It's still heaven during the week... 😀 Did I mention that? 😀
Sorry all the people complaining about Peaslake being rammed. How long have you been riding around there? I can remember having to sit on the kerb to the right of the store over 5yrs ago.
"Trimix....gas, coal, nuclear...not fussed as long as its cheap and positioned out of the way."
I do hope you're kidding eh?
Swinley gets chockers busy at the lookout, but it's mostly families and walkers, once you get out on the trails its not bad, I went for a 3 hour ride on Saturday and had to pull over about 5 times from people coming the other way, so it's no big deal.
Never been to Pitch or Leith Hill though, sounds good, might head there for a change 😀
Peaslake on Sunday
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6672146339_9e011e5ae3.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/74018864@N08/6672146339/ ]the-village-shop[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/74018864@N08/ ]tallgavin[/url], on Flickr
It's a shame parking charges wouldn't work (and I agree they wouldn't) because in a utopian world that would seem to solve all the problems!
It's a massive place, but really it's fed from 3 or so major car parks, while many of the smaller ones are empty. I have noticed that the Winterfold ones are busier now though, even the Alderbrook one right at the western edge of the hills. Still once you get even 100 yards from the car parks it's still generally very quiet, far quieter than any trail centre.
I don't think you were being ironic with your pictures Binners, but I much prefer our vistas to yours, but lets not let this degrade into a North/South debate, I'm sure you have an appointment at the Job Centre to keep anyway 🙂
I'm sure you have an appointment at the Job Centre to keep anyway
Come on. Thats a tad low in this economic climate.
Why not just arrive early early, park on the opposite side of Leith Hill and ride around silent trails taking in Holmbury hill etc etc etc?
Why not just arrive early early, park on the opposite side of Leith Hill and ride around silent trails taking in Holmbury hill etc etc etc?
Living in the sticks to the east, that's pretty much what I do 🙂 No need to even take the Audi! Nice little 30-45 min warm-up and I'm into Redlands/Leith and ready to rock! Hard to beat a flowing 4hr loop taking in the finest trails en route to WF and back 🙂
Have we done the all the gear no idea thing yet? That always comes up when we do Surrey riding. I saw a man with an expensive shiny bike riding slightly too slowly on a trail that is well known to everyone, who the hell does he think he is, if he were even half a man he would have been riding far too quickly on a trail he built himself using his eyelids for shovels which none of you plebs know about because you're too mainstream etc etc...
[i]......silent trails taking in Holmbury hill etc etc etc? [/i]
Trails around Holmbury are largely silent 'cause they're more boring than TJ rattling on about the law on dogs.
Come on. Thats a tad low in this economic climate.Why not just arrive early early, park on the opposite side of Leith Hill and ride around silent trails taking in Holmbury hill etc etc etc?
Or ride out from where you live.... 😉
Its been busy for YEARS. Its not a recent thing.
Yep - I moved to the south east in 95 and we used to go out from Guildford to the downs etc - was busy then though def less cars
Agree on cars. Its normal for one car to carry one rider isn't it. So just say 10 riders arriving can have a noticeable impact in the Peaslake area.
If I was a local I'd want some parking restrictions around the centre - though locals do park outside the shop at times.
though locals do park outside the shop at times.
Indeed, the standard of driving is often horrific!
joolsburger - MemberHave we done the all the gear no idea thing yet? That always comes up when we do Surrey riding. I saw a man with an expensive shiny bike riding slightly too slowly on a trail that is well known to everyone, who the hell does he think he is, if he were even half a man he would have been riding far too quickly on a trail he built himself using his eyelids for shovels which none of you plebs know about because you're too mainstream etc etc...
Yeah, a bit like someone whining and moaning about people having new shiny bikes that weren't covered in mud, even though it was muddy, as if they didn't ride them properly or hardly used them...
Oh it was you that said that! Oh the ironing board 🙄
Hope you don't live in a glass house.
No - Trail widening by mud adverse riders is what I said.
I expect [b]your[/b] bike is spotless though as you seem a little sensitive.
Sorry all the people complaining about Peaslake being rammed. How long have you been riding around there? I can remember having to sit on the kerb to the right of the store over 5yrs ago.
