Past Month
Past Month
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Pitch & Holmbury
Cycling Route
Details
12.77 km
273 m
Following on from the Holmbury Hill Highlights MTB Route, here’s another of my routes that includes all the best of Holmbury Hill but also adds on some nice technical trails on Pitch Hill in one loop. It starts and ends in the Quarry car park and will take about 1.5 hours or less at moderate pace. When I recorded this, it was my first time out for two weeks so took a bit longer than normal and there’s also a gap in the track on Telegraph Row where I stopped to help a girl who had crashed and had a suspected broken collar bone! This also threw out the timing as I forgot to pause the track for a while after stopping.
The route starts by taking the bridleway leading down out of the bottom of the car park, then veering right and heading diagonally up, before doubling back on yourself to the right (hint: have a look for tracks on your left and right if you like big thrills!). After climbing a bit more, double back left on yourself again into a mini quarry type area. Take the steep rocky climb around the far side (you might well have to push some of it) and, once at the top, head right and keep going on any of the numerous trails until you reach the lookout point.
From here, the route goes across the edge of the hill to the second lookout point with a bench and then follows the fire road on a gentle descent. At some point (check the GPS), you divert into the woods to the right of the fire road which is the start of some nice tight, technical stuff between the trees – this trail is known as T0. Keep following this and it’ll eventually pop you out onto another fire road.
Head straight across and into the woods again for more tight, rooty, technical stuff with lots of switchbacks (look out for those trees on the corners!). There’s not much of a gradient in this section so it does require some pedalling – this trail is known as T1. Follow this trail until you’re spat out onto another fire road.
Turn left and you’ll shortly reach a crossroads of fire roads, then take a right into the woods (the trail entrance is quite obvious). This section is more technical and very rooty in places with a steep drop on your left all the way along. There’s only one real way to go here so just follow the trail and keep your wits about you. Go straight across any trails that cut left to right through this one. The end section of this becomes faster and more flowing. Finally, the trail will skirt the graveyard on your right and we’re going to enter what looks like a big holly bush on your left. Be careful here as it can be pretty dark! Follow the path through the holly and you have two options – the first exit/chute to the right is pretty steep, keep going for the second exit/chute which is also steep but perfectly ridable and you’ll pop out into the Walking Bottom car park. You’ve just ridden T2-T5 – the final part of the ancient T-Trails :)
From here, take the road down to Peaslake, then we’re going to follow what has become known as the “Holmbury Hill Tourist Loop”. Take a right along the road for a little bit until we reach the bottom of Barry Knows Best. From here, take the bridleway heading diagonally left up the hill and take a right when you reach the top to traverse back along this bridleway/track type thing and eventually take a left and you’ll be at the reservoir/start of BKB on Radnor Road.
From here, this route really follows the Holmbury Hill Highlights MTB Route - we head to the top of Holmbury Hill, down the Yogurt Pots, then Telegraph Row, back up to the Resevoir and then down BKB.
Once you’re back at the bottom of BKB, pop out onto the road and head left. Almost immediately, turn right (looks like a driveway but is also signposted as a bridleway) and follow this back up Pitch Hill. This section is very steep and you’re much fitter than me if you can ride up this! At some point you will pop out onto a fire road running parallel but keep heading up in the same direction. Take the first fire road you get to on your right, up the little hill (you might notice this was the fire road you crossed earlier between sections of the trail) to a cross roads and turn left. Follow this fire road and you’ll eventually end up back at the top of Pitch Hill.
From here, we’re going to head down some of the trail we used to climb up earlier, then skirt around the fenced edge of the quary and zig zag down the wall of the mini quarry we were in earlier. Pick your route carefully here as some of them end up in ridiculous drop offs! You’ll end up on a track and you need to turn right, back past the entrance to the mini quary but then take a left off the track and up the bank (again, look for a well worn trail). Follow the worn trail until you reach some nice steeps…pick your line and enjoy…there’s a nice big run out before the bridleway. Take a left and you’re back to the car park.
http://www.surreyhillsmtber.co.uk/127/pitch-up-look-sharp-a-pitch-hill-holmbury-hill-loop-mtb-route-gpx/
The route starts by taking the bridleway leading down out of the bottom of the car park, then veering right and heading diagonally up, before doubling back on yourself to the right (hint: have a look for tracks on your left and right if you like big thrills!). After climbing a bit more, double back left on yourself again into a mini quarry type area. Take the steep rocky climb around the far side (you might well have to push some of it) and, once at the top, head right and keep going on any of the numerous trails until you reach the lookout point.
From here, the route goes across the edge of the hill to the second lookout point with a bench and then follows the fire road on a gentle descent. At some point (check the GPS), you divert into the woods to the right of the fire road which is the start of some nice tight, technical stuff between the trees – this trail is known as T0. Keep following this and it’ll eventually pop you out onto another fire road.
Head straight across and into the woods again for more tight, rooty, technical stuff with lots of switchbacks (look out for those trees on the corners!). There’s not much of a gradient in this section so it does require some pedalling – this trail is known as T1. Follow this trail until you’re spat out onto another fire road.
Turn left and you’ll shortly reach a crossroads of fire roads, then take a right into the woods (the trail entrance is quite obvious). This section is more technical and very rooty in places with a steep drop on your left all the way along. There’s only one real way to go here so just follow the trail and keep your wits about you. Go straight across any trails that cut left to right through this one. The end section of this becomes faster and more flowing. Finally, the trail will skirt the graveyard on your right and we’re going to enter what looks like a big holly bush on your left. Be careful here as it can be pretty dark! Follow the path through the holly and you have two options – the first exit/chute to the right is pretty steep, keep going for the second exit/chute which is also steep but perfectly ridable and you’ll pop out into the Walking Bottom car park. You’ve just ridden T2-T5 – the final part of the ancient T-Trails :)
From here, take the road down to Peaslake, then we’re going to follow what has become known as the “Holmbury Hill Tourist Loop”. Take a right along the road for a little bit until we reach the bottom of Barry Knows Best. From here, take the bridleway heading diagonally left up the hill and take a right when you reach the top to traverse back along this bridleway/track type thing and eventually take a left and you’ll be at the reservoir/start of BKB on Radnor Road.
From here, this route really follows the Holmbury Hill Highlights MTB Route - we head to the top of Holmbury Hill, down the Yogurt Pots, then Telegraph Row, back up to the Resevoir and then down BKB.
Once you’re back at the bottom of BKB, pop out onto the road and head left. Almost immediately, turn right (looks like a driveway but is also signposted as a bridleway) and follow this back up Pitch Hill. This section is very steep and you’re much fitter than me if you can ride up this! At some point you will pop out onto a fire road running parallel but keep heading up in the same direction. Take the first fire road you get to on your right, up the little hill (you might notice this was the fire road you crossed earlier between sections of the trail) to a cross roads and turn left. Follow this fire road and you’ll eventually end up back at the top of Pitch Hill.
From here, we’re going to head down some of the trail we used to climb up earlier, then skirt around the fenced edge of the quary and zig zag down the wall of the mini quarry we were in earlier. Pick your route carefully here as some of them end up in ridiculous drop offs! You’ll end up on a track and you need to turn right, back past the entrance to the mini quary but then take a left off the track and up the bank (again, look for a well worn trail). Follow the worn trail until you reach some nice steeps…pick your line and enjoy…there’s a nice big run out before the bridleway. Take a left and you’re back to the car park.
http://www.surreyhillsmtber.co.uk/127/pitch-up-look-sharp-a-pitch-hill-holmbury-hill-loop-mtb-route-gpx/
Created By
Vladimir D
