[Closed] Moving to Surrey - advice please

Headley is awash with tracks.
Has a nice tea hut and you can ride forever from there.
Welcome aboard, you'll love it.

Very expensive. Got all my bikes stolen from a locked up garage when living there; police told me area is targeted by south London gangs. Good riding and countryside though.

It's rubbish for wimps only. Don't come.

Don't have to worry about buying

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34657182.html

?

Nah, will be in rental.

Weather's great. I hope someone else is paying your rent - Londoners appear to be moving out to the home counties now...

Or do I need to hop in the car over to Peaslake to join the Santa Cruz riding quiche eaters

Cheese straws, Pork & Leek slice & lemon cake is the choice of us Santa Cruz Peaslake riders 😀

Anyway, Headley - you're in prime riding spot there. The bulk of riders are over Peaslake way. Tonnes of trails there, if a bit busy at times and a lot of digging going on (if you like gaps appearing in your trails randomly, that's your place 😉 ). You're not far from there anyway, but some of the best riding is generally along the North Downs. Especially Ranmore and some surrounding bits, Mickleham off back of Ranmore. Norbury has a few little cheeky bits too.

Note that ridge is chalk/clay stuff and a bit slippery when wet. The Greensands ridge is the area south including Leith, Holmbury, Pitch, Winterfold, and that's different soil. More loamy or sandy in places.

All very nice round there.

Be warned... not cheap!

It's a very nice area but very dull and the people are an acquired taste in my experience. I can see the attractions of living around the Surrey Hills if you're loaded, which does help. I used to live in Haslemere then Guildford but gave it a couple of years and came back to Liverpool, best thing I could have done, but then I'm a Liverpool boy. Tbh having riding on my doorstep is the only thing I miss about it. It'd be good to do as an experience as you can always move back, and sometimes being away for a while makes you appreciate things closer to home, if they are worth appreciating that is.

Nice as it was, I wouldn't go back, but I am glad I tried it for a bit.

Santa Cruz riding quiche eaters

You are just above the North Down there - lots of good riding pretty close - things like China Pig are close, and Ranmore. Bit more of a ride to get to Peaslake, but not much more.

Hook up with the Muddy Moles as they ride around there a lot

I live in a village close to Leatherhead, pretty happy there but know my money would go further in some very attractive parts of the country. Would prefer somewhere more rural so may move one day. Roads are often busy with cars and the locals can get fed up with all the cyclists - espcially those plodding up Box Hill!

Riding is good and stretches all the way to Peaslake off-road via North Downs and Ranmore, but what exactly do you need to make a decision about? job? where to live?

That house/mansion for sale

What the hell is going on with that portrait on the left hand wall of photo 6? 😯

Get yourself over to Bike Beans Cycling Cafe in Ashtead ( about 15 mins from Headly ).
Talk to Jamie and he will tell you about the organised rides. They are on Facebook too. I've mtb'ed the area for years but only do road now, so not much help to you. The area is fantastic for road riding so why not get a racer?

http://www.bikebeans.co.uk/directions

Denbies Wine is close by if you don't mind English wine 😉

Plus also the Surrey Hills Brewery is based there.

sputnik - Member
The area is fantastic for road riding so why not get a racer?

Typical Surrey Hills resident hat on...

bloody cyclists all over the place, races every day, pelotons everywhere riding two abreast, don't pay road tax, no insurance... blah blah blah.

😀

But yeah, there's loads of it going on. A look on Strava heat maps and it outweighs the hordes of off road activity around Peaslake. Though it's mainly the Ride London route through Surrey they all do and of course the rather dull Box Hill Zig Zag climb (much more fun doing it on my Nomad and managing to overtake some of them 😀 )

You're moving from Birmingham so everywhere is going to be a step down sadly.

Compared to "the 2nd finest city in the world" (San Diego is number 1 as you asked) you'll get worse riding, more expensive rent, worse food and more expensive beer. I mean really, have you thought this through?