Been riding there 15 years. Not seen it as busy as regularly before in that time. Not complaining either. Worried about increasing pressure on the local environment and wish to encourage others to act as responsibly as possible given popularity cannot be prevented. Spent a while on the OP too to avoid confusion. Oh well...
Peaslake popularity is def a problem. There are local people who would rather do without the village shop if they could get their peace and quiet back. Parking somewhere totally different and stopping-by Peaslake on the way would be a great idea.
My sympathy is a a little restricted, because a lot of the local people don't really want there to be any local business at all, but even so...
But where would they get their copy of Horse and Hound from?
I agree, parking in the village is stupid, as are the 2 huge santa cruz vans often parked up selling over priced 29ers...
I agree, parking in the village is stupid, as are the 2 huge santa cruz vans often parked up selling over priced 29ers...
Really??
[img] http://www.flickr.com/photos/74018864@N08/6672146339/ [/img]
Very good, a few observations. Firstly the cars should be Avants, ideally quattros and add in a Cayenne for good measure. Secondly, they have German plates whereas you'd really see personalised English plates.
Very good, a few observations. Firstly the cars should be Avants, ideally quattros and add in a Cayenne for good measure. Secondly, they have German plates whereas you'd really see personalised English plates.
Its funny how this Audi thing has come about isn't it. It's like people writing "it's exactly like that" on the Surrey Hills youtube clip when of course it isn't really.
There's probably about half a dozen Audis in the car park out of 50 cars. No more or less popular than any other car. Volvo XC90s or BMW 3 series estates are probably are a better pick.
Its funny how this Audi thing has come about isn't it. It's like people writing "it's exactly like that" on the Surrey Hills youtube clip when of course it isn't really.
Agreed! A personal bugbear is people's overuse of the word 'literally' they don't mean that at all, they mean quite the opposite! A friend pointed it out and now it really annoys me. Far worse than people saying 'like' or 'y'know' as hedge words!
"The car park was literally full of Audis"
No it wasn't. There were a couple. Unless it was an Audi dealership, when it's entirely possible.
"I literally flew down the trail"
Not unless you hit a tree stump at the top.
And breathe.
I think you two may have taken the Audi comments a bit too literally.
I think you two may have taken the Audi comments a bit too literally
I don't think we were literally taking them literally. 
I am literally going to kill someone in a minute 🙂
Literally njee, like why do you feel that way? y'know what I mean
literally bored. im going rising. at Peaslake.
Driving to Peaslake is cheating!
I've been living in Peaslake since 2004. And most of you will not have a clue what the village used to look like. It used to be BEAUTIFUL. With hardly any bikers.
At the moment most of the local people hate the fact, that Sunday morning is no longer quiet, that they can't walk a dog without a fear of being run over and without, as in London, looking left when crossing a footpath, with a difference, that they have to check both, left and right.
It's horrible. It's full of mainly arrogant males in their 30's covered in mud and with a £20 note sticking out of their pocket. The area doesn't seem to be friendly and inviting anymore. And the sad outcome of this is that if you're looking for a peaceful and quiet place for your Sunday ride, you should avoid Peaslake.
The only person, who's glad, that you're here, is probably Howard and his bank manager. Peaslake Village shop would be happy without you here (it's always been!) and so would be most of the people, whose privacy is ruined by a "London crowd" flooding the village on Sundays or a UFO-type 10-piece alien aircraft on wheels made of bikers going down the Pitch Hill with their LED headtorches on in the evening during the week.
As well as for the residents of Peaslake, I feel sorry for the single, not-organised biker, who's looking for a nice place to ride the bike. He must feel really strange looking for a place to sit down and eat his lunch or being overtaken on the hilly path.
It seems to be a one-way-ticket with no options to change for the good. Thanks to your Sunday trips the tracks will get eroded even more, thanks to your money Howard will become one of the richest men in the biking industry and thanks to all of it there will be no wildlife in the Hurtwood Forest by 2020. They're already disappearing. Really, really sad. Enjoy your ride. You're not welcome.
At least your village shop is able to stay open and stocks a passable Cote du Rhone and a variety of cheeses probably unheard of for a village store.
