Ride the North Downs and discover some of south east England's finest mountain biking terrain, where woodland singletrack in the Surrey Hills, challenging escarpment climbs, and exhilarating descents on chalk and earth trails make this one of the most rewarding and accessible MTB destinations within reach of London.

Suitable for mountain bikers with some experience and a reasonable level of fitness, this comprehensive Cicerone guidebook describes 20 graded circular routes across the North Downs from Farnham in the west to Dover in the east, plus a 59km route along the Downs Link connecting the North Downs Way with the South Downs Way at Shoreham-by-Sea. Routes range from 18.5 to 59km and are up to 90% off-road, graded blue, red, and black for difficulty.

• Choose from 20 graded circular MTB routes spanning the full length of the North Downs, from routes around Guildford, Dorking, Reigate, and Redhill in the Surrey Hills to routes around Maidstone, Ashford, Canterbury, Elham, and Temple Ewell in Kent, with every route graded for difficulty and illustrated with OS map extracts and height profiles.
• Tackle the 59km Downs Link route connecting the North Downs Way with the South Downs Way at Shoreham-by-Sea, offering an outstanding point-to-point challenge on one of southern England's great multi-use trails.
• Discover the highlights of North Downs mountain biking, including the exceptional woodland singletrack of the Surrey Hills around Peaslake and Holmbury Hill, the challenging Surrey Hills Grand Traverse, the dramatic southern escarpment above Box Hill and Leith Hill, and the chalk and earth trails of the Kent Downs.
• Navigate every route with confidence using OS 1:50,000 map extracts and height profiles included for each route, with guidance on the recommended OS Explorer 1:25,000 and Landranger 1:50,000 sheets covering the full length of the North Downs.
• Select routes suited to your ability using clear blue, red, and black grading, with difficult and technical sections clearly indicated throughout, and practical advice on recommended gear, including full suspension bikes, body armour, and full face helmets for more demanding descents.
• Plan your rides with practical information on getting there and around, accommodation, local bike shops, and the best times to ride, with the North Downs rideable year-round though trails can be extremely muddy from late autumn to late spring.

Take on the singletrack, climbs, and descents of the North Downs with confidence using this trusted Cicerone guidebook. From the Surrey Hills to the Kent chalk downs, this is the essential companion for mountain biking in south east England.

Mountain Biking on the North Downs – Quick Facts

Location: England – Surrey Hills and Kent Downs, from Farnham in the west to Dover in the east
Routes covered: 20 graded circular MTB routes (18.5–59km) plus the 59km Downs Link route
Difficulty: Graded blue (moderate), red (hard), and black (very hard); for mountain bikers with some experience and a reasonable level of fitness; difficult and technical sections indicated throughout; full suspension bikes a serious consideration; body armour and full face helmets advisable for downhilling
Terrain: Woodland singletrack, chalk and earth trails, steep escarpment climbs and descents, bridleways, and off-road tracks; routes up to 90% off-road
Navigation/mapping: OS 1:50,000 map extracts and height profiles included for every route; OS Explorer 1:25,000 and Landranger 1:50,000 sheets recommended for on-the-ground navigation
Key centres: Guildford, Peaslake, Abinger, Dorking, Reigate, Redhill, Bearsted, Wrotham, Ightham, Chartham, Chilham, Ashford, Elham, Temple Ewell
Highlights: Surrey Hills woodland singletrack, Holmbury Hill, Leith Hill, Box Hill, Surrey Hills Grand Traverse, Kent chalk and earth trails, Downs Link
Accommodation & logistics: Accommodation listings, bike shop and cycle mechanic appendix, and practical advice on getting there and around
Best time to go: Year-round; trails can be extremely muddy from late autumn to late spring; popular routes are busiest at summer weekends

Author Highlight

“The North Downs are criss-crossed by hundreds of kilometres of well-maintained byways and bridleways that are accessible to mountain bikers and which can be mixed and matched into almost infinitely variable route combinations. The adventurous mountain biker will not be short of options in this corner of the country.”

