Mountain Biking on the North Downs. Peter Edwards

      

      MOUNTAIN BIKING ON THE NORTH DOWNS

      by Peter Edwards

      2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY

      www.cicerone.co.uk

      About the Author

      Peter Edwards grew up in Sussex and nurtured a love of walking and mountain biking amid the ‘blunt, bow-headed, whale-backed’ hills of the South Downs. He has undertaken numerous walking and cycling expeditions in Europe and beyond and is particularly drawn to wild and remote landscapes. Peter completed his doctorate at Sussex University in 2005 and moved to Scotland in 2006. He currently lives in Glasgow with his wife, Fiona, and Dougal the Labrador. Peter also writes about his walking and cycling trips on his blog site at www.writesofway.com.

      Other Cicerone guides by the author

      Mountain Biking on the South Downs

      Walking on Jura, Islay and Colonsay

      Walking on Rum and the Small Isles

      © Peter Edwards 2014

      First edition 2014

      ISBN: 978 1 85284 702 9

      Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd.

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.

       This product includes mapping data licensed from Ordnance Survey® with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown copyright 2014. All rights reserved. Licence number PU100012932.

      Dedication

      To Mr & Mrs Dodd – Southern Scotland next, team!

      Acknowledgements

      Huge thanks to Andy and Jen Dodd for their hospitality, their good-humoured posing for photos, their fearless test-riding of many of the routes and for the fine ales from the Ashford Road brewery. Thanks to Emily Conrad for her heroic efforts on the Big Surrey Hills Day Out. Big thanks to Renee Bull and Jim ‘Mr C’ Clements for their generous hospitality and an introduction to the glorious Elham Valley. Thanks to Pete Long and Linda Routh for putting me up in Temple Ewell. I hereby reiterate my ongoing deep gratitude to the lovely Fiona Rintoul for her support and unusual sense of humour. Thanks also to Neil Simpson and the rest of the team at Cicerone for transforming my words and pictures into such a lovely wee book.

      Advice to Readers

      While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. If we know of any, there will be an Updates tab on this book’s page on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.

      Front cover: Looking west along the Downs from Colley Hill (Route 8)

      CONTENTS

       Emergencies

       Map key

       Overview map

       Route summary table

       INTRODUCTION

       About the routes in this guide

       Centres

       Getting there and getting around

       When to go

       Safety

       Equipment

       Tools and maintenance

       Navigation

       Hydration

       Food

       Rights of way and other users

       Waymarking

       Maps

       Using this guide

       ROUTES AROUND GUILDFORD

       Route 1 Puttenham Common loop

       Route 2 St Martha’s Hill–Abinger loop

       ROUTES AROUND DORKING

       Route 3 Hackhurst Downs–Polesden Lacey loop

       Route