suggestions for riding off road (2-3 hours drive from London

Ferenc

Hi, I was unsure of where to post this question. As its got to do with a place to ride off road, I thought it would be a good start here.
Early September my mother is visiting me and I would like some advice on where I could go to ride that is in easy reach of London. I unfortunately don't have a car but would be open to the possibility of renting a car as train fair could add up to the same amount.
I would like to spend at least 2 nights away staying in a B&B. My riding ability off road is good and my mother has been riding for years (I was going to say she is fit but you may get the wrong idea as she is not). What would be driving distance say 2-3 hours radius of London that is worth visiting? I would not bother asking if I knew the UK.

Thank you

fridge1979

Cannock chase just north of birmingham, afan forest souh wales, cwmcarn south wales, thetford forest, south downs, to name but a few!!!!

diy

2-3 hours gets you in to wales, but you don't need to go that far. plenty of good rides in the surrey hills only 40 mins by train away and then you can stay in youth hostiles or b&bs.

add another 1/2 an hour and you have south downs (brighton way) or swinley forest along the M4.

Ferenc

diy wrote:

2-3 hours gets you in to wales, but you don't need to go that far. plenty of good rides in the surrey hills only 40 mins by train away and then you can stay in youth hostiles or b&bs.

add another 1/2 an hour and you have south downs (brighton way) or swinley forest along the M4.

Hi, thank you for your replies. Surrey Hills sounds attractive. Please would you mind recommending any places/ forest/ parks to cycle there? I have Swinley on the agenda. I have cycled South Downs but found it too hill and not enough challenge with technical bits. Maybe I missed a good route?

Anonymous

For Surrey Hills, see the London Calling thread here.

Loads of us around the London and surrounding area that do some local-ish rides. Surrey Hills is popular and masses of trails, but need a guide really to find them all. There are well known ones that aren't too difficult to find and loads of people about to point you in the right direction. Or join us for a ride.

Basically the whole of the hills are generally rideable. Winterfold, Pitch, Holmbury, Leith in the main, and there are other bits around, plus the North Downs right next to them. Most of it is open access so free to roam and plenty of trails. Pop into Peaslake village which is a nice base to Winterfold, Pitch & Holmbury hills (Leith is linkable from Holmbury), and pretty much taken over by bikes.

I'd say Surrey Hills is the best place in southern England.

We also do Swinley which is the nearest thing to a trail centre round here. Loads of trails again, but more maintained and structured compared to the natural feel of Surrey Hills (bar a small number of official trails there). Not particularly hilly, but fun place. £2 per day permit to ride there or an annual pass for £20. Free parking though.

Then there's Aston Hill (downhill place basically, have to pay to ride there), further up, Chicksands, Woburn, Cannock, though can't comment much on those as never done them.

There's other stuff around Surrey & North Hampshire, much of which is MOD land and quite good in places.

And then some of us go further to Wales for the more serious stuff. 2-3 hours down the M4 gets you to Cwmcarn (downhill trail mostly with a nice XC trail too), and a bit further to Afan which is good. 4-5 for a trek to North Wales, e.g. CYB.

diy

Download mapsource from garmin, download open mtb map http://openmtbmap.org/ The main trails are marked. If you have a GPS with mapping then even better. There are a couple of Youth Hostels located close by. Tanners Hatch in ranmore common (a few trails there too), then one right on Holmburt St Mary. Your nearest train station is dorking or box hill and west humble.

Depending on your riding you could do holmbury one day and leith the next.

Ferenc

Thank you all for your replies. I now have some data to sift through.
The London Calling group I have looked at in the past. Its a bit misleading as most of the riders are living on the outskirts of London. So when the group get a early start to go off to the big rides like Wales etc. I am still trying to make my way out of London by train (I don't own a car unfortunately). Anyway I will look at where the group will be riding when I intend to get away from it all with my mum.
Thank you all again. F

cooldad

Except we rarely get to Wales. Most rides are in SH or Swinley.

Anonymous

True. We're London Calling but really should be Near London but not in London Calling, and Wales trips aren't that often.

There's talk of Afan trip soon though and some do Cwmcarn more often for downhill days.

But yeah, mostly it's SH or Swinley.

Still a bit of a pain by train I guess. Not many MTB options inside London though. Might be someone closer in you could get a lift with though depending who's going where.

Time to get a car

Lassebabba

Don't forget about Bedgebury Bike Park and trails. It should not be more then 1.5 hours drive from London I'd thought; http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-6LJHU5

I've had a lot of fun there :-)



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