Surrey Hills Mountain Biking

Description

Surrey Hills Mountain Bike Trails consist of a set of trails that crisscross the North Downs. 3 of the most well-known ride spots are Leith Hill, Holmbury Hill, and Pitch Hill.

Each can be ridden individually or looped together. This set of hills is a combination of natural feeling and purpose-built single-track. There is both a large amount of sanctioned as well as unsanctioned off-piste riding in the area. Check out the car park guide, rock up, and just explore or check out the resources section for route guides

Leith Hill

• Leith hill is probably the steepest of the three hills and home to The Tower the highest point on Leith Hill as well as the highest point in the North Downs. Hence there are tough climbs and some really rewarding descents. Although facilities are limited there is a neat little kiosk for tea and cake at the top of The Tower. Nirvana Cycles in Westcott is a decent shop and a common place to start. They have maps and also organise informal rides.
• Summer Lightning is the waymarked official trail. It starts just below the iconic Leith Hill Tower and runs to connect up to the old Summer Lightning section. It's a red-graded trail and around 8.5km in length.
• Leith Hill is a combination of National Trust, Forestry Commission, and private land. Keep to the rights of way of cyclists and dedicated MTB trails only, keeping off footpaths and unmarked trails.

Holmbury Hill

• Holmbury Hill can be started from the village of Peaslake. Famous here is the village store for tea and cake and trails such Barry Knows Best. a flowing track that traverses down the final descent, the Yoghurt Pots full of rolling dips as you descend, and the Telegraph Row which is fast singletrack.
• Holmbury is part of the Hurtwood and you, therefore, have the 'right to roam' which means you can ride on all trails unless there are signs specifically denying bikes so long as you follow the Hurtwood Bikers' Code.

Pitch Hill 

• Pitch Hill is as rewarding as the others with the same abundance of singletrack. Famous trails are Supernova, Curly Wurly, Vauxhall Nova and the set of trails known as the T Trails (which are rooty and flowy).
• Peaslake is also a good place to start for these trails (see car parking guide below).
• Pitch Hill is also part of the Hurwood and you, therefore, have the 'right to roam' which means you can ride on all trails unless there are signs specifically denying bikes so long as again you follow the Hurtwood Bikers Code.

Resources and Routes

Surrey Hills Mountain Biking  

• Great site with a good selection of the official and tolerated trails across all the hills. Includes descriptions and GPX and a good starting point to explore 

MBR 

• MBR has a neat 30km route around Peaslake with a detailed description of the region

Trailforks CC 

• Probably the largest selection of GPX with ride reports.

Groups, Rides and Clubs

• Hurtwood Trails is the MTB volunteer group responsible for trail development on the Hurtwood Estate in Surrey Hills.
• London Calling - MTB
• Surrey Hills MTB

Car Parks and Other Stuff

• Parking: Don't park in the middle of Peaslake! Hurtwood Car Park 2: Walking Bottom is the closest to Peaslake. Postcode GU5 9RR will take you to the centre of Peaslake. The car park is just outside the village - follow the road out of the centre past the Hurtwood Inn/Pedal & Spoke and the car park is about 300m on your left. A handy local map with many of the car parks etc can be found here.

Share

• If you have ridden any of the mountain bike trails in the Surrey Hills then why not share your experience with the community and post some pictures, videos, and reviews.