Nearest Car Park to Summer Lightning?

Can somebody please tell me where the best place to park is near to the top of Summer Lightning.

Coldharbour is small and often overcrowded. So use the Land Slip car park.

t_i_m
Thanks for the tip. I’m a newbie to the Leith Hill area so could you please tell me what road these car parks are on and the nearest land mark.

here

Ta very much.

Far better to park in Peaslake, then have a big proper ride over to SL. Finish down Barry’s, then in to the pub/shop for post ride refreshments!

Far better to park in Peaslake, then have a big proper ride over to SL. Finish down Barry’s, then in to the pub/shop for post ride refreshments!

I disagree. Peaslake is getting far too busy. Much better for all concerned to park somewhere else and take in Peaslake during the ride.

And the pub in Coldharbour is good for a post ride beer.

Tim, even the car park up the road past the village hall? Not been out there for a couple of months, I must admit.

Also, the pub in Coldharbour wasn’t that good when I was last there.

Peaslake does seem to have got far busier recently, the big Walking Bottom car park is usually totally full by about 11!

Crikey! Please ignore my earlier, then!

Tim, even the car park up the road past the village hall? Not been out there for a couple of months, I must admit.

Yep. Even after being made bigger, the car park is very busy. The amount of traffic (esp cars) is really starting to annoy locals. Understandable considering the small size of Peaslake and the amount of other car parks available in the area.

Also, the pub in Coldharbour wasn’t that good when I was last there.

Been a long time since I’ve been there. And I do like the one in Peaslake a lot (I had my wedding reception there!)

Interesting comments regarding Peaslake. This is why I asked the question in the first place. I parked at the one behind the pub on Wednesday morning at 9:30. By the time I got back from a BKB, Y pots, Summer Lightning etc loop it was full was full of cars with bike racks.
Peaslake around the Tea shop was full of green welly types in Defenders, blocking the small lanes, who didn’t seem to appreciate sweaty mtber’s chilling out mid/post ride. I could be wrong but I just felt that it may be better to park else where.

I park in Westcott and ride up. Go early or midweek if you want solitude. Or explore further afield, there’s more to Surrey Hills than just the above locations, there’s great riding all along and round the North Downs, I went exploring around Limpsfield Chart and Crockham Common near Oxted, found some great natural singletrack and a lovely decents into Chartwell, and I hardly saw a soul.

I like the pub in Coldharbour. It’s not swanky but they don’t object to a few grimy bikers or hikers in there and the food is good (again, nothing terribly exciting). They do their own beer too. We often park over near Redlands as it’s almost always empty enough for us to get everyone together. Then if we go to Peaslake we do have that god-awful High Ashes return leg mind you.

I park in Westcott and ride up.

Same here, mainly ‘cos my mate lives there but also it’s a cracking descent back from top of Summer Lightning to the village at the end of the ride.

I stopped riding there at the weekends in 2004. Just got worse and worse. Luckily with the work I do I get to ride during the week. 😮

I think the mental mild winter hasn’t helped with the numbers of people.

FWIW Westcott also gets overcrowded (from a car parking perspective) at weekends, so best avoided unless you are joining a Nirvana Cycles ride etc.
I never use the car park behind the pub as I’d prefer to keep that for the people who are using the pub.
Just take a look at a map of the area, there are plenty of other car parks that you’ll prob ride very near to on one of your rides, so you might as well just start in one of those instead.

As above Coldharbour is best car park for Summer Lightening. Don’t intend being an @rse but Summer Lightening shouldn’t be the focal point of your ride, there is so much more in the area. I strongly suggest you join a Nirvana Cycles Ride to explore the area.

In terms of other parking take a look at the OS map, there are lots of trails on Leith, Holmbury, Pitch Hills I personally like to base myself out of Peaslake, if bottom car parks are full there is a rarely used one up Radnor Road a little way below BKB start point. Route from Holmbury Village to/from Leith via Greenlands way is a decent ride up and down.

Like Jambalaya says, SL ain’t what it used to be (pre-deforesting). Even back in the day it wasn’t really anything special. I/we only hit it these days if heading off down to Wolvens/Rookery.

Try a Nirvana ride but be prepared for it not to be to your liking. Or just explore the ‘lesser known’ trails around Leith/Holmbury/Pitch etc.

EDIT: Starvael has usually being the CP of choice. Means you can warm up with some of the short/fun stuff west of the tower before taking the mainly downhill Greensands link into Holmbury and go from there …

Thanks for the advice. You’ll see from earlier in the thread that I was trying to avoid the Peaslake car parks. My route takes in SL, Telegraph Row, Y Pots, BKB etc. I often use the car park near the top of BKB but I wasn’t so sure on the Leith Hill area of my route.

Thanks for the advice. You’ll see from earlier in the thread that I was trying to avoid the Peaslake car parks. My route takes in SL, Telegraph Row, Y Pots, BKB etc. I often use the car park near the top of BKB but I wasn’t so sure on the Leith Hill area of my route.

In that case, you prob want to try the Starvael car park, which you will likely already pretty much ride past. Its reasonably big and often quiet. Just remember to take your bike off the roof before you drive in!

We usually park around Ranmore (or Box Hill) and ride over, that way you get a couple more decent descents.

t_i_m
Cheers for another car park link and height restriction warning! My bike travels inside the car so not an issue but I know someone who did a lot of damage entering a height restricted car park.