Well said Crossfire, I feel for you. It's not somewhere I ride anymore and as good as the biking 'boom' is I fear those of us that have been riding for as long as we can remember, thoughtfully, conservatively etc will all be tarred with the same brush.
I'm further North now but it's the same all over, I avoid trail centres and local spots at weekends for fear of all the gear no idea crowds that are booming
It looked nearly the same in 2004, MrSmith 😉
2004? C'mon, it's no busier since then! The cyclists have been there for years! I've been riding up there for 12 years, and the parking is worse now, which I think is driven in part by P&S, making it more a destination, but that's about it. I pity the residents, the parking of many riders is terrible, but so's the parking of residents!
To say 'back in the halcyon days of 2004, before the bikes' is absolutely mental, get over yourself!
IMO.
How long until TD gets a mention 😛
Howard has also made so much money he is opening a second shop in Cranleigh
I agree with njee have been riding the area for 10+ years and its not busier now than it was 10 years ago. However, I am saddened by the number of illegal trails (barry knows nothing etc) being built and being ridden by people who should know better.
A few weeks ago I confronted a rider who went past a walker on the 2nd BKB climb, covering her in mud. I caught up with him and politely asked whether he realised what he had done - he stuck two fingers at me and told me to 'F' off. He was riding a Santa Cruz so that probably tells it own story.
No problem with illegal trails as long as people are courteous and respect other members of public. Boohoo it's getting busy - so what?
2004? C'mon, it's no busier since then! The cyclists have been there for years! I've been riding up there for 12 years, and the parking is worse now, which I think is driven in part by P&S, making it more a destination, but that's about it. I pity the residents, the parking of many riders is terrible, but so's the parking of residents!
First world problems. "we're upset it's getting busy because people like riding there so let's complain about the parking".
What I personally can't stand is litter. I couldn't care less about people making trails as long as it's not a historically significant area.
It looked nearly the same in 2004, MrSmith
And before you moved there 🙂
I've lived in the area most of my life and these discussions about cyclists/motorcyclists/people coming in cars/day visitors in general have always been there.
I think it's one of those strange things about the North Downs and Greensand Ridge. Excellent walks/rides so loads of trippers but locations catering for those trippers are far and few between - so the places that do provide something get really crowded, they always used to be called the 'honeypot' locations. The place does not really make the most of its tourist potential, could have more campsites for example.
"Peaslake 2004" comment haha - actually I remember it back in 2003 before all the newcomers moved in with their 4x4s - yep, everyone used to get around by bike back then.
This thread being resurrected has inspired me to try out the trails at Peaslake! 🙂
Illegal trails are nothing compared to the mess the logging has made, and that must have more impact on wildlife...
This is an actual photograph of what it looked like in 2004...
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2008...
[img] 
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2012....
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over for another 10 months?
njee20 - yes, cyclists have been here for years, but not to the extent, that you have to use a road to get to the shop, because that bit of pavement is occupied by the cyclists! Riding in here does not mean living in here and putting up with it 24/7, get over yourself if you can't spot the difference.
mashiehood - how can you say this? Just for the sake of posting something? You must have been visiting another Peaslake 10 years ago. And noone could say, that the tracks that are being used nowadays looked the same, that they do now.
And lastly - I can't see how a shop providing pet food could bring bikers to the village! (that's what the Pedal and Spoke's "shed" used to be years ago, just google "peaslake pet provisions")
The point about illegal trails is they're unsustainable - end up being unrideable mudfests, let alone causing conflict with walkers because they've not been thought through route-wise.
End of BKB was lousy for everyone until they got the digger in.
The TD trail down to Walking Bottom is just water cos the berms were stuck in the fall line. Not just an eyesore and causing erosion but unrideable after any amount of rain. Amateur!
proved right re TD... 😆
Back to X factor I think,
You won't be laughing when you realise 2 out of 4 of your car's tyres are flat, unless you cycle here all the way down from London. There's no CCTV anywhere, maybe it's the best time to move your camera from the helmet to the dashboard. Good luck to you 😉
HoratioHufnagel - Very nice pictures you have on your living room walls 😆
[i]Riding in here does not mean living in here and putting up with it 24/7,[/i]
Hardly 24/7...the place is empty during the week.