Cheam has the best food.
If there's a brummie curry house that can compare I'll be very surprised.

Birmingham has, err, Cannock, which is like a longer version of Swinley (i.e. "meh" 😛 ). That's about all on offer other than Baltis.

Good curry places about Surrey though and of course in London. Again, not cheap 😉

I know the Glorious City of Birmingham is huge, but Cannock is no where near - its like saying the Peak District is local riding to that provincial town Manchester. I'm not going to even bother commenting on the quality of home county curry compared to Brum, FFS 🙂

Lunge, unfortunately we don't have a say in the move being employed by the MOD. Still, looks encouraging for the riding. So is the roadie thing down there not exaggerated then - is there swarms of them?

The post code school catchment is putting us inside the M25 and Epsom, which seems odd.

Headley is right next to Epsom Downs.
North of Leatherhead.

[i]It's a very nice area but very dull and the people are an acquired taste in my experience.[/i]

[i][i]Lol @ Loddrik :D[/i][/i]

Its only cos people couldn't understand yer scouse accent that they looked at you strangely!

However, there are a lot of very materialistic people around, but like everywhere, a complete mix. Whilst its not perfect here, its pretty damn close! We have wonderful countryside, 2 airports 30mins away, 30 mins to central London, 45 mins to the coast....just too many people, too much traffic and definitely too many freakin' ROADIES! 👿

I've mtb'ed the area for years but only do road now,

you should book an appointment at the doctors - what a waste - the only reason to ride road around there is that the trails are too muddy.

Admittedly the roads around the SH are good (did a 107 mile route round there a few months ago) but you have the constant torment of being next to the excellent offroad riding of that area.

Best woodland riding in the country. Mole Valley and surrounds. end of 8)

MOD and Headley - you'll be near Headley Court at a guess?

Loads of riding from the doorstep of both types so you should be sorted. Not sure what the pub at Headley is like these days, has changed hands a lot recently and I haven't been since the last. Used to be good though.

Comments on it being a materialistic and rich area are spot on - had a mate up from Bristol recently and in the time it took to drink a mug of tea at Peaslake he reckoned he saw more Ferraris and Range Rovers than in six months at home. But it's easy enough to escape the crowds with some thought and planning.

Have fun exploring, it's the best way to find the trails I reckon!

piedi di formaggio - Member
That house/mansion for sale

What the hell is going on with that portrait on the left hand wall of photo 6?

All shape shifting lizards & devil worshippers around here, keep away I say, KEEP AWAY....

Yep, it certainly will be different - we wanted to move to Plymouth 😯

You'll love it and rightly so. It's a lovely part of the country.

If it snows you will be stranded for months.

is there swarms of them?

Yes, there are [i]swarms[/i] of Us 🙂

Honestly, why do people need to tribalise so much?

If you wanted to do a loop over to Peaslake from Headley you could do nearly all of it off road and cover some superb riding as well.
Headley, Box Hill, Ranmore, Pitch, Winterfold then back over Pitch, Holmbury, Leith, Ranmore, Box.
Christ though your legs would be tired after that lot!!
There's rides that go from all over. Nirvana go on Saturdays at 10, and Sundays at 11. Dorking C0cks, Muddy Moles... Or just stalk Strava and try to find stuff...

in fact you can off road to Brighton from there. It's ace, I tackle it at least once a year.

A great place to live, work and ride.

It's expensive tho. Mainly to keep the rabble out 😉

I understand that the local football team are doing very well this year 🙂

APF

Eagles! 😀

Indeed Pedro.

APF

It is mountain bike heaven. Apparently other places in the UK are also good, but for sheer number and variety of trails it's perfect.

Or do I need to hop in the car over to Peaslake to join the Santa Cruz riding quiche eaters.

@loddrik

the people are an acquired taste in my experience

gave it a couple of years and came back to Liverpool, best thing I could have done

Scamper - Member
I know the Glorious City of Birmingham is huge, but Cannock is no where near - its like saying the Peak District is local riding to that provincial town Manchester.

