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Got half a day lined up in Kent in a couple of weeks time, so planning on visiting Surrey hills. From what I can tell the spot I'm actually at (bedgebury in Kent) is pretty tame.

To give you an idea, I love Danbury and warley, Aston hill I found a bit too sketchy for my skill level although it was actually raining when I went so it was more like 4x on ice. I'm ok with tabletops, getting used to 6-8 ft gaps if not too steep on the take off and landing. Love narrow singletrack and going downhill fast (ish!)

Where exactly will give me all the thrills I need? At the moment I just know the names of the spots but not whether they are xc, dh, flowy jump lines, drops etc. Help! Cheers!

Surrey hills is such a large area that it's very difficult to explain where the trails are, most of there are just a gap in the bushes. You can use your nose and look for tyre prints. There is mix of xc flow trails to full on dh

Thanks for the reply. Yes I can see there's a lot going on down there. What I really mean is, looking at just the main 'named' trails that everyone's heard about, in a limited time to visit where will I get best bang per buck? In my local woods in Norfolk I could session different trails for hours that are like you say just a gap in the bushes. But I just need the main trails for my first visit. Suggestions for unmissable trails then?

I would down load trail forks app to give you an idea where there are at least a trail, you can use it off line as well. Park in the main car park in peaslake just just the pub/bike shop, then you will be in easy reach of some trails. It's worth ridding in order:

Climb - car park to car park (half way up)
Trail - roller coaster in to curly wryly
Trail - proper bo in to graveyard/john the baptist
Climb - bkb return, go over the road and cheek following this up to the look out area
Trail - yogurt pots in to secret squirrel
Climb - if you stay high and don't go down to the village hall you can get tot the start of au natural
Trail - au natural
Climb - climb back up tot the top of the look out area, then back down to the road
Trail - Barry knows best
Climb - at the bottom of Barry's turn left, ride 50 m then turn right and push up the steep hill, at the top turn left and going up hill till you get to the other look out area.
Trail - thick and creamy (this is very steep with big drop offs, worth having a look first. Loads of other trails off this hill but not shown)
Climb - at bottom of t&c turn right and ride to the car park (turn right and push up the hlll to get back to look out area to play more). Follow the road, then turn right in 20m time, start going down hill for 100m before moving to the woods on the right
Trail - supernova
Back at the car park

There are so many more trail over there but too hard to explain if you have never been there, all the climbs I have described are road or fire road, trails are single track. Expect jumps so go steady

Vanaders has it spot on

start at this car park

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Hur ... -0.4505528

download trail forks and explore from there. There are loads more trails than Trail forks shows but the ones on there are the ones that will give you the most 'bang for your buck' If you go on a Sunday or Saturday there are bikers everywhere

most will also hang out at the village shop for food etc

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Pea ... -0.4462069

Id also recommend finding a shop ride to tag along with - The sohobikes.co.uk one is pretty good

That is so helpful cheers guys. Looks like I'm best to session those two hills then, with the village of peaslake right in between them. Not worth the trip over to leith hill then unless I have a load of spare time?

The ride over to leith hill and tower is a big ride (long up hill climb with no real reward on the return leg) with not loads of trail over there if you are going for your first time ( I do go over there but not very often and I end up doing a bit of exploring trying to find new stuff, it's a maze of single track with no direction). Stick with the route above, session the trails and explore other bits they you find and you won't have a bad ride.

https://www.trailforks.com/trails/map/? ... trailforks

Turn on 'OSM' view, it shows all the trails in the woods and makes it easier to find the trail heads (switch on 'trail heads' too!).

Personal faves are Secret Squirrel, I Should Coco, and Van Gogh's Missing Ear, and if you want to get a bit more rowdy, Lovely Legs and Charles Bronson.

Been tempted to try 'Summer Lightning' from Leith Hill. Is it worth it, or would you stick to Hurtwood & Pitch Hill?

Last time I did Sumer lightning at the beginning of the Summer there was forestry work going on at the end section though I believe it is finished now. I would say don't bother going over to it just to do only that, there are some great trails over in the area but even more harder to find or stubble apon than the other hills.

I will post up the next time I'm going as it's best to go with others to find and link the trails

Well I'll be over in peaslake on the 5th august late morning. So if anyone looks like they know what they're doing, I'll follow them!

Strangely enough was talking with a riding mate last night, going Surrey hills on the 5th

Did make it over there for a couple of hours - just in time for it to tip it down! What a great spot, if only I'd had more time to session. Managed the car park to car park climb up into rollercoaster and curly wurly, then up to the top of El Capitan, which I loved. Even the tricky steeps at the end were doable with a bit of a scout around first.

Then onto bo selecta just as the torrential rain came down but no matter, would have liked to have sessions that for a while but time was pressing so down to the car park via a virtually flooded supernova (must be amazing flow in the dry!)

I was as filthy and wet as I was gonna get so I bit the bullet and rode up to bkb. Wow what a fun trail! I had to ride it twice.

Thanks for the parking and trail advice from all on here, really helped me make the most of things. If anyone's ever up in Norfolk and needs some pointers, just ask!

That's ok, we need up over there for 10 and finished up around 4. Ends up over leith tower side just as the heavens opened up, in the end it was a 22 mile ride set over 3000ft climbed and decended. Tails had been running so well before the rain.

Glad the info helped, you have only just scratched the surface of what's on offer