but in fact Mr Bigshot (see what i did there) then there's also Pennyhill Park another couple of miles away. But they might not like you trailing all your Swinley mud (and your new Swinley mates) into their bar.
https://www.exclusive.co.uk/pennyhill-park/
You need a guide of some sort for Surrey Hills
In Swinley you can just follow the (very average) signposting. There is some off piste stuff but, again, you might need a guide for that
I can make 2.30 mate. Dark is 4.45 so a full 2 hours ride time before lights.
Hmm, just realised the bike shop will shut at 16:30 so I guess I'll have a drop the hire bike off by then!
So ideal ride time for me would be 13:30 till 16:30.
Thanks for the hotel tips; if Mbnut can do Tuesday morning at Surrey Hills then I might sleep near there, so it'll be an easy early start to head out. Either way I'll happily buy a beer to anyone who can make it out 8)
If you ride and do full blue at 1.30ish, you should be at car park for about me getting there, we can then do some reds along with blues or some off piste stuff.
Bream - I can be there for 1.30, we can have a lap of the blue and whatnot, then Weeksy can join us for a bit of Red and some off piste (which I'd like to see as well...)
ah, but can he still find the corkscrew?
Even I can find the corkscrew!
ah, but can he still find the corkscrew?
Unlikely, but i was hoping either you or THM would be coming too 🙂
Bream/Jeff
If you have the energy after Swinley and fancy a pootle around Surrey Hills post 7.30pm happy to guide you around.
Have a spare bike not too sure about sizing but think it might work it's my son's Orange Crush 17"
STW is great !
As an ex-Guildford local the xc-plus riding out from the town is great (I used to ride from my door and could take in jumps and single track within 25 mins (slow) pedalling. However given your need for a hire bike etc then imo Swinley is the better option.
Weeksy, that sounds perfect, I don’t know Swinley but I’ll be picking the bike up from the shop so you can advise the best place to park/meet.
13:30 blue loop and meet weeksy at 14:30 back at the meet place; then head out for red etc loop. Finish time for me is 16:30 as I have to give the bike back, unless someone has a loaner I could switch to.
tuskaloosa, any chance you could do Tuesday morning, even if 7:30am?
Hi Jeff, Tuesday morning would have to be silly hours for me and back by 7.00am as I work up in London but could be game.
Hi Jeff, Tuesday morning would have to be silly hours for me and back by 7.00am as I work up in London but could be game.
Weeksy, that sounds perfect, I don’t know Swinley but I’ll be picking the bike up from the shop so you can advise the best place to park/meet.
Car park is fairly apparent in honesty. You can't miss it...
We'll meet outside the bike shop at 2.30. I'll be on a Whyte T130 as will half of the forest, but i'll be on a light blue one, there's will all be orange 🙂
Who else is meeting up and at what times then guys ?
I'll aim the be loitering at the Bike Hub at 1.30pm for a warm up lap of the blue. I'll be on a black and orange Stumpjumper FSR, white lid and a lime green hydration pack.
Unlikely, but i was hoping either you or THM would be coming too
Sadly in Scotland on Monday otherwise I would have tried too.
Me too (not in Scotland, but at work)
[url= http://electricbikesguildford.com/hire.html ]Guildford electric bike hire[/url]
Hi Bream
I am hoping to have my plans for next week sorted by this evening. If work pans out nicely then a ride on the Surrey Hills on Tuesday morning is good by me, I shall let you know tonight.
I'll chase a mate up who is local to there too, not because I like riding with him but it might be useful to use his shower!!
Cheers
That would be fantastic Mbnut if it works out, usually there are showers at the airport if not so no worries, or I just go home smelly/muddy 😆
Is there a local hotel you could recommend me?
And that was a good tip about the ebike hire as never ridden one; maybe for next time.
OP will dig out some xc routes from Guildford and email them to you on the basis you are back again, basically Pewley Down/North Downs Way then drop down and across railway/A25 then back again. I had 1, 2, 3 and 6hr loops (longer ones taking in classic Surrey Hills which are about 45-60mins pedal from town centre at my sloooow place)
Hotel. Premier Inn next to A3 / Stoke Park is functional. Town centre one on cobbled High St if you want something a bit more upmarket.
There's also a Travelodge at the other end of the GF bypass (also functional but does have an Evans underneath it) or if you want to be out of GF and a bit nearer to the SH on Tues am (not that it's that far, 15 mins drive approx) then there's the Manor House hotel at Newlands Corner http://www.manorhouse-hotel.com/, Thatchers at Horsley http://www.thatchershotel.co.uk/ or you could even stay at the Hurtwood Inn http://www.hurtwoodhotel.co.uk/ or
Jeff , let me know what you are planning for Tuesday morning. I'm assuming Mbnut has a more decent start time planned 😀
Jeff , let me know what you are planning for Tuesday morning. I'm assuming Mbnut has a more decent start time planned 😀
Well, sunrise is about 08:00 so I suggest we start out then, if we plan on about 3hrs out then it should leave me enough time to get cleaned up and the airport for no later than say 12:30.
Would that work for you Mbnut? Means I can come without lights as well then, which is a bonus with hand luggage only lol.
Looking to book the hotel now, I'd like to be as close as possible to the potential start/finish point.
Mbnut, can you please drop me a line about where that would likely be? Jeff3bream at hotmail dot co.uk
Mbnut, you able to make it? No worries if not, just need to know either way. Cheers
So, unfortunately Mbnut can't make it now due to work commitments; can anyone else make a ride out over Surrey Hills on Tuesday morning?
I have a confession... i completely forgot lads.... I got 3/4 of the way to work and was thinking what i was going to do later.... It then dawned on me i was supposed to have my bike in the car !
Sorry
No worries weeksy.
Apparently there's a little fog around Gatwick at the moment so I'm sat in a plane on the ground in Copenhagen rather than coming in to land at Gatwick!
Not sure if the customer I'm visiting will be able to reschedule so this may just turn into an overnight biking visit 😯 😆
Bream - I'm still around and game for a lap of Swinley, but clearly your work takes priority. Pop a note on the thread in a few hours and let me know if you will make it or not - no bother either way...!
Dear all, I've just got off the plane as there was no way I'd make my meeting and probably not even Swinley!
I'll reschedule and post back up when I've got a new date/time.
Cheers,
Jeff
I've just got off the plane as there was no way I'd make my meeting and probably not even Swinley!
My boss did that once. I stuck at it and flew trans Atlantic, arrived after meeting had started and sat outside and was not called in !
So you never made it over?
As and when you are coming give me a shout, i'll endeavour to have a better idea of my commitments next time.
Surrey Hills really is worth a little bit of effort to get to and as pointed out, Swinley offers an easy to follow ride with bike hire etc.
No, got off the plane when I realised it was too late.
But I'm in the process to reschedule so I'll be in touch when it's fixed as I really want to ride both Swinley and Surrey Hills.
😆 glad i never said yes !
😛