[i]Peaslake Village shop would be happy without you here (it's always been!)[/i]
Really? You asked them? Bet you'd see a big drop in numbers of bikers if the store banned bikers. Can't imagine they'd want to do that though 😕
Crossfire80 - im just stating what im observing. I dont have any stats to prove my statement (and I suspect you dont either)
As for the blighting of the village by cyclists, you could approach this in two way, accept the fact cyclist will use the area and form a 'neighbourhood' commitee to look at ways to improve the current blighting of the village or just get angry and rant a lot. Your choice.
Yeah nuke even stopped for a cheese straw the other week 😉
Have to agree with Nuke re the store/deli. They make a fortune from bikers and I've never once seen them angry/irate/moody/stressed/whatever. All the staff are friendly and willing to have a chat, even more so when not speedily dishing out cheese straws and mugs of tea to the world and his wife.
IMO I really don't think that area is all that bonkers. Sure, if you hit the start of BKB at the "wrong" time then it can look like Picadilly Circus, but other than that there's plenty to go round.
Speaking of BKB, I preferred it pre-update - much more flowing IMO. I/we would always include it in a route if over that way, but aren't really bother anymore.
Loving the NIMBY attitude on this thread.
Will be out riding the Surrey Hills tomorrow for the first time on about 3 months.
Cannae wait!
has it actually burst yet?
See you tomorrow. Supposed to be sunny.
The hills were there before all,of us and will still be there after we are all gone
The troll is having a rather large three course meal tonight gents.
[i]Yeah nuke even stopped for a cheese straw the other week [/i]
Yep, there we were mid afternoon on a sunny Saturday fighting for a seat with that one other biker...just horrendous, never again 👿
BTW anyone ride the hills today, if so conditions update please as im out riding the minute the sun rises. 😀
M U D D Y - well when I walked the dog.
mashiehood,
Wet!
oh well, im all set so here's hoping for a frost and crispy ground!
It's not that bad. Usual places. Barely rained all week aside last night. Fair weather riders <waves at freeridenick> 🙄
Hey crossfire80......
Enjoy your ride. You're not welcome.
Assume you still want us back a few times a year for the Peaslake MTBO to pay our tenners towards the running of your school? Thought so.
It's amazing what people will moan about.
I can understand a motorway, waste incinerator plant, drug dealing, prostitution or a high crime rate would be worth kicking up a fuss about.
but for somebody to spend their Saturday night going onto a forum that they have no interest in and complain about people on bikes is laughable, it's almost as if the overnight ban of bikes would leave their empty lives even emptier.
I haven't ridden there since 2003 (and it was busy then) but I'm in London this weekend so I might now make the effort to get back 😉
Will probably invite a few mates too. Come to think of it, one grew up there so I guess he can tell all the newcomer local commuter types who've not grown up there to sod off 😉
heihei - can't comment on that. Not my business 😕
MrSmith - the forum was found unintentionally, if I may say so. I was not really looking for an opportunity to have my say, I would have done this years ago. I've been dealing with the situation for a long time, with some success, details of which is only known to me and other people, who will be laughing at some reactions to was was said before. Mind your own business and don't be nosy what others do in their free time. I hope I won't see you soon 😯
Well Peaslakers. A beauty spot with the freedom of access you enjoy is also rightly enjoyed by others. So inevitably living there comes with baggage. If you don't like it, may I recommend you move to Tooting, where you can be assured there are no beauty spots with such problems. Most Peaslakers don't contribute to the Hurtwood, so its a bit rich to expect anything in return. As for the shop. it would shut without bikers. 7 million people within 50mins max brings a growing tide that won't be turned. Unless you can find a way to turn off the internet. Welcome to the future.Embrace and see the benefit: a thriving village shop, and if you embraced it like Howard, probably many more benefits.