- Peter Edwards, author of Mountain Biking on the North Downs

Emergencies 

Map key 

Overview map

Introduction

About the routes in this guide 

Centres 

Getting there and getting around

When to go 

Safety 

Equipment 

Tools and maintenance 

Navigation 

Hydration 

Food 

Rights of way and other users 

Waymarking 

Maps 

Using this guide

Routes around Guildford 

Route 1 Puttenham Common loop 

Route 2 St Martha’s Hill–Abinger loop

Routes around Dorking

Route 3 Hackhurst Downs–Polesden Lacey loop 

Route 4 Gomshall–Westhumble loop 

Route 5 Leith Hill and Holmbury Hill loop 

Route 6 Surrey Hills Grand Traverse

Routes around Reigate and Redhill

Route 7 Oxted and Bletchingley loop 

Route 8 Box Hill–Banstead Heath loop 

Route 9 Warlingham–Biggin Hill loop

Routes around Maidstone and the Medway Valley

Route 10 Oldbury Hill and Mereworth Woods 

Route 11 Meopham–Wrotham loop 

Route 12 Bearsted, Detling Hill and Blue Bell Hill

Routes around Ashford

Route 13 Bilsington and Faggs Wood loop 

Route 14 Wye Downs loop

Routes around Canterbury

Route 15 Chartham Downs loop 

Route 16 Chilham and King’s Wood loop 

Route 17 Rough Common–Blean Wood loop

Routes around Elham and Temple Ewell

Route 18 Elham Valley loop 

Route 19 Alkham–Barham Downs loop 

Route 20 Temple Ewell loop 

The Downs Link  

Appendices

Appendix A: Camping and accommodation 

Appendix B: Bike shops/bike hire/bike mechanics 

Appendix C: Useful contacts

Seasons

the North Downs are excellent for mountain biking all year round, though from late autumn to late spring some trails can be extremely muddy and claggy; popular trails are much busier during summer, especially at weekends

Centres

Guildford, Peaslake, Abinger, Dorking, Reigate, Redhill, Bearsted, Wrotham, Ightam, Chartham, Chilham, Ashford, Elham, Temple Ewell

Difficulty

routes are intended for mountain bikers with some experience and a reasonable degree of fitness; routes are graded 'moderate', 'hard' and 'very hard' with 'difficult' or 'technical' sections indicated; the profusion of tree roots, jumps and flinty tracks make full-suspension bikes a serious consideration; body armour and full face helmets may be advisable for 'downhilling' enthusiasts

Must See

excellent woodland singletrack in the Surrey Hills; numerous challenging climbs and exhilarating descents on the North Downs' steep southern escarpment; stimulating routes on chalk, sand and earth trails criss-crossing the beautiful rolling, wooded downland of Surrey and Kent; picturesque villages, great country pubs and fine countryside at every turn

Ordnance Survey provide map coverage of the North Downs in 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales (see www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/leisure).

The most up to date 1:50,000 scale Ordnance Survey mapping is used for the routes in this guidebook. At the time of going to press, the information on the maps included in this guide was accurate. A note of caution: the status of some rights of way may be changed over time. Most often – although not always – cyclists have been granted greater access rights with footpaths and other rights of way being ‘upgraded’ to permissive bridleways. Older copies of maps may contain information that is at odds with what is included here.

Roughly half of the 250km NDW National Trail is currently off-limits to bikes. However, at the beginning of 2013 the NDW National Trail’s Steering Group commissioned a survey to assess which parts of the trail and nearby rights of way that are currently off-limits could be made accessible.

Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer series

137 Ashford, Headcorn, Chilham & Wye

138 Dover, Folkestone & Hythe

145 Guildford & Farnham

146 Dorking, Box Hill and Reigate

147 Sevenoaks & Tonbridge

148 Maidstone & The Medway Towns

149 Sittingbourne & Faversham

150 Canterbury & The Isle of Thanet

Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger series

178 Thames Estuary, Rochester & Southend-on-Sea

179 Canterbury, East Kent, Dover & Margate

186 Aldershot & Guildford, Camberley & Haslemere

187 Dorking & Reigate, Crawley & Horsham

188 Maidstone & The Weald of Kent

189 Ashford & Romney Marsh, Rye & Folkestone

Harvey Maps publish two lightweight, waterproof 1:40,000 single sheet maps showing the whole of the NDW: North Downs Way (East) and North Downs Way (West): www.harveymaps.co.uk.

Digital Ordnance Survey mapping of the region is available from sources including www.memory-map.co.uk and www.anquet.co.uk.

We do not yet have any updates available for this book

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