MTB Rides Surrey Hampshire border

Great mountain bike rides in the surrey hampshire border area
Bourne Woods, Sheepatch, Waverley, Seale, Crooksbury Common, Tilford, Hankley Common.

About this ride.
Approx 12 miles. This ride passes through some interesting and historical areas and has only one short, easily bypassed "extreme" section, so is suitable for anyone with reasonable fitness and bike skills. There is the opportunity to explore more demanding sections in Bourne Woods and Hankley Common.

Map of Route

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Starting from Stockbridge car park, the full route is accessed by turning right.

You can miss out the Hankley Common section by crossing the Tilford Road and following the byway opposite for about a mile to where the main route crosses it just before FRENSHAM LITTLE POND CAR PARK.

Continue on the full route by following the byway (the same side of the road as the car park) on a gentle descent, passing Stockbridge Pond and arriving at a gate onto Hankley Common.

The trail shortly divides three ways. Take the right trail but a more interesting alternative to following it straight up the gulley is to take a single track ascending around the end of the bank to your right.

Follow the single track until it meets the main trail again and turn right onto it, then take the left fork. There are side trails here to miss flooded sections in wet weather. Keep to the main hard trail ignoring a sandy turnoff until it meets a T junction. Turn left here skirting the virtually permanent puddle and follow the trail to the right.

Where the trail ascends gently as a sandy bridleway (difficult in dry periods), look out for a narrow single track running parallel to its right. Then stay on the main trail, ignoring a sandy track to your right until the trail forks.

Take the left fork which ascends then drops down an interesting gully with a nice display of heather on its banks in summer. At the bottom, again ignore sandy trail to your right and shortly you will come to a fork with a green triangle.

Take the right fork then continue keeping to your right through forest. There can be some fairly deep sand so keep by the trees to the right and you will emerge onto the bridleway from a gully.

Turn right and continue on the main trail which bears to the left, ignoring turnings to the right. This area is known as The Lion's Mouth and there is an interesting feature from WW2 to your right, The Atlantic Wall . After a moderate ascent you will arrive on Hankley Ridge. The main bridleway continues to the right but if you cross to the edge of the "bowl" there is an interesting single track giving a fine view of the common below and re-joining the bridleway after a few hundred meters.

Follow this wide firm trail along the top of the ridge for a short distance then take the second trail to your right. Bear right then left (staggered X roads). The trail shortly descends to another cross roads. Turn right onto a wide trail which descends to a gate to exit Hankley Common. Cross "Tilford Road" into "Grange Road" and continue for about half a mile, then just before the road descends to a ford and treacherously slippery wooden bridge, turn right onto a bridleway running parallel to the road, ignoring a driveway immediately to your right.

This interesting single track shortly crosses the byway from Stockbridge, passing close to FRENSHAM LITTLE POND CAR PARK. Cross Straight over (Left if coming from car park, right from the short cut) Bear right and descend to a bridge crossing the River Wey at Tankersford (Tancred's ford, you may see swans here).

Continue through Pierrepoint Farm , owned by The Countryside Restoration Trust

Pass through a gate where a short ascent on single track brings you to a wider trail with some interesting side trails. Look out for one on the left on a descent just before it leads into a driveway which then ascends to the Tilford to Frensham road, "Reeds Road".

Cross over Reeds Road into another bridleway. You will pass Bourne Woods on your left where many of the major films are produced. If you would like to try some more demanding hills look out for gates on your left where you can explore the Bourne Woods trails. The trail descends to the Tilford to Farnham Road.

Cross straight over into Sheephatch Lane. Just after a bridge over a branch of the River Wey, a bridleway can be accessed on your right. Although rideable by more adept riders it is a steep climb through a narrow gulley and is the most demanding section of the route.

To bypass this continue on Sheephatch Lane through "Sheephatch Hollow", an interesting "tunnel" like road climb. At the top join the described route by turning left into the byway described below.

At the top of the ascent continue on the main trail until a T junction with a byway. Turn left here. The trail becomes a driveway passing Sheephatch Farm and meets Sheephatch Lane again at the top of the "hollow".

Cross straight over into another byway. After a descent through an off road hollow, bear left (Waverley Abbey ruins can be glimpsed through the trees to your left) and continue to a junction with the Farnham to Elstead road.

If you have time there are some interesting diversions to your left. Waverley Abbey Ruins , Mother Luglam's Cave and the excellent lane to Farnham which was once disputed in The Battle of Moor Park . Now downgraded to footpath but used mainly by bikes. Our route turns right here and ascends on the road, then shortly into a bridleway on the left giving access to a couple of houses.

At it's junction with Crooksbury Road, cross straight over into a single track bridleway which winds through woods at the foot of Crooksbury Hill.

Turn left onto Smugglers Way", a byway, at a three way junction ignoring the footpath to your left.

The byway ascends until it becomes a surfaced access road. Continue to the T junction with Littleworth Road beside The Jolly Farmer pub at Seale. Turn right and soon take another right into Long Hill, an access road which is also a bridleway.

At the end of the surfaced road the trail continues as as gentle sandy descent across Crooksbury Common. At a barrier continue straight on where the road descends passing some very interesting old houses constructed from stone from Waverley Abbey.

The trail terminates at a junction with the Elstead to Farnham Road at the foot of "Charles Hill" (mentioned in Cobbett's Rural Rides as having a fine view of Hindhead but now heavily wooded). Cross straight over to The Donkey pub and follow the byway that runs past it until it meets a hairpin turn in Whitmead Lane, Tilford.

Continue straight on Whitmead Lane which descends then climbs quite steeply. At the top of the climb fork right to a T junction with Tilford Street.

Turn right and after passing Riversmeet and Shepherds Way take the next left into Squires Hill Lane by a green triangle. Look out for a bridleway on your left known locally as "The Grove".

This descends to the river at Tilford. There is a drop off (fun if you know it's there) and views across the river meadows to Tilford.

Cross the bridge and turn left. The road climbs gently beside Tilford Green

then bears left passing Tilford Church on your right. Shortly after the road levels a byway crosses the road.

STOCKBRIDGE CAR PARK is on your left. If you started from Frensham Little Pond turn left to Hankley Common or right to shortcut the route.

START POINTS

STOCKBRIDGE CAR PARK - is located just south of Tilford Green on Tilford Road. Heading towards Hindhead, look out for a byway crossing the road soon after the brow of the hill. Car park is on the left.

FRENSHAM LITTLE POND CAR PARK - is located on Priory lane, on the left heading towards Hindhead on the Farnham to Hindhead road (A287) just after crossing the river. Pass the small car park on a sharp corner and the main car park is on the right. Ride out of the entrance, turn right and immediately left into a byway. The described route starts by turning left into a bridleway after about 50 meters.
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Contact: John Johns. Tel: 01252 792 407. Email: logon2@maximp.co.uk
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