[Closed] Surrey Hills conditions today

Where is the best place to park for exploring Leith? I would prefer to avoid the ride up from Westcott.

Starvael (about 1/4 mile west of the tower. It's the CP you pass when you come up from Greensands Lane.

Or Coldharbour but parking is limited there. That said, I'm starting from Starveall tomorrow as it's more convenient for a ride including Holmbury and Pitch.

Next time, I guess its a question of just exploring the whole area on the N side. As I came up from HA Farm there seemed to be quite a few trails crossing from the RHS, so I guess you also have to explore both sides of this trail.

I have watched the WW video but can't work out where the start is? Hopefully someone could show me when I am up there. Not good form to give is away on here, I understand!!

Aside getting someone to show you, tbh the best way is to go for a walk up there. Since getting a dog, the number of trails I know has gone up significantly...amazing how much you miss when cycling along as opposed to walking.

Nuke - took your advice and went for a walk with the dogs to Gibbet Hill. Wow, some riding there!! I think I need another 6 months to hone my confidence and technique though as everything was just that little bit steeper than similar looking trails on my normal areas. I am looking forward to being able to tackle those sorts of runs in the future. Looked quite wet and rooty today!! Not sure how you climb back from the very bottom - that needs another dog walk!

Gibbet Hill? Is that not over Hindhead way?

Yep - I went that way for a change. It would be interesting to have some sort of grading idea for trails. Would Gibbet Hill be described as downhill or simply singletack/XC like Pitch/Leith/Holmbury etc. All looked a tad more serious up there today.

Have only heard about stuff around Hindhead/DPB, but not been myself. So can't comment.

Not sure if anyone would ever get round to grading various trails. Plus it's pretty subjective, e.g some people nail Deliverance like it's nothing more than a little roll-in, while others won't touch it. Plus making that sort of (locational at least) information publicly available isn't every local's cup of tea.

Speaking of which, I'm heading up that way in an hour or so 🙂 Ranmore, Leith and Redlands.

Have fun - I thought Redlands was OOB these days but the guy in Nirvana told me the opposite (pretty bluntly!!). I would love to pop out later, but need to do some work first.

I wasn't being serious about grading, merely trying to gauge how tough people would think Gibbet Hill is compared with other areas in Surrey Hills. Plus is that DH? It looked like one of those classic areas where you needed to have a high level of confidence to let the bike go - and then all probably ok. But is you lack that bit of technique and confidence it would just be a little too much.

Saw Deliverance for first time last Friday. I guess its the same thing. Let the bike go and I am sure its fine, but be slightly cautious and you will come unstuck. I guess its all about experience.

Not really sure what the official take is on Redlands. Loads of the old skool trails were wrecked long ago by logging and anti-MTBers etc. Then the politics came along. And now there's a film crew up there. MTBers not really deemed popular. Simon's argument, like you say, is pretty blunt. My take on it is that while it's still possible to pick up WOM > Mangrove Alley > some other trail heading downhill from the left, then I'll stick to that.

teamhurtmore....

...the Devils Punchbowl and Gibbet Hill are ok but its all packed into a fairly small area, i'm not a good rider but i didnt have any problems there earlier in the year.

From the bottom there are two hard packed trails that i know of to get back up and out, one used to lead onto the A3 where it snaked around the top of the Punchbowl but i havent been since the opening of the Hindhead tunnel so i dont if this is still the case?....and the other trail out from the bottom will bring you up to the cafe and car park....both hard going but no need to get off and walk.

I find this area frustrating because its hard to cycle straight across the punchbowl due to the logging and the bogginess at the bottom, it becomes a hike-a-bike session and i dont get any pleasure from this, there are also a few gates and stiles to lift the bike over which starts to annoy after a while....and by sticking to the trails and single track you WILL come across walkers as this area is popular with ramblers and tourists....that said there is an excellent descent with banked edges either side of you that made my trip there worthwhile, it was like being in a toboggan run!

