MOUNTAIN BIKING ON THE NORTH DOWNS
by Peter Edwards
2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY
About the Author
Peter Edwards grew up in Sussex and nurtured a love of walking and mountain biking amid the ‘blunt, bow-headed, whale-backed’ hills of the South Downs. He has undertaken numerous walking and cycling expeditions in Europe and beyond and is particularly drawn to wild and remote landscapes. Peter completed his doctorate at Sussex University in 2005 and moved to Scotland in 2006. He currently lives in Glasgow with his wife, Fiona, and Dougal the Labrador. Peter also writes about his walking and cycling trips on his blog site at www.writesofway.com.
Other Cicerone guides by the author
Mountain Biking on the South Downs
Walking on Jura, Islay and Colonsay
Walking on Rum and the Small Isles
© Peter Edwards 2014
First edition 2014
ISBN: 978 1 85284 702 9
Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.
Dedication
To Mr & Mrs Dodd – Southern Scotland next, team!
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks to Andy and Jen Dodd for their hospitality, their good-humoured posing for photos, their fearless test-riding of many of the routes and for the fine ales from the Ashford Road brewery. Thanks to Emily Conrad for her heroic efforts on the Big Surrey Hills Day Out. Big thanks to Renee Bull and Jim ‘Mr C’ Clements for their generous hospitality and an introduction to the glorious Elham Valley. Thanks to Pete Long and Linda Routh for putting me up in Temple Ewell. I hereby reiterate my ongoing deep gratitude to the lovely Fiona Rintoul for her support and unusual sense of humour. Thanks also to Neil Simpson and the rest of the team at Cicerone for transforming my words and pictures into such a lovely wee book.
Advice to Readers
While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. If we know of any, there will be an Updates tab on this book’s page on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.
Front cover: Looking west along the Downs from Colley Hill (Route 8)
CONTENTS
About the routes in this guide
Getting there and getting around
Route 2 St Martha’s Hill–Abinger loop