Box Hill

sampurnell

i know this may get me lynched by the faithful in the area, but what is the big whoop about it?
i would like to give it a crack but is it really worth a 50 mile route just to take it in - or is it that its just the best of a bad bunch ni the area.

i.e why is it a really great hill?

jibberjim

It's not even the best of a bad bunch, it's not the longest hill, or the steepest hill, or the most interesting hill, there's nothing special about it at all.

It just has a cafe on the top, provides one of only a couple of routes back from the hills to south west and south london, and its closeness to south west london probably makes it most peoples first experience.

It's still worth going out there, just to set a time, so you can compare yourself to all us other folks who think we're cyclists.

weapons

I quite like box hill as it offers some of the best views in the surrey hills and the fact that it has a few switchbacks means that you can pretend you're climbing up alpe d'huez. It's also being used for the 2012 Olympic road race so that should help give it a mythical status amongst local riders.

Will.C

Not the hardest or the best but it does have a half decent view, try a little route of the other hills (ranmore and leith hill). Leith hill's pretty brutal if you go the right way.

sampurnell

thanks guys, if i am riding from basingstoke way, anyone know a good route to take in the hills mentioned above? route can be up to 70 or 80 miles and i will get a train back.

mask of sanity

I cycled it today for the first time and I was really disappointed. It's not hard and it's not long so I don't know why its so popular. Though, admittedly the view is amazing!

gbs

Will.C wrote:

. Leith hill's pretty brutal if you go the right way.

@Will: Which way is that please? It was the last hill on the Evans sportive last weekend ( approaching from the NW then eastish along Abinger Rd up to Coldharbour) - long but nothing special so maybe we had an easy route.

@OP: I endorse the earlier comments re switchback, views, cafe, challenge thread; all make a revisit worthwhile.

Will.C

Sounds like you came the wrong way mate or I'm a pansy boy. Did you do the whole of abinger road? I started from the ockley straight, up into leith hill through cold harbour then to abinger, fairly long, its like a 16/17 grade then flattens out for a bit then steep then flat etc.

@OP, can't think of a route at the mo, im sure it can't be too hard to incorporate ranmore, leith hill and boxhill in one ride? I dunno. Don't blame me if you don't enjoy it . I have no other hills to compare them too really.

mask of sanity

Will.C wrote:

Sounds like you came the wrong way mate or I'm a pansy boy. Did you do the whole of abinger road? I started from the ockley straight, up into leith hill through cold harbour then to abinger, fairly long, its like a 16/17 grade then flattens out for a bit then steep then flat etc.

That did actually cross my mind. My Garmin called the road the Zigzag, or something like that. Abinger road doesn't sound familiar.

Will.C

Zig zag is boxhill. I was talking about leith hill, not as famous but higher and steeper

gbs

Will.C wrote:

Sounds like you came the wrong way mate or I'm a pansy boy. Did you do the whole of abinger road? I started from the ockley straight, up into leith hill through cold harbour then to abinger, fairly long, its like a 16/17 grade then flattens out for a bit then steep then flat etc.

I cannot agree that it was "wrong" to follow the marked route for a sportive!

Yr route I suspect was NE on the A29 (Ockley Straight in yr parlance) then turn L Broome Hall Rd initially running NW up to Coldharbour then L up to Abinger along Abinger Rd. The Broome Hall Rd leg is about 5% average over the 2.7k up to Coldharbour - statistically v similar to Box Hill.

What do you mean by 16 grade? 1/16 ie 6%?

BTW, I am working off a mapping website so there may be measurement diifferences between our two sources.

phil s

Box Hill is totally ghey

Casbar

Im local to Box Hill and ride teh Zig Zag " uphill " several times a week.

Its a nice gentle hill of 2.4 km @ an average of just under 5%

It has nice views, but not spectacular one

Is it worth a 50 mile journey..I dont think so, but if you combine it with a few hills around Dorking then yes

Btw the best views are not necessarily while you ride up it, but once you get around the corner at the top past the NT carpark to the viweing point..on a nice day the views from there are spectacular

Let us know what you think once you have done it

liversedge

Box Hill is "meh". But if its only 50 miles to get there then take in some of the other hills, notably out of Dorking and up to Coldharbour over Boar Hill drop down Leith Hill and ride back up Tanhurst Lane for some cyclo-cross skills ;-) (the road surface is BAD and the hill is steep) and if you can double up somwhow you should take a crack at whitedown.

There are a gazillion climbs in the surrey hills but most are only 5 mins long. My local climb out of Cranleigh and up Barhatch Lane is a good un, it gets nasty steep at the top.

Brut33

Barhatch Lane :twisted:

Will.C

gbs wrote:

Will.C wrote:

Sounds like you came the wrong way mate or I'm a pansy boy. Did you do the whole of abinger road? I started from the ockley straight, up into leith hill through cold harbour then to abinger, fairly long, its like a 16/17 grade then flattens out for a bit then steep then flat etc.

I cannot agree that it was "wrong" to follow the marked route for a sportive!

Yr route I suspect was NE on the A29 (Ockley Straight in yr parlance) then turn L Broome Hall Rd initially running NW up to Coldharbour then L up to Abinger along Abinger Rd. The Broome Hall Rd leg is about 5% average over the 2.7k up to Coldharbour - statistically v similar to Box Hill.

What do you mean by 16 grade? 1/16 ie 6%?

BTW, I am working off a mapping website so there may be measurement diifferences between our two sources.

Oh yuh, I wasn't implying you should have changed your rt for the sportive :P
Was just saying to get the most out of the hill you should go that way.