I'm lucky to live within pedalling distance of Hindhead but find Ludshott common down the way from the Devils Punchbowl to be a better ride, far more open and no need to carry the bike at any point but not as technical as Gibbet Hill and the Punchbowl obviously.

Thanks Deviant. I haven't cycled on either but run up and round the punchbowl a lot. I imagine there must be some decent stuff on the Beacon Hill side. The normal trails off the punchbowl are bad enough to run, so they are not top of my list for cycling. But GH did look a lot of fun though. Its the first time I have been out on that side since the tunnel was open and I got quite a shock to realise that I was on the other side of the entrance!!

I guess the punchbowl area is ok if you are doing it as part of a longer XC ride? But that is why places like Pitch are so good. Reasonably short uphills and loads to do at lots of levels.

I would like to ride GH with this guy's confidence (and own his bike!):

http://www.whytebikes.com/2012/index.php#url

Whitmore Vale on the Beacon Hill side is very good, its a small wooded area that sits in the triangle between Churt, Grayshott and Beacon Hill itself and can be accessed from all three, some decent but achievable climbs and some decent downhill sections make it one of my favourite rides in the area, i've got some good pics of this area that i'll try to find later in the week and post up....been riding this area most of the year and seen 3 other mountain bikers since April!

That video has made me want to go back over to the Devils Punchbowl and Gibbet Hill and have another play!

Hmmm, might pop up there later on! Which is the best entry point? I will be coming from either Churt and up to BH or down from Hindhead X-roads.

Are the good downhills easy to find? Is it singletrack? Similar standard to GH or easier?

From Churt you can get in from Whitmore Vale Rd but it might be easier to start from Beacon Hill opposite the newsagent on the corner, just find the opening in the hedgerow and you're in, pleasant downhill section to the bottom and from there the trails become fairly obvious, you will have to go up to go down again though and i think this is what puts some people off.

[i]Not really sure what the official take is on Redlands. Loads of the old skool trails were wrecked long ago by logging and anti-MTBers etc. Then the politics came along. And now there's a film crew up there. MTBers not really deemed popular.[/i]

It's a mess up there at the moment. Most of the trails have been trashed due to the logging work going on. There's a couple still rideable but in general it's not worth the aggro etc. Some of the trails to the east side of Ranmore have now been trashed for a second time.

Seems that we have to be sensitive at the moment then DTP and on our best behaviour!! That's why I was surprised by the direct comments of the guy in NC on Friday about riding where you want and ignoring signs. I guess he has more at stake than any of us?

[i]That's why I was surprised by the direct comments of the guy in NC on Friday about riding where you want and ignoring signs.[/i]

That's Simon for you, calls a spade a spade. If the trails weren't trashed I'm sure he'd be up there. Can't see him wasting his time with Redlands at the moment though.

It's surprising just how much the centre of riding has moved west over the last few years.

We were out on Saturday over on Boxhill then along the top of the Ranmore and White Down before heading over to Pitch and beyond. I don't think we saw another rider until Peaslake. We didn't make it onto Leith but the last few times I've passed that way it's not felt as busy as it used to.

Probably a lot to do with the dry year we've had - Pitch area rides really slowly in the wet.

Deliverance *is* just a big roll in (though it's got really cut out this year). I used to ride it until I discovered that the trail that bypasses it is actually a lot more interesting.

Double-arse today. My chain, not content with snapping on Sat and breaking my Park chain tool (leaving me with a 5 mile walk to Nirvana), then decided to break 3 times on the climb back up from Windy Willows. Unfortunately it also took my mech hanger on the 3rd attempt. Still, had a lovely scenic 10 mile walk/freewheel/kick home.

Grrhh.

We didn't make it onto Leith but the last few times I've passed that way it's not felt as busy as it used to.

Agreed. I mentioned that here a few days ago. Loads of little linky trails (especially north of the tower) no longer appearing to be ridden.

