Surrey 1

The Box Hill and greater Dorking area is a trial riders heaven! The byways here offer a wide range of surfaces from large rocks to knee deep mud, from rutts and steep hill climbs to deep sand to test your skills. The deep forests provide as much an amazing atmosphere as do open fields, and all legal byways are clearly sign posted. Should one require a break, then there are two biker meet cafes located conveniently in the area. Rykas being the huge crowd gatherer on Sundays, and the CNR being more for those who like things a bit more down to earth, even though it is located on the summit of a hill.

Coming off the A 246 just before Great Bookham, the first byways on my usual tour were quite easy, passing first alongside farms and fields which were also heavily frequented by horse riders and ramblers. The surface is mainly stones and soil, with one lane being particularily slippery. With many farms closeby, horse riders are quite frequent, and one has the choice of riding either on a soil covered byway which leads to a twisty road to other byways, or take the direct route over tyre cutting rocks and stones. Needless to say, after nearly loosing a tyre on the latter, I prefered the first option more, in part also because it took me straight to a byway passing the Effingham forest.

After a short on road section route then took me downhill to the Village of Shere, but before that there was a deep, muddy and rutty section which was leveled and dried at a later stage by those maintaining the local countryside. The Shere byways have a lot of variety, mud, sand and ruts, all within short succesion of each other, just to test your abilities.

These byways in the Hackhurst Downs and in the Oaken Grove are my all time favorite. I like it wet and dirty, and so all that mud, which is hardly ever dry all year round, even in summer, is the perfect environment for me. There are ruts, flat surfaces, deep puddles and holes filled with water throughout the year and up or downhill challenges that make these byways the ultimate joy. Needless to say, the scenery also changes dramatically with the different seasons, so boredom and that "been here before, seen it, got the T-shirt" feeling never sets in. When taking a break, the calmness of the forest is another delight of the area.

Below are a selection of images from the Wolvers Lane, leading from Wotton to Coldharbour. It starts off as a track through a field, then takes you into the forest riding on earth, soil and eventually pure sand, good for practicing your basic desert riding techniques, and then you are led through smaller mud puddles, easily manageable ruts and eventually upphill to Leith Hill, where you finish with the dramatic scenery of a downhill section. The landscape and vegetation along the road at the bottom taking you back to Dorking and Box Hill must not be missed, and is a delight for any road rider.

Please consult your council and up to date maps on the legality of any of the mentioned byways, as the laws might have changed since my last visit. I accept no responsibility for anything that happens to you at these locations.