I have been riding there fairly regularly for the last 16 years (I even moved to a village there for 5 years) but I now feel out of touch with the explosion of trails. Recommend me a good one to discover (via Strava) for tomorrow mornings ride. The need to do a nursery pick up restricts my time to do a proper explore so nothing to back of nowhere please.
If a lesser known trail was put on the internet, it would no longer be lesser known. And that kinda defeats the point! 😉
Well, if you go up that climb from the road, you know the one, then take the second left by the tree. No, not that one, the other one. Keep going along that for about, oooh, that long, perhaps a little more, then snake off to the right. Can't miss it.
But it will probably already be on Strava and so "out there". I just need a hint as to which ridiculous name is worth giving the usual suspects a miss for. I will be discreet honest 😉
Thanks cfh but that one is old hat.
It's a huge area, and the trails are short. We have no idea what you may or may not ride, but I can think of very few specific trails I'd say to aim for. Some good stuff on Winterfold which is less travelled.
Fair points. What about, what is your favourite Surrey Hills trail then? When a name crops up that I don't know I will have a winner (unless it turns out to be crap). I get the need to keep some trails quiet (my favourite is still largely unknown by the masses and is preserved because of this). Just want something new (to me).
I couldn't give a crap about that, I don't have a favourite trail, because they're all done in 3 minutes. The fun is linking them all together over a 3 hour ride.
Of the less ridden ones that spring to mind I like Summer Madness on Winterfold. But to focus an entire ride on it would be, well... Madness IMO!
I don't have a favourite trail, because they're all done in 3 minutes. The fun is linking them all together over a 3 hour ride.
I'm no longer riding there having moved out of London, but this is absolutely spot on. Making your own loops, linking in stuff, learning new stuff, that's what it's all about over there. Yes, there are some (sort of) must do trails for most rides, such as BKB, which was always the end of our rides so we could finish at the pub/cake shop! Aside from that, just go and ride!
Rode (sort of) some ruddy steep ones off pitch hill last week.
Go to Ranmore side and explore or even the @@@@@@@@@ as there is loads of quiet hidden stuff over there. I know because when I crashed there recently I felt very alone!!!!
Rode (sort of) some ruddy steep ones off pitch hill last week.
Phew thought it was me. They all seem to be getting harder and more established!!
Must try and find summer madness - crap on Winterfold names
teamhurtmore - Member
Rode (sort of) some ruddy steep ones off pitch hill last week.
Phew thought it was me. They all seem to be getting harder and more established!!Must try and find summer madness - crap on Winterfold names
I quite like the tech stuff but this was just loam, roots, off camber with a good smattering of drops at funny angles for good measure. Problem is once your off, finding somewhere suitable to get back on. There's some other runs we found which were a bit easier/more established but still challenging too.
Speaking of Pitch Hill, there are 7 or 8 trails (from steep to @#£%ing steep) along the south/southeast perimeter.
EDIT: there are similar trails heading off the side of the nearby fort as well.
Yep, those are the ones I think space monkey. End up at the road at the bottom which you can then ride back up to Evian I think.
Razorrazoo, back in the day it was just Wedgie and the other trail beside it. Now they've mutated into this hydra of OTB mentalness.
Only just started riding up there he I've found a group that knows the area. Makes a nice change and challenge to riding trail centre motorways though I now have to start to challenge my inherent fear of gaps to make the most of it.
You're lucky in that there are loads more trails around Pitch, Winterfold and Holmbury than 10+ years ago. Although I miss some of the old skool stuff there's more than enough to make up for it. Enjoy.
40
OP - joking apart, I would explore Winterfold. Couple of new routes that I found recently, plus the old ones seem to have been restored and/or improved.
Nothing on Ranmore, boring over there.
Anyway, all Pitch & Winterfold is going to be sold probably to a certain person who will block it all off.
Maybe it will all return to the good old days 😉
njee20 - Member
I couldn't give a crap about that, I don't have a favourite trail, because they're all done in 3 minutes. The fun is linking them all together over a 3 hour ride.
+1 from me also.
The best riding in the South East I've found generally comes from linking trails up, and usually from riding with people who know a good loop. Away from Surrey Hills I'm often quite impressed by the way Gorrick races link up bits of seemingly nothing into one long flowing trail.
Of favourites, again not SH, one I have is a continuous link over Porridge Pot from near the Spar all the way down to the canal. Plenty of more gnarly stuff I enjoy in SH but a lot of the rides these days there tends to not flow. Weekend warrior stuff where the group likes to run a trail, stop, chat, next one, etc. Though I do enjoy the social side of it.
Summer madness and 40 - thank you. Not the focus for the whole ride but a new bit to enliven the usual string of good bits that makes up an "only got 1.5 hrs" Friday morning ride. When you are time constrained you can't really risk just exploring anymore, Winterfold has some great bits but it also has a lot of dead ends and boring bits.
I have also just chatted to a real person (the shame) and done some Strava stalking and so I am now well armed to "newify" tomorrow (assuming they have finished felling).
Ranmore is a good call and this will be getting some more leisurely, evening ride attention.
space monkey - 10 years ago my riding in the area peaked as I lived in Forest Green. They don't make trails like those anymore..... which is probably a good thing as some of the North Shore bits hidden around were scary for the wrong reasons.
which is probably a good thing as some of the North Shore bits hidden around were scary for the wrong reasons.
Holy Grail per chance 🙂
BTW, re trail searching, I often find trails I know little of nothing about when out running. I guess the slower pace allows me to take in more of my immediate surroundings and check out stuff I wouldn't normally see on the bike.
So that.s summer monkey ! Thank you starve, new the route not the name!!!
The trail fairies have obviously been very busy recently.
"Explosion on trails"- with the sale of part of Hurtwood I've decided to come and ride round there over the next few weeks as possibly not sure when it'll happen again.
N2CH
> Maybe it will all return to the good old days
I've been wondering the same.