Weird to see this thread again 🙂

Weirder, was out and about on friday with 4 others, so hello again if we bumped into you. Rode round holmsbury and pitch, was slightly wetter than usual, yoghurts was wet with a couple of puddles at the bottom and the loamy trails on pitch were a bit sketchier than usual but all good fun.

Missed you as only saw 2 people all day on Friday. Bu77er that as I needed help with numpty mechanical hiccup on telegraph road. Amazingly quiet day up there!!

Spacemonkey - sorry to hear that 🙁

Going to have a quick spin at Whitmore to see what its like!!

Shame, we didnt meet you. Im useless at spannering but a few of the others would have been useful to you.
Yeah, quietest day for a while, saw quite a lot of bikers but not many walkers or horseists.

Deviant - nice tip, thanks. Enjoyable little explore. Dropped in by telephone box and nearly hit the fallen tree round the corner!! Hit the x-trail and looped back up R thinking there might be more of the same. Ok, so now I know!! Back down same trial and out past pond to the ford. Up the boggy track on the other side towards road before climbing back up to the slighly hidden area with the 8-shaped loops. Found it hard to carry enough speed round those to maximise it - do motorbikes use that or only mtb? Dropped down the other side past the rope swing and climbed back up to the start. Tried to find different route after the phone box but all of 200m to the drive!! So rode up past the care homes and down the trail on RHS. Nice little switchback section near the forestry works and a stone seat. Climbed/walked the narrow trail on the other side and then rode back down again. Stupid and painful wipe out at the bottom. Climbed up valley bottom and did the switchback again for fun - if only that was a little longer it would be great. I can see why you like the area for a quick work out. Thanks for the tip.

Might pop up to Leith for an explore later. So is it best simply to focus on the obvious triangle on OS map between path down Wotton Common, Greensands Way and the track from CP up to Leylands? In other words, either side of obvious track up from just N of High Ashes?

Either that or see if I have the bottle for Gibbet!!

Went to Puttenham Common area instead - always a little disappointing as when you find a nice bit it is always too short. Nice for cruising around and a couple of big hills to drop down. Found old jumps area in woods nearby (not on common) but there looked a bit old/decayed to try out!! Again nice little sections around Britty Wood.

What is it about mtb that means you always hurt yourself? Never fail to take a chunk out of my shin, at least one crash etc. ????? I would feel a bit of a charlatan wearing loads of padding when cruising around but some knee/shin pads are starting to seem like a good idea.

So is it best simply to focus on the obvious triangle on OS map

To get your bearings I'd park at Starvael (0.5 miles west of tower), take the exit over the piece of wood in the far right corner, and head up to the tower. Takes 5-10 mins depending on fitness.

Once there, take the left immed before tower (by railings) and stand there for a moment. Hold your arms out and make a V shape. That's the area you want to start with. It stretches about 0.5 miles back to the carpark (left arm) and 1.5 miles to the right (right arm). Loads of singletrack, loopy stuff, swoopy stuff, linky bits, drops, rolls, jumps etc.

The other side of the tower is more expansive and probably easier to miss stuff because it's more spaced out. Plenty of stuff - you just need to find it.

Enjoy.

Thanks spacemoney. So I guess that this suggests both sides of straight track up from high ashes but with more on the NE side, using this track to get back to the start?

I look forward to exploring early next week. I only managed a brief explore around the first bit of holes marked on the map. But there was one lip in particular that looked worse than the straight shoot of something like Deliverance. There was an easier, drop off into the gulley and a more aggressive roots lip on the RHS which landed at right angles to the gulley. They were about 2 metres apart.

I guess I will just stumble of windy willows!!

Went to Puttenham Common area instead - always a little disappointing as when you find a nice bit it is always too short. Nice for cruising around and a couple of big hills to drop down. Found old jumps area in woods nearby (not on common) but there looked a bit old/decayed to try out!! Again nice little sections around Britty Wood.

