[Closed] Decent natural xc riding within a couple of hours of London

Quantocks.

Surrey Hills?

Chilterns?

Cotswolds?

You won’t get to the peak in 2 hours these seem a good bet

If you don’t own it this book is a sound investment

The Good Mountain Biking Guide - England & Wales: 500 of the best areas to ride https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/095591910X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VH635BXVD4TCVP7DXVYN

Swinley forest

North Downs in North West Kent for woodland riding ....i.e Joydens Woods(Bexley) ,Shorne Country Park,Cobham Deer Park,Bluebell hill Area,Trosley(Near and from Gravesend).

ps If you need showing around I reckon I will be about on my Slackline 🙂 .

Whereabouts in London are you?

Epping Forest or Thetford Forest.

Train to Sevenoaks/Oxted/Redhill/Dorking/Guildford and ride to Guildford/Dorking/Redhill/Oxted/Sevenoaks? Use bridleways and any trails you can find

South Downs - 100 miles to choose from, and well within your specified range

Get a train from London towards Brighton. Get off at Hassocks, which is about a mile or so from the South Downs Way. Ride along the tops of the hills towards Eastbourne and then get the train back from there. It's signposted all the way along and is roughly 35 miles. Makes for a good day out and it ends in the middle of Eastbourne. The train station is easy to find.

Many years ago I was down in London and arranged to meet a mate. I'm pretty sure we rode bits of the South Downs but I really can't remember...I left London on a train in clean riding kit and returned absolutely manky - ticket guy had a good laugh at the sight of me but felt sorry for whoever had to clean the mess; hotel asked me to use a lift on my own so I didn't get any other guests filthy!

Purbecks/Cotswolds/Wiltshire plenty their maybe more gravel but loads of Byways/Forest Of Dean could do that in couple of hours maybe!!

Paineys suggestion is good. I've done that on foot with a bivy overnight

You can go further or different if you use Petersfield/Rowlands Castle stations or Winchester. All different points to access the SDW and the riding around it, incl trail centre at QECP. About 60-90 min on the train from Waterloo

Henley and Christmas Common

Train down (or drive) from Waterloo to Godalming and then explore Thursley and Hankley Commons, then up to the Devil’s Punch Bowl, Gibbet Hill and back via Witley/Milford. Alternatively, down to Haslemere and do a big loop via the Devil’s Punch Bowl, Golden Valley, Ludshott Common and loop round Liphook via the commons and then climb Blackdown and back to Haslemere. I’ve probably got some PDF route maps if you want them. Mostly bridleways but some good riding, which I miss since moving away 🙁

Hadleigh would be a good call for an XC style ride, especially if you don’t want to rely on local knowledge etc. Easy(ish) to get to being East London/ Essex boarders.

@rak
Any pointers for Christmas Common?
I’ve been living in the area for the past year and not found anything around there!

Seriously? Christmas Common is slap-bang in the middle of some great riding. Buy yourself a map here: https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/map-of-chiltern-hills-west/

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34257860

Christmas Common - a lot of the good stuff in one file. I used to start in in the NE corner near Chinnor and short-cut it the few times I tried to ride it all in a day. Cutting off the section S of Nettlebed works well. It's classic XC with a few bits of FP, good riding.

South Downs, pretty much any section of it really. I live near Chichester and it’s more wooded here or you have the more classic open chalk downland a bit further east.

Or a massive vote for Christmas Common. I grew up in Stoke Row so right in the midst of that. Cracking natural XC and will be bluebell paradise in a few weeks.
Also worth looking a bit further west, the Grims ditch is a great bit of trail down to Wallingford and then you have access to classic ridgeway and some other good stuff.

Thanks for that @jameso
I know the end around Chinnor fairly well and the odd trail south of Christmas Common but never seem to be able to link them together properly.

Maybe I just go out at odd times but I very rarely see anyone out on MTB's around here, it all seems to be roadies and quite a few gravel riders of late.

Train/drive to Guildford, Downslink to just past Steyning, then leave Downslink and turn west on South Downs Way, take the bridleway past the pig farm up onto the hills, head up to Chanctonbury Ring for the views and a breather, then back and across on fast bridleway to Cissbury Ring, downhill into Shoreham for fish & chips on the beach. If you're hardcore ride the Downslink back, next time I'll be taking the train on the return leg...

Thanks all for the replies. Looks like I might head over to the sdw.

Not knowing the area - what's best and easiest to get to from Walton on Thames. I'm working nights, so have the afternoons, but don't want to travel far at all

Having researched a bit, it looks like Swinley might be the one for me with the HT - half hour away. If I bring the big bouncy e-bike down, I'll try Surrey Hills

@teadrinker depending which bit of the SDW, but if Painey's suggestion of Hassocks, then you could also explore Stanmer Woods which has lots of fun singletrack through the trees off the main tracks.