Want to know the county better? Get on your bike. Samantha Laurie tracks down the perfect guide...
For a lifelong cyclist, the opportunity was simply too good to miss. Tasked with writing about his favourite local rides for a new Bradt Travel Guide, Ross Hamilton was in the saddle before you could say Tour de Surrey.
Here was a chance for the former history teacher—and soon-to-be City of London tour guide – to flex his passion for the past. He visited ancient churches, early railroads, and artistic communes, along with a few welcoming gin distilleries, breweries, and country pubs.
“Surrey has so much fascinating history, as well as a long connection with cycling itself,” says Ross, who is based in Twickenham. “In the late 1800s, the Ripley Ride between Thames Ditton and Ripley was really the ‘mecca’ for cyclists, attracting thousands of riders.
“There are hundreds of kilometres of routes through the county. My brief was to find interesting things to see and do along the way, avoiding main roads and keeping rides to under 40km.”
For six months, Ross—often with friend and fellow pedaller Jason Gibbs—tried out many new routes. The result is a collection of 21 hand-picked rides, each with a background on the history, wildlife, and terrain and a bar code for downloading the route via the Komoot app. Most start and finish at railway stations (handy after a gin distillery) and are good for mountain bikes, gravel bikes, or hybrids.
Ross is hard pushed to name a favourite, though at a press, it would be the ride from Box Hill and Westhumble station, avoiding the hill itself in favour of Langley Vale Wood and Prince’s Coverts, near Oxshott – and finishing at the smallest pub in the UK at Claygate station.
Still, when it comes to stories, some really do stand out. Over to you, Ross...
Watts Gallery and Cemetery Chapel
One of the few UK galleries dedicated to a single artist, the gallery was founded by George Frederic Watts with his wife and fellow artist, Mary. It was she who created the stunning nearby Watts Cemetery Chapel, aided by the local community. The interior is covered in her richly symbolic art, while her husband painted a version of his renowned allegorical work The All-Pervading for the altar.
Weekly tours take place on Fridays (11 am-12 noon; book ahead, wattsgallery.org.uk). The graveyard is the last resting place of Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World.
ROUTE: Farnham to Guildford – an undulating 18.9 km ride with a steep climb and uneven surfaces. Takes in picturesque villages and beautiful vistas from The Mount.
Baynards Railway Station
This former station house, south of Cranleigh, has been wonderfully restored and is now a private abode. It was used for the BBC adaptation of The Railway Children (1957) and the movie The Grass is Greener, in which Cary Grant is seen walking across the platforms. Distant from any major population centre, it was built at the insistence of Lord Thurlow, whose country estate, Baynards Park, the Cranleigh line traversed.
ROUTE: Cranleigh Disused Railway Loop – 38.2 km from Chilworth station. A steady climb at the beginning, but mostly downhill, with some off-road. Opened in 1865, the Cranleigh line has the unfortunate distinction of being the only Surrey route to fall foul of the sweeping Beeching railway cuts a century later.
Chatley Heath Semaphore Tower
Built in 1822, this is the last surviving semaphore tower of its kind in Britain. Once at the cutting edge of technology, the tower, near Ripley, transmitted messages from London to the Royal Naval Dockyard at Portsmouth in just 15 minutes. Today it is a Landmark Trust property available for self-catering holidays.
ROUTE: Effingham Junction Loop – 19.9 km, level or rolling terrain on B roads and country lanes, with 12% off-road on Ockham Common. Managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust, the common is home to birds such as the hobby, goldcrest and nightjar. This route also passes The Black Swan pub in Ockham, which appears in An American Werewolf in London and Mick Jagger’s film, Performance. With beautiful gardens and fine fare, the pub is busy all year round, so book ahead (blackswanockham.com).
Lingfield Loop
I hadn’t expected Lingfield, in the far east of Surrey, to be quite as charming as it is. It has a beautiful high street lined with Tudor buildings, along with an ancient church and an 18th-century stone lock-up for miscreants. There are three Grade I listed structures, including the Church of St Peter and St Paul, dating largely from the 1400s. A 1500-year-old yew tree stands at nearby Crowhurst. And top marks to The Star Inn, where I had a fine cheesy garlic ciabatta!
ROUTE: From Lingfield station – 22.2 km, back lanes and minor roads, with some moderate inclines.
St Michael and All Angels Church, Thursley
One of the finest Surrey churches. On the sundial is the inscription hora pars vitae (‘every hour is part of life’); two of the windows date back to Saxon times; and the glass screen across the vestry is a beautiful piece of work, full of symbolism. Among the yew trees (one of which is nicknamed Bart Simpson, as it evokes images of the character’s hairstyle), the churchyard contains both Titanic survivor Natalie Wick and the Unknown Sailor, murdered by three fellow mariners in 1786 after leaving the Red Lion pub. Thursley, near Hindhead, was also home to Sir Edwin Lutyens, who designed many of Surrey’s greatest homes.
ROUTE: Milford station to Farnham station – 33.5 km, with a quarter of the distance off-road on bridleways, some of which are sandy.