Puttenham Common used to be my local patch, and I miss it despite having moved to Holmbury St Mary. Agree the sections are a little short, but there is some awesome stuff on there, easily the equal of some Surrey Hills stuff, and has the advantage of very low levels of usage and being sandier, so better all-winter riding. The stuff in this video is very close by, if you know where to look!!

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Video[/url][

That's Simon for you, calls a spade a spade.

Here's my route if any use.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/111430970

Climb for half hour or so from Westcott
Down Barry into Peaslake, up the other side, more nice singletrack back to Peaslake. (That Winterfold anyone?)
Cheesestick
Climb out of Peaslake to Holmbury
Down Yoghurt Pots then straight onto Telegraph Road
Across to Leith then down towards Deliverance (I dont go down it though, cut to the left, is a lovely long swoopy trail that brings you out below the start of SL (again name anyone?)
Summer Lightning and then down the left of the dirt road at the bottom, all the way down, end up just above Westcott....(again whats the bottom bit called?)

Takes about 3hrs including a stop for a cuppa at Peaslake. Best XC riding I've done in England IMHO.

FWIW, I personally think the trails on Winterfold are better than those on Pitch these days, many of which are now really busy and cut up. That's a decent route otherwise though.

Some shots from the Devils Punchbowl and Gibbet Hill today, glorious weather!

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FWIW, I personally think the trails on Winterfold are better than those on Pitch these days, many of which are now really busy and cut up. That's a decent route otherwise though.

Went out on Pitch on Thursday and started following one of njee20's routes, can't remember where I got it from.

Only did half the route before meeting up with someone from Diary Of A Mountain Biker and doing his version of the 2nd half of njee's route.

Did the same route today with a little more exploring, did clawhammer a couple of times as it is so good, and yoghurt a couple of times as it is also riding well.

njee20 - Member

FWIW, I personally think the trails on W1nterf0ld are much worse than those on Pitch these days, and especially Holmbury, as the trails on w1nterf0ld are really cut up.

FTFY

No more please............all blowing sunshine up each others arseholes!!!!!

Huh? And why spelling W1nterf0ld? Why do some threads just attract the nutters?!

Out tomorrow, can't wait, probably the last really dry day of the year! Probably do all the hills with a Torq guy, a Salsa guy, an Activ guy, and me in Beyond MTBs kit, say hello!

Got to agree with njee20. Tomorrow will be cracking. Will be out early to avoid the masses.

Heihei.

The stuff in this video is very close by, if you know where to look!!

A mate of mine lives in you know where - quite a place!!

'njee20' - ironic humour maybe? Can a 'nutter' ask if njee20 is on your birth certificate?

It is too far from the pub and cheesestraws for overcrowding to be an issue.

Njee I think we bumped into you a couple of times on sat - I was on the lynskey and my friend was on the dale rize. Was not sure whether it was you otherwise I would have said hello.

I rode Leith and Holmbury hills with my local mate yesterday and it somehow turned into a six hour epic - one of my best days of riding this year.

🙂

Was on a raw/green Mondraker Dune. Surprisingly quiet out I thought - apart from the coach party who passed us walking up Yoghurt Pots just a couple of secs after I'd crashed.

Might have been a lucky escape.

I think I saw you on top of Leith at the tower around 2pm? We had a brief stop on the way down to Westcott (was on a red dune oddly enough)

Hi, yep that was me!

I clocked your Dune because I was riding with somebody on one the same colour at Aston Hill last weekend and I thought you might be the same guy - but you weren't.

Bloody things are getting everywhere now, eh?

🙂

'njee20' - ironic humour maybe? Can a 'nutter' ask if njee20 is on your birth certificate?

My name is Nick Evans, NJEE are my initials, it's not En-Jee as most people think!

Just got the Winterfold thing though. My bad.

Njee I think we bumped into you a couple of times on sat

Yes I think you probably did, remember seeing a Rize just coming down into the Loggers Car Park at the top of Barhatch Lane, as we were going up. Conditions were awesome though! Only found 2 puddles all day!