Surrey Hills is same or further out of central London than Cannock is from centre of Birmingham, yet considered the main riding spot for London off road (along with Swinley!).

If I lived in Manchester I'd be hitting Peaks all the time 😀 , okay not ride from the door stuff, but then neither would be London. Which is why I don't live there. I live in Surrey and riding distance from the hills along with numerous other spots on my doorstep. Sure it's not proper hills, but if you have to live down here there's some decent riding.

Surrey seems to have shrunk a bit? Fairly sure the hills above Westerham, Reigate and the A3 corridor are all fair game for mountain bikers. Or do we all do endless loops of Barry Knows Best now?

OP embrace it and you'll have a great time. Imwas a Surrey resident for over 20 years and miss the fabulous riding on my doorstep. There's plenty to explore away from the Redlands/Leith/Ranmore/Holmbury/Pitch/Winterfold areas. South Downs for some epic xc. My LBS was always Nirvana Cyckes in Westcott (see their organised rides and others whuch start from their shop) but nit surprising there are a number if good shops in the area

You are close to Gatwick (and Heathriw) and Channel Tunnel for your holidays too.

Housing is expensive but otherwise things are pretty similar

I can't believe that anyone would think of driving from Headley to Peaslake.
There's loads of riding, both pretty much on your doorstep, and half an hours ride away.

Yes, we are looking forward to the move having been in Brum for 6 years now - neither Brum nor Surrey is where we want to settle down long term but you never know. Looking forward to the riding if what I've found on You Tube for Ranmore is anything to go by. In fact the trails I recognised I think from a Banshee Demo Day vid which has been posted on here a few times?

Will shortly be purchasing deck shoes and designer jumpers to drape over my shoulders to fit in. 😉

Will shortly be purchasing deck shoes and designer jumpers to drape over my shoulders to fit in

there's not many places you would fit in looking like that...

@Scamper I believe the Banshee day was organised by Nirvana, look them up on Facebook I recall they posted a bit and there are some regulars who post ride videos on Vimeo. Strava heatmaps are your friend too. IMO a lot of the best stuff is hidden away (deliberately) it's not a trail centre after all. There is tons of good xc and "xc plus" too on bridleways etc.

EDIT: not everything is Surrey Hills videos but many area from the area, not all the riding is jumping either (fortunately for me)

[url=

H on Vimeo[/url]

Will shortly be purchasing deck shoes and designer jumpers to drape over my shoulders to fit in
there's not many places you would fit in looking like that...

Waitrose, 1st sunny day in March.
Got baggy beige shorts?

You can't go wrong with Surrey Hills for riding! Mickleham, Ranmore, Norbury and East Horsley all have some great trails, and as everyone has said you are not far from Leith, Holmbury and Peaslake by either ride or car.

Nirvana is a great first stop for people new to the area. Their rides take in a lot of the Leith hill and Ranmore area and they know all of the trails. Jumpy freeride practice loop on Saturday and a slightly more XC loop on Sundays. Great to get to know people and the trails.

Then for Peaslake you have Pedal and Spoke who know those hills as well as anyone. Both great bikeshops with great people. And I'm not employed by either!

Just to update, actually moving to just outside Chobham, so a little further north, but close to Swinley. Seems a nice area but need a Range Rover now to blend in. Tracked down the village bike shop which stocks Intense. Any trails to be had on Chobham Common?

Any trails to be had on Chobham Common?

I started MTB there back in the mid-nineties. My drivetrain was gone within 3 months from the grinding it got from all the sand... It's also very flat

Not much riding on chobham common. It's very sandy and flat. You're not far at all from swinley, and there is plenty of riding at tunnel hill/ deepcut. This is the military land around Pirbright. This would be 6 or so miles from chobham. Peaslake is about 30-40 minutes drive. Not a bad place to be, just not so much on your doorstep.

Ah a pity, although used to sand from Cannock chase!