Hello you fancy-biked, London-living Surrey Hills riders 🙂

Have been loving occasional trips to the North Downs, and am starting to crave for more beyond the simple circuit of Yoghurt Pots, Telegraph thingy and Barry Knows Best.

I appreciate that sharing trails might not be the done thing, but any suggestions of areas or glimpses of other trail names to look out for would be appreciated.

Thankings.

If you want to drop me an email i’ll happily show round the best and hidden gems – I’m out there several times a week

These guys’ll show you around

Or just go out and explore and just ride down stuff which takes your interest. A few months of that and you’ll find all the best stuff

Over the last few years I’ve been doing that.(not local)
Using a map, (nirvanna sell a handy laminated one that covers
box hill to pitch hill++) you can plot a cracking circular ride starting @Mickleham to Ranmore Common,
North Downs way to Newlands corner ,Winterfold -Pitch hill – Holmbury Hill – Leith – back over Ranmore to Box hill.
I think on the map it’s classed as the nirvanna killer loop.
I always start North of Dorking = less driving.
Do it either way round.

It’s taken ages to get it to flow but if you look there’s loads of singletrack around the bridleways, some cheeky, some not so.
There really is loads of stuff away from the trails you mentioned,
Every time I go I find something new.

Take icj up on his offer.Have fun.
It’s a lovely place to ride.

Depends what you’re after. Most local riders will be happy to show you around but many of the best trails are pretty well hidden and the chances of stumbling on them is, perhaps unlikely. If you’re after more challenging trails than Barry, Summer Lightening, Telegraph Row etc, then Ranmore Common is the place to head. Trail names to ‘tick’ over there would be Abba Zabba/Blind Terror/Numbskull, Reformation, Grievous Angel and Hot Burrito Number One.
The local bike shops all do rides and are probably the best place to start. Nirvana Cycles in Westcott do a Sunday morning ride leaving at 11.00am. That ride will show you all you need to know if you do them regularly. Quite technical rides though, so if the routes you’re used to are at your limit – probably best to avoid that ride.
Have fun out there!

I’d also recommend the Nirvana sunday ride, I’ve only done it once, the standard of riding was high, I went with quite a large group 10+ very good riders, all friendly, competitive but in a fun way. We went mainly over Redlands and Leith Hill, some very steep terrain, hard to believe for little old Surrey. I believe there’s filming over at the Redlands so it might be out of bounds.

Filming on Redlands for 2 weeks starting 11 April, then a further 2 weeks clearing stuff away. Redlands best avoided ’till mid May I reckon. Oh yeah – but then the Forestry Commission moves in to clear the trees so who know how long Redlands will be out for.
Some of the trails now closed due to logging anyway. Give it time and they’ll all get opened up again!

or go with the muddy moles…

dorkingtrailpixie

where is hot burrito? Being a ranmore resident interested to see if I know it as something else?

Cheers
Nick

freeridernick

Starts same place as Grievous Angel but look for the immediate right hander after 30ft or so – leads into a gap jump over a tree, into a 15 foot gap then more jumps etc finishing with a 5ft’ish drop. Best on Ranmore at the moment I reckon

oh yes, I saw a new jump (looked a bit of a drop to flat?) had been built the other day just above the fireroad. will go and check it out 😯

thanks!

The drop’s fine – it’s a fairly steep slope but you still land with a bang. Not too much speed though, fast walking pace all that’s needed. You turn into that drop as a right hander only 10ft or so before hitting it. The second big gap jump is the one to be wary of – you need loads of speed after landing the first drop to make it, you’ve been warned! Have fun!

sweet, going to head up there on the remedy , don’t fancy that landing on my PA!

I believe there’s filming over at the Redlands so it might be out of bounds

Yep, looks that way – saw a “Makin Movies” van up there with some other stuff last w/end. Always miss those old skool trails whenever I head up through that area.

Anybody care to point me in the direction of some of these trails? I ride on my own 95% of the time, and I don’t really recognise any of the youtube vids. Abba zabba/blind terror I know, plus the trail that’s on the opposite side of the road (has a very offcamber section), with a step down right at the bottom that comes straight out onto the road.

I also know of a very shonky, somewhat overgrown jump trail at the Dorking end of the world, running parallelish to a bridleway.

Do these trails have names? Have I just described the ones named above, or is there yet more for me to find?

Cheers!

Hi JonEdwards

plus the trail that’s on the opposite side of the road (has a very offcamber section), with a step down right at the bottom that comes straight out onto the road.

This is either Numbskull or Reformation – they overlap a bit and depends which line you take. Reformation starts with an off camber into a drop followed by a 6ft’ish gap jump

As for the one that’s somewhat overgrown jump trail at the Dorking end of the world, if it’s still on Ranmore then that sounds like Grievous Angel. As above, Hot Burrito is in the same place but much harder.

Some of the Ranmore stuff you can link up as you make your way down the gradient (i.e. from the top of the hill to the bit you mention that pops out near the S-bend). That includes starting at Abu Hamza and making your way back up and round.

The second gap jump on Hot Burrito (only just discovered that’s what it’s called) is v tricky, really struggle to carry enough speed – any tips? However, the first drop over the tree great fun though, as is the booter – great work whoever built it.

Anyone got any photos?

This is wicked. Thanks all 🙂

lcj – that’s a very generous offer. Will be in touch!

Nice one.

The second gap jump on Hot Burrito (only just discovered that’s what it’s called) is v tricky, really struggle to carry enough speed – any tips?

Yep – carry more speed over the first drop. There’s an obvious bigger tree on your left as you approach it, around 15ft or so before the drop. No brakes at all from this point onwards. You need to land the drop pretty much on the berm to make the following gap. It’ll feel like you’ve over-jumped the drop if you’ve got the right speed. Then it’s all technique etc on the approach. Should point out, not many people are hitting that gap yet so best avoided unless you’re really confident!

Cheers. I’ll have to give that a go…

Cheers DorkingTP – think I understand it all now. Do I know you by another name btw….?

Hi JonEdwards

Nope – sorry, only by those names, different people know trails by different names though so you may know it as something else. Grievous Angel, further over towards Dorking, does get quite shabby at times of the year. The chalk surface gets as slippy as ice when damp so GA sometimes doesn’t get ridden for months at a time.
A little help in locating it: as you come up the Ranmore Road from Dorking, go past the dump entrance on your right, pass a parking space on the left, continue up until you see an old brick wall on your left. There’s a gap in the hedge here – that’s where GA and Hot Burrito start.

DTP – yep saw Hot Burito a couple of weeks’ back and thought the gap jump looked tough despite being on the big bike! Nice looking trail though and certainly a “step up”!!

Yep – exactly where I’m thinking. Ta!

Just rode Hot Burrito

took a couple of runs to nail the right line off the first drop so you are lined up for the gap… 😛

Watch out

that Hot Burrito get get a bit spicey…

<WARNING! GRAPHIC IMAGES>
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5144/5646103858_56ab56543c_b.jpg
6 stiches later!

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5645540297_9bf7778b21_b.jpg

Blimey!

Bit late to tell you this but we’ve avoided said trail for a couple of weeks now as it’s too dusty/slippery at the moment and needs some rain! Heal fast my friend.

not me actually – a mate
thought I would never say we need rain….

whoah! straight to the bone!

what’s the story behind that?

hardtail pride (or not) is the answer to that!