Unfortunatly I have to take the Mrs to a cross country race here next weekend and won't have time to get to Peaslake etc, have a decent ride and then get back to pick her up. Perusal of a Surrey street atlas seems to show roads / tracks from Newlands towards Ranmore Common / Box Hill - possibly the North Downs Way. Anyone done this route? Is it open to mtb's etc. Any advice welcome (bar get rid of the Mrs, etc).
lots of mtbs up and down that route.
I reckon that if you've got the time to get to Ranmore, let alone Box Hill, then you've got more than ample time to get to Peaslake and Pitch/Holmbury. The advantage of going that way is that you're likely to have a more interesting time of it than heading the other way, if you don't really know the trails, and you're more likely to find folk to tag along with for a bit. Ranmore's a touch gluggy as well (not that the rest isn't, mind).
Ranmore stuff is also harder to find, plus carrying on to Box Hill is pretty much just NDW/bridleway sort of stuff.
If you can't tag along with anyone then make your way to Pitch/Holmbury/Peaslake (in that order) as mentioned above. If you don't know you're way around then I'd recommend heading either XC to Albury Heath and then up to the top of Pitch, or just go A25 into Shere and up from there.
Naturally depends how much time you have. NDW is (I think) off limits to bikes, but a fair few still use it. Nice views, but nothing much to do unless you know your way off piste.
Mainly bridleways around St Marthas etc, so you kind of need to head into Winterfold at least before you start seeing the proper stuff.
Others in the area might know other stuff though.
You're not going to have that much time if you are going to cheer he off and back in. There are plenty of bridleways around there, head east from the carpark across the road.
Or you could always enter the XC race, it's quite fun....
Thanks for the suggestions, Phinbob has hit the nail on the head, the race is only about an hour so over to Pitch may be a bit far. No chance of me entering the race though!
Go on you know you want to.....
Newlands Corner is slap bang on the NDW so you could start on that and head East, drop off the downs and loop back, climbing up Water Lane back to Newlands.
Is it the G3 runners needs 10K, I've entered that, anyone know what conditions will be like underfoot. Can't decide weather I need fell shoes or trail shoes?!
If you've only got an hour then have an explore behind the bit that sells tea and cake. There are a few good pumpy bombhole type sections going off in all directions. With such a short amount of time I'd be tempted to stay local. You could just blast up the NDW and the fire road which run parralel to it to Ranmore and back, but it wouldn't be as much fun.
Or... head West from Newlands along the NDW to Pewley Down, then take the bridleway down to the top end of the Chantries, over the road to St Martha's, along to Water Lane and back to Newlands 🙂
thats the race route though, I think...
Racing not allowed on ROW though 😉
(I guess you're talking about a running race however which presumably is a different kettle...)
dlglover
I'll most probably be riding that route in the morning, I'll post up here on conditions but usually it's pretty good whatever the weather.
I'd go for fell shoes, as it's usually pretty slippery. I'm running but I've been injured so I'll be well off the pace. 🙁
Cheers guys!