Perhaps lobbying for appropriate facilities would be a starter.
ps, the biggest perpetrator of your problem is a certain David Hancock, aka Dave the Bullet, creating illegal trails that attract a large following faster than yo mamma on welfare cheese day. Stop him and you'll halve the problem. His grey van is regularly parked at car park 10 on Lawbrook Lane. If you want to do something about it rather than sitting on your thumb and wining, theres your starter.
clubber - you may as well come in hundreds. you'll wait an hour for a mug of tea in the shop and will have no place to leave your bike 😆 Not mentioning traffic lights when the paths cross and charging a tenner for a coffee 😐
Mind your own business and don't be nosy what others do in their free time.
🙄 💡
may I recommend you move to Tooting,
It wouldn't.
I was thinking that my mate could stand right.in the middle and tell everyone who.didn't grow up there to sod off and then we'd be served quickly and have space for our bikes... 😉
TD again!
Surrey Hills is not at bursting point and never has been.
Sure the Walking Bottom carpark is a bit of an issue - personally I park elsewhere when visiting the area - Peaslake either the Village Store or the Pub makes a good mid ride stop.
There are a lot of people who seem to just ride the obvious trails on Holmbury and Pitch this is many ways reduces the traffic everywhere else and allows you to find some quiet bits. Having ridden in the Surrey Hills for the last 20 or so years, never worked in London and never owned an Audi I have noticed an upturn in mountain biking as people are trading the TV for outdoor pursuits.
I don't think Howard is to blame for any significant increases in throughput. He is merely taking advantage of it.
If you want to stop people turning up and using the village and its amenities I would suggest that discouraging the shop from selling tea, coffee and cheese straws to mountain bikers and the pub from selling beer etc would make a lot of sense.
No food - no throughput in the village - simples. The problem goes away. So whilst the shop and pub are happy to provide a service for mountain bikers - mountain bikers will come. If not - they will all be on Leith at the tea hut. Peaslake was quiet before the shop started doing tea and sandwiches so very well.
Taking the law into your own hands is ill advised. Letting down tyres and sabotaging cars is pretty stupid and fingers can easily be pointed given the rantings on a public forum.
The Surrey Hills is a beautiful area - it is only natural people doing what ever sport will take advantage of it and come visiting.
Suggest learning to live with it. Getting some double yellow lines put in and working with rather than ranting.
Just some thoughts and observations.
Well said shortcut. Good night
Someone bright will understand Peaslake really was a quiet place once. Somewhere, that you were coming back with a smile on your face. Someone will surely get it, that it used to be a part of the world worth coming back for. Some people really love this place and care for it. Doesn't matter who it is, a person that grew up here, a Londoner, someone from Guildford or Brighton, it's never going to be the case of "the more the merrier", hundreds of people in the small area like the centre of the village will never become a Picadilly Circus and will always look odd. And I do understand these things are never gonna be the same. But for the person, who fell in love with the area, looking at it at the moment is simply heartbreaking and sad.
Looking at the bigger picture I can't help but think of other parts of the UK that have 'outsiders' coming into the area and how insignificant your issue is compared to theirs.
There are many tourist/recreational hotspots that get absolutely rammed with cars and people beyond comprehension when compared to your trivial issue with some mountain bikers.
You should consider yourself lucky.
Someone bright will understand that we live in a democracy and can live where we want and cycle on designated paths! If you don't like it, I suggest you move.
Shortcut - it would be really good, if something could be done to the situation at the moment. I don't think anything will change anytime soon, it's just frustrating seeing such a beatiful place taken over, loud, car parks packed etc. With anything changed in organisation of the village Sundays will always be the same. They have put a collection "stone" on the left hand side at the entrance of the car park - I guess it's just the beginning, and sooner or later proper car park machines will be there, which probably will not change anything... But the fact, that the collection stone is there shows that we do have more cyclists now, than we used to. Ignorance is a bliss. Stay calm and keep on pushing the pedals... 😉
PS. Innocent until proven guilty 8)
Shortcut's nailed it. People will ride on the Surrey Hills whether you like it or not. The thing that attracts people to Peaslake is the pub and the shop. If the feeling in the village is so strong that you don't want their custom, then get them to stop providing for them. You say the shop don't want their custom anyway.
Don't make it attractive and then moan when people come.
The North Downs is full of riders because UK population is increasing faster than ever and there is ****all else to do outdoors in the South East. Get used to it you nimby slags...
Maybe a protest to raise awareness of your NIMBY concerns?
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