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I might have to work in the Surrey area for a few months near the southern M25. I have been looking at the towns around there and wander what the group’s thoughts are:
Epsom: is the nearest but i know little about it – but it seems to be near the downs.
Reigate: is nice but very hard to get a temporary place there.
Redhill – good for Gatwick
I want be in a town but be able to get out to those Downs.
Thanks
Where will you be working?
How important are trains into London for you?
Dave
Redhill's big plus point is the trains into London. If you dont need those, then i'd chose one of the smaller towns nearby.
Dorking.
Dorking is probably best for Surrey Hills riding.
Dorking is good for living and riding (similar in 'style' to Reigate, but larger), but the trainline into that London is ridiculously slow, and the trains don't run late enough for proper boozing - no nightbuses out that far either.
Epsom is good. I live nearby and there is riding from my door.
As a town epsom is a million times nicer than redhill. The thames isnt far away and rail wise you can go to waterloo and Victoria. Heading the other way is dorking and Guildford.
You can do some good loops from epsom or head down to leith hill and beyond have a pint and catch the train home.
The people from Diary of a mountain bike are good people and they ride from ashtead on a Sunday morning.
Also if you crash you can go to epsom hospital rather than east surrey which is best avoided.
Ashtead or Leatherhead is also worth a look. Live in Ashtead myself and it takes me 5 mins and I'm on my local trails.
Epsom is a great town, lots of routes to the downs from door step. The town itself is one of the nicest in the area, its got everything you need.
Its also a great renting area which lots of properties within walking distance to the station.
Epsom's good, Walton on the Hill and Tadworth are also handy to the M25 and A roads.
Where are you working/ are you looking for an off road commute?
Walton-OTH and Tadworth also have great trails from the door.
I grew up in Lower Kingswood; went to school in Tadworth, Dorking and Reigate.
The trails around there are great - you have a whole swathes of north downs which are completely overlooked by the 'surrey hills' lot. All the way from Reigate to Box Hill has some great riding on it, and then you can pop a bit further along and go up Ranmore, Leith and Pitch to be in with the bits everyone talks about.
Dave
Try Buckland for rentals, i grew up there and the Estate manages a large number of rental propeties.
Riding is really good from anywhere round there, i cant wait to move back in the summer 🙂
Alfabus, not RGS alumni are you?
Thanks for the replies. Just to qualify i will not be working in That London so trains there are irrelevant. I will be woring near Tadworth.
thanks
I'd look for somewhere in Walton on the Hill then, if it was affordable- loads of bridleways, and 20 ish minutes off road and you can be on the Downs above Reigate
The people from Diary of a mountain bike are good people and they ride from ashtead on a Sunday morning.
so that's who ride past my house every week, always wondered that - Stop parking outside my house! 🙂
Off road commute. Yee ha.
Alfabus, not RGS alumni are you?
Nah, I went to the Ashcombe in Dorking, then Reigate (dropout) College.
OP, good fish'n'chip shop in Walton, and a couple of reasonable pubs. Plenty of good riding, you can be on Colley hill in one direction or Headley heath in the other in about 20 mins, all offroad. From either of those, the world is your lobster.
Dave
If working in Tadworth then Walton on the Hill would be a good location.
It depends what you want from a town, there isnt really anything going on in Walton OTH, its a very quiet town with a few pubs.
I would suggest visiting both Epsom and Walton OTH and seeing which would suit you best.
oh, and FWIW, the area you are describing is technically 'East Surrey'.
Dave 🙂
Sutton is best avoided if a flat search throws up that area.
Thanks Epsom seems to appeal as it is not too small - i'd like some sort of nightlife.
Nightlife is decent in Epsom, got a good selection of bars / pubs and a couple nightclubs. Also have a strip club if thats your scene!
Great - i'll take my girl to the strip club!
Working at Walton on the hill. A certain large drug company then?
Anywhere south or east of Walton on the hill - will be fine. You could commute off road to Walton on the Hill from Epsom or Leatherhead or Bookham.
That would we a good way to go to work!
Lots of doorstep riding round here. DoaMB or MuddyMoles (second group obviously more skilled and knarly!)regularly ride.
If you do happen to be working at a certain large pharma at WOTH then be sure you've got your travel sorted. They run their own minibus service but it's getting cut left right and centre at the mo. No bus stops or train stations in the vicinity either. So it's either minibus, drive, cadge a lift or commute. If doing the latter, then the aforementioned circle of Dorking > Leatherhead > Ashted > Epsom > Redhill > Reigate will be fine.
It may not be a large pharma company he's working for. She Wee is based up there as well.
could be working for a large farmer. There are still a few of those about - dotted between the golf courses.