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I'm trying to make a route, doable in a day, that roughly follows the sandstone hills on the 'inside' of the chalk North/South downs. I'm aiming for as much off road as possible while still making a relatively direct route, and keeping to bridleways and legit tracks. I've deliberately kept off the singletrack in the Hurtwood and Leith too, as I'd like it to to work in both directions.
The planning is easy enough around Surrey, which I know very well and has heaps of bridleways. Through the Southern edge I'm having a harder time though. Are there any West Sussex/East Hampshire locals who can have a look at the route and let me know if any of the sections are awful bogs, jungles, or otherwise inhospitable?
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Route available here (should be public): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52296308 Â
if you want to keep to legit tracks then you're using a footpath heading west of Warminghurst (and it always feels quite farmer shotgunny to me).
Head south down Park Lane - Newhouse Lane and right and right again onto Merryhood Lane and then turn north onto the Strawberry Lane bridleway which is a fun one and will take back up to Thakeham
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a lot of the southern stuff will be very season/weather specific, but you knew that
Brilliant, thank you. Changes made! It's getting further and further from 200km with every revision.
It's so tempting to head just a bit futher south to the downs and use all the bridleways there, but got to keep the gimmick of the route in mind.
Maybe add Kinsbrook Vinyard for cake and coffee or something stronger, a couple 100m NE of your West Chilts routing - regular stop for roadiesÂ
I can't offer much help on the Sussex section but looks like a great route and I'd like to try it.
For the southern Surrey section, I recently planned a route through there which broadly seems to follow yours https://www.komoot.com/tour/2412031204
Here are the differences (apart from that mine goes in the opposite direction):
- I decided to go up through Milford Common and Rodborough Common, these are really nice and I prefer to go under the A3 rather than over it. Would add some distance though.
- Above Upper Vann your route takes the upper bridleway rather than Greensand Way, the upper bridleway was pretty overgrown and I thought the lower path was better with nice views.
- Holloways Heath I decided to take the north/south path off and up Mare Lane. This gives the opportunity to fill up from Hascombe water fountain. The part you use has some steep steps that weren't climbable but perhaps they would be fun to descend.
- At 124.1km you go up north and east onto the gravel trail up to Thorncombe street, from memory parts of this are very rough and overgrown, to keep the route rideable I would go east then north instead.