Surrey Hills in Autumn Colours
Meet Forest Hill 8.00 for the ride out of London option or Box Hill and Westhumble station 9.35 Arrival time of 9.08 train from Victoria, 9.15 from
Clapham junction.
This is one of my favourite rides. I have done a variation of it at least once every season for many years. It’s always different, always interesting. We will ride through Croydon if you meet me in London, then head down the A23. This bit is fast and busy, though not too bad on a Sunday morning. Then up the Chipstead Valley Rd, to the Kingswood roundabout, through Headley Common, Juniper Hill, Box Hill, through the village, down Pebble Hill, through Brockham and the flatlands south of Dorking before heading into the Surrey Hills proper, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Experience the peaceful tranquillity of Friday St, lunch in a cyclist friendly pub in Holmbury St Mary, stop for tea, if time, and sample one of the village store’s famous cheese straws in Peaslake, where many off road riders stop to calorie up on tea and cake too. Then we will head up through Winterfold Wood and then on to our final climb up White Down. Finally, we’ll head across Ranmore Common and down our last lovely descent to Westhumble where we will pick up a train home. About 40 miles if you meet me at Westhumble, 70 or so if you ride out of London. It is a hilly ride and the clocks will have gone back, so you will need to average at least 10mph, over the whole ride to do it. So it’s not one for beginners, although no one will be left behind.