Great mountain bike rides in the surrey hampshire border area
Pitch Place, Hindhead Common, Gibbet Hill, Devil's Punchbowl, Thursley Common, Hankley Common
About this ride.
Approx 12 miles with alternative for the more extreme section and a suggested route for a shorter ride. Long climbs and descents, great views, all weather hard trails and some loose rocks

Map of Route

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Starting from the PITCH PLACE car park on the Churt to Elstead "Thursley Road", turn left onto the road and descend to the bottom of the hill then Right into a byway on an S bend in the road.

Photo byway Photo Cross Hyde Lane

From here it is nearly all uphill for about four miles. Continue on this moderately technical trail which becomes more rocky until it emerges from a gully, where there may be some easily ridden mud. Take the right fork and cross straight over "Hyde Lane" into a narrow bridleway (beware of nettles for the first few meters in the summer).

Photo 2nd trail Photo direction

This lane soon becomes a rocky gully which requires a degree of skill to ride (I will describe an easier alternative later). Just past a gate ("Wild" horses are kept in the Punchbowl area which you are just entering), there is a step up then the trail becomes flatter and wider.

Punchbowl Punchbowl

As it emerges from trees and continues ahead of you as a more open grassy lane, take an acute left turn and continue uphill until a crossroads in the trail.

Photo

Turn right here, and for the most panoramic ride overlooking The Devils Punchbowl, keep to the leftmost trail (virtually all trails lead to the same place). There are fine views to the left as you continue to climb with purple heather in summer and equally striking colours at other times of year. It's possible to see where the A3 used to run before the tunnel was built.

Photo Photo

The trail arrives at a gate and cattle grid. Pass over this and continue a short distance until the trail forks.

Here I will describe the alternative route from "Hyde Lane" for those who do not like riding rocks. Instead of crossing the surfaced road after the first trail, turn right onto it. It's an interesting narrow road with a couple of climbs and descents. At the second sharp right hand bend at the foot of a descent you will see a fence and iron gate on the left with a narrow access to the right of it. This is designated a footpath but is almost exclusively used by bikes.

Photo

Immediately past the gate you are likely to encounter a muddy patch which is normally possible to bypass. (You can miss this by continuing past the entrance to the top of a hill, turn left beside a gate and there is an opportunity to descend to the trail below, past the mud.) The trail then climbs to firm ground and ascends for around two miles through a pleasant wooded valley. At a three way fork keep to the left, ignoring trails that ascend the steep valley sides. The final part is quite steep before it emerges onto a surfaced driveway. Turn right here and you will shortly join the "rocky" route at the fork.

There is a small "unofficial" car park here, that I will call TILFORD ROAD CAR PARK, for about three cars. Take the left fork and continue along the edge of The Punchbowl, now wooded. You will pass behind the National Trust Cafe (Where there is an option to start your ride from THE PUNCHBOWL CAR PARK). There is a great view of the punchbowl to your left. You are now at a very popular beauty spot so continue with care on a semi surfaced trail leading to a surfaced byway which comprises part of the cycle route to bypass the A3 tunnel. Turn left here. You will pass "The Sailor's Stone" marking the spot where a sailor was murdered when this trail was the main London to Portsmouth Road.

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Shortly, look out for an access on your right leading to an open area (ignore other trails to your right).

Photo Photo

This is the summit of Hindhead, "Gibbet Hill". There are great views and both Hindhead Common and Polecat Valley to the south have some nice trails. You will see here a monument indicating where the sailor's murderers were hanged.

Photo Gibbet Hill Photo

Pass to the right of this on a narrow trail keeping left and descend back to the surfaced byway. Turn right on this and continue downhill until a narrow surfaced lane (byway) heads to your left at an acute angle leading to a youth hostel. This is an interesting descent to the picturesque floor of The Devil's Punchbowl.

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Look out for a driveway on your left which can appear as the trail, then keep to the right passing a very small cottage on your right, then over a cattle grid. You are likely to see Highland cattle here.

Photo Photo

The trail then ascends becoming loose and stony but easily rideable.

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Soon after the top of the climb and after descending a short distance a wide trail forks to the left and crosses a cattle grid. Follow this until it meets a surfaced road.

Here there is an opportunity to "short cut" the ride by taking a left turn. This byway drops very steeply to a stream. After crossing, a left turn brings you to a demanding climb and then a driveway to Hyde Lane.

Photo Photo

Continue straight on past a duck pond where soon, after a trail on your right (which takes you back to the first byway on the route) you will come to the point where the trail crosses the road.

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Turn right here to take the first trail in reverse to Pitch Place car park, or turn left if you started from Hindhead.

Continue on the surfaced road with care as you are likely to meet resident's cars and farm vehicles. This is a pleasant winding descent for over a mile past Thursley Church (where the murdered sailor's grave can be found) and some attractive old houses.

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On arriving at a T junction in the centre of Thursley village turn left, then cross over the road and drop down onto a rough grass area (The village green) where a lightly defined trail crosses at an angle to an opening in the woodland opposite. This is a superb single track.

Photo Photo

Cross over the bridleway at the bottom of the descent and continue on the single track which runs parallel to the badly horse eroded bridleway. Look out for a left turn which takes you back onto a more rideable section of the bridleway and then onto a wider track leading to an S bend on Thursley Road. Turn left and almost immediately right into a surfaced lane giving access to Hankley Common. Continue past HANKLEY COMMON CAR PARK and a gate. At the bottom of a descent (watch out for military vehicles) three trails are on your right leading from a clear sandy area. The middle one is the bridleway for our route but you can take the left (parallel) one, then cross over to it further up to avoid deep sand on the initial section. Keep 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.

Photo Photo

Follow this wide firm trail along the top of the ridge where it eventually bears right and shortly becomes rocky and starts to ascend. At a fork in the trail a right turn will take you back to the car park, whereas a left fork followed immediately by another left fork

Photo Photo

will bring you onto a short ascent to Kettlebury Hill, the highest point on the Common with views to Hindhead and The Surrey Hills.

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A right turn then left at the bottom of the descent returns you to the PITCH PLACE car park.

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START POINTS

PITCH PLACE: On Thursley Road between Churt and Elstead. Car park is on left just before Pitch Place sign. (Closed at time of writing for forestry work.) Alternatives are HANKLEY COMMON CAR PARK, left at bottom of hill approx one mile towards Elstead, and Elstead Moat approx half mile past this turning.

TILFORD ROAD CAR PARK: This is an "unofficial" car park for about three cars, used by locals for dog walking etc. At the end of the second driveway (Access road to several houses and marked Bridleway) after junction of Tilford Road and Churt Road when headed towards Hindhead. Turn right onto trail.
Start From Here

PUNCHBOWL CAR PARK: At the National Trust Cafe Hindhead. Ride to edge of punchbowl and turn right onto route. (You will have to pay to park here)
Start From Here

HANKLEY COMMON CAR PARK: Turn left into access road at S bend at foot of hill on Thursley Road between Churt and Elstead (heading towards Elstead) and car park is on left just before barrier. Exit car park and turn left onto route.
Start From Here

Contact: John Johns. Tel: 01252 792 407. Email: logon2@maximp.co.uk
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