Maybe i got the terminologu wrong. Gradient? It's steep, steeper than boxhill, that's what I meant. Steep as pebble hill.

clanton

liversedge wrote:

Box Hill is "meh". But if its only 50 miles to get there then take in some of the other hills, notably out of Dorking and up to Coldharbour over Boar Hill drop down Leith Hill and ride back up Tanhurst Lane for some cyclo-cross skills ;-) (the road surface is BAD and the hill is steep) and if you can double up somwhow you should take a crack at whitedown.

There are a gazillion climbs in the surrey hills but most are only 5 mins long. My local climb out of Cranleigh and up Barhatch Lane is a good un, it gets nasty steep at the top.

The Tanhurst climb is better now than it has been surface-wise.

I do a nice loop from home that takes me up Ranmore, then down through Dorking on the Coldharbour climb, down left off Leith Hill to pick up Tanhurst then through Holmbury St Mary on to Whitedown and along the top of Ranmore Common - then repeat! Its a little under 30k but nearly 600m of climbing acc to the Polar.

clanton

clanton wrote:

liversedge wrote:

Box Hill is "meh". But if its only 50 miles to get there then take in some of the other hills, notably out of Dorking and up to Coldharbour over Boar Hill drop down Leith Hill and ride back up Tanhurst Lane for some cyclo-cross skills ;-) (the road surface is BAD and the hill is steep) and if you can double up somwhow you should take a crack at whitedown.

There are a gazillion climbs in the surrey hills but most are only 5 mins long. My local climb out of Cranleigh and up Barhatch Lane is a good un, it gets nasty steep at the top.

The Tanhurst climb is better now than it has been surface-wise.

I do a nice loop from home that takes me up Ranmore, then down through Dorking on the Coldharbour climb, down left off Leith Hill to pick up Tanhurst then through Holmbury St Mary on to Whitedown and along the top of Ranmore Common - then repeat! Its a little under 30k but nearly 600m of climbing acc to the Polar.

BTW does anyone know what the max gradient is on Tanhurst? The sign reads 12% but it feels steeper! I think nearly as steep as Whitedwon which is signed as 18%.

sampurnell

without sounding like an idiot that cant plan anything - could somebody whack a route into Gmaps pedometer (or equivalent) that takes these climbs in? end at top of box hill would be perfect for tea/view, also a nice easy climbe is a better end to the day. 50m from basingstoke so route can be up to 20ish on the loop.
the new plan on how to get decent training in is to meet the missus and child at the end of a 70 mile ride and treat them to lunch / afternoon at nice places then i drive home!! you'll be suprised how many weekends i get sign off doing it that way!

clanton

http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=144685

The link above takes in a hilly route with three stiffish climbs, follow it back up onto Ranmore and then take left fork to Boxhill. As you see it is easy to cut off the Tanhurst climb - might be an idea if you've already 50 miles in the legs before starting.

There is a pub/restuarant called the Smith & Western on Boxhill but the food isn't great.

clanton

Also see here for more ideas:
http://www.jibbering.com/hills/

Toks

phil s wrote:

Box Hill is totally ghey

hater!

paul64

It's always sad to read a hill get dismissed as something which should not disturb the hair gel or the Oakleys. Every Sunday there's a fashion parade at the top of Box Hill, Castelli, Assos, Record super carbon titanium unobtanium or Dura Ace Di2 required at a minimum. It is not the done thing to look like you perspired whilst bombing up the zig zag in your 53x11. If you puncture on your way home you can admire these illuminati as 99% will ride past you without giving a stuff if you have stopped with a problem they could help with.

A savage and unfair caricature? No, Surrey cycling really is like this. Is Box Hill tough? No if you are cycling fit, have natural strength. light weight or are young. Many casual and less talented cyclists have to work hard to get up there though. I managed to haul my 102kg up there in 10:40 tonight and I was delighted. Whilst it is laughable against the chart it should make G-Wiz feel better as his 9:40 would no longer be on the bottom. I would have put it on the list for the benefit of G-Wiz but the recent additions seem to have cocked the list up. At closer to 50 than 40, clearly heavy and with knee surgery in the mix my pitiful ride is 2 minutes quicker and 2 gears higher than I managed before.

Taking a trip to Box Hill, Coldharbour Lane, Newlands Corner and Crocknorth Road would not be a wasted journey if you are another one of those paperweight whippets. Don't forget the fashion requirements though, lots of laughs!

liversedge

I think you are caricaturing a section of the roadie community not surrey cycling. Plenty of pannier and toe-clips can be seen too, just avoid box hill on sunday morning.

clanton

Alternatively arrive on your old winter hack with downtube shifters and with a backpack on your back and overtake all the Cervelos and Pinarellos. The key though is to look like you're not trying ;-)

paul64

If only I could. I meant to add earlier that no offence intended toward everyone else! It's hard to see them out there sometimes. I swear if I ever miraculously start to climb it in 7 minutes or less I will only use the old steel bike up there and ensure it has full mudguards and a bell.

freehub

I want to do this hill, I wanna do it in 5 mins.

doyler78

I want to do it on a Sunday morning for hill repeats. Very slowly zigzaging all over the road then I'm going to head down Richmond Park with the local branch of the ctc for a few leisurely laps

sampurnell

cheers for the links clanton.
and yes cyclists like that are everywhere.
my favourites were one guy in basingstoke.
Binachi (fairly top end) in the turquoise colour
Bianchi top and shorts and hat and over shoes and bottle cages and bottles and gloves all matching.
he took offense as i was out cycling on the hybrid with the missus and i dicked him up a hill.

:roll:

sampurnell

Also Paul - congratulations on improving your best by 2 minutes. thats a huge improvement on any hill.
i am no whippet and will only try and race box hill if i see one of these posers you describe.

but then my competitive side wont let me quit :twisted:

bigmat

freehub wrote:

I want to do this hill, I wanna do it in 5 mins.

I want to do it in 4 minutes. Any advance on that? 8)