Earlsfield to Dorking - route advice

CXXC

hi

not really a "commute" as such so maybe there's a more appropriate forum (?) but me and a couple of mates are looking to ride our MTB to Dorking this Sunday before heading into the hills....."why?" I hear you ask, well because:

(a) we don't own a car between us;
(b) Sunday train services are pretty infrequent;
(c) Sunday train services with engineering works and replacement bus service between leatherhead and dorking sound painful; and
(d) we need to get some miles in our legs before the Burgess Hill Spring Classic

So, can any of you sages bestow your wisdom upon me and recommend a route from SW London to Dorking, as I'm guessing a lot of you head out that way for Sunday/Club rides? Preferably on-road/cycle path as don't want to be completely sh*gged by the time we get there.

Obviously I'll also do the online routemap thing but was wondering if there were preferred routes or places to avoid?

Cheers in advance for any help

roger_merriman

do as the romans?

ie follow the modern A24 (probably worth going though Ewell than the bypass!) then hang a right on just before Ashtead onto farm rd which will drop you at the start of Stane rd which will take you off road to just outside dorking.

fnegroni

You must take into account the return trip after 'heading into the hills'.

IMHO, just select a destination you can reach by train not too far from Dorking.

If the train stops at Leatherhead, that's where you would get to Dorking from.

I would not personally manage to just pootle around for 20+ miles just to get somewhere. Unless the 40 miles round trip to Dorking is part of the training. I wouldn't want to...

cjcp

Isn't there a station near Mickleham or Box Hill? Are those stations affected by the works? If not, it would be quicker to ride to Waterloo, catch an early train and then enjoy a long ride back.

rjsterry

fnegroni wrote:

You must take into account the return trip after 'heading into the hills'.

IMHO, just select a destination you can reach by train not too far from Dorking.

If the train stops at Leatherhead, that's where you would get to Dorking from.

I would not personally manage to just pootle around for 20+ miles just to get somewhere. Unless the 40 miles round trip to Dorking is part of the training. I wouldn't want to...

Ditto.

Get to Clapham Junction or Wimbledon, see what is going where and buy your ticket accoringly, then you have a pretty wide range of short train journeys to places near Dorking. I have often used Wimbledon to Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon, but Leatherhead is also good. Unfortunately you need to check two different rail companies - SW Trains and Southern Railways as they both serve that bit of the country.

http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/networkmap.aspx#

http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/network-map/

BTW the little newsagent at Dorking station usually has a good stock of post-ride goodies.

CXXC

Thanks Merriman, i didn't realise the Romans also loved to go MTb in the Surrey Hills

fnegroni wrote:

I would not personally manage to just pootle around for 20+ miles just to get somewhere. Unless the 40 miles round trip to Dorking is part of the training. I wouldn't want to...

Yep it is part of the training just to spend some hours in the saddle but with something to look forward to, i.e. getting to the hills and having some fun. Will most probably be jumping on a train home tho!! Will maybe bump into some of the mtb crowd there on Sunday (assuming we don't get lost), if so I'm on the red 04 Spesh

cheers