Celsius Surrey (short) Cycling Route
GPX file for your head unit can be downloaded here.
This is the shorter of two surrey routes which we recommend, if you’re not used to long distances or hills then it's perfect. Head out of London via Richmond park, Kingston and Hampton court. Head over the bridge at Hampton court and go towards esher. If you’re really in a hurry you can take the Portsmouth road here – but the route through Molesey and sandown is much nicer. Once you’re in Esher take note of the G!RO on the right – an excellent option for coffee and cake who will sell you an inner tube in a pinch. Continue straight out of Esher and you’ll have some rolling roads towards Cobham. In Cobham you finally turn off the main road and onto Plough Lane. From here on its quiet roads and good views all the way. Continue to head southwest until you get to Clandon. Take care crossing the A-road and now it's time for the first climb of the day.
Staple lane is quite long, but only the first 1.8km is steep. If you want to set a good time then you need to be going hard on the steep bit, but keep a bit left in the tank for when it levels off. The climb doesn’t truly end until the carpark at the top of Combe lane. If you get the chance then look back after the climb and see where you’ve come from. From here you get some of the best views in the Surrey Hills. It's also a very fun descent to do on a summers evening when the light is golden.
After Staple lane turn left and descend green dene. This descent is good fun but its best to wait until you’ve done it a few times before you start to really push the pace. There’s a few blind corners and the road surface can be pretty bad in places.
After a few minutes you’ll reach a sharp turn to your right that takes you onto Crocknorth lane. This climb starts off really steep, and in the autumn and winter is slippery for added challenge. Once you go under the old bridge you’re almost at the top. When it levels off you’ve got two options. Wait for your friends or go for the segment. If you go for the latter then you’ve got about 5 minutes of undulating roads – stay close to threshold and you’ll set a good time here. The segment ends at a dip and a crossroad, with Critten on the left and Whitedown on the right.
If you want to head deeper into Surrey and Leith hill then you can go right – just be careful on the steep descent. If you’ve done enough Surrey then you can go left and get back to Cobham in no time. If you want to continue the route and do box hill then go straight on, descend Ranmore and head into Dorking. There are a few big roads but the drivers are used to cyclists so its not too bad. You’ll get to a roundabout with a carpark on the left and a white building on the right, head up the short climb and you’ve got box hill at the first turning on your right.
Box Hill needs no introduction and is one of the most popular climbs in Surrey. It's quite a lot easier than Staple and Crocknorth lane, just a bit longer. It never gets steep and you can enjoy nice views over Surrey after the second hairpin. If you try and get a good time then don’t stop until you get to the café – which comes much later than you’d hope.
The way home from Box hill isn’t the best, but its not too bad either. Follow the gpx and you can’t go too far wrong. Just remember the excellent coffee at G!RO in Esher!