Surrey Hills for beginners

My gf is picking up a road bike from Woking this weekend, so we thought we'd make the most of it and have a potter around surrey hills and then cycle back to hackney. This will both be our first time out in surrey hills.

This is her first road bike, and her first bike with drop bars, so i'm looking for some easy routes to take her on. We've done a cycle to southend-on-sea with her on an Orbea Katu, so she can do the distance.

One does not just potter around the Surry Hills -it’s either steep up or steep down or a nasty A road.

You're going to be doing 30km just getting to Richmond and back from Hackney
You need to add another 15 to 20 to get out onto some nice roads out of the city plus the return.

Hey, been on a ride out with some newer riders recently so can share a suggestion with two decent but not excessive climbs

https://www.komoot.com/tour/220951716

Starts at King George's Park in Wandsworth, out for half lap of Richmond Park (warm up climb of Broomfield Hill), down to Cobham via Esher, then you do the Staple Lane climb which is punchy but not excessive, then down Combe Lane into Shere for water refills and coffee/slice of cake at the Dabbling Duck. Off again along A25 back towards Dorking, up Box Hill (there's a water refill tap at the top too and Destination Bike in Box Hill Village is a good coffee/cake stop) then back up to Richmond Park via Epsom.

100km loop from Wandsworth, so probably 130km all in for you guys from Hackney.

No idea how you feel about public transport but you could also get the Overground without having to change from Hackney to Richmond, or back, which would save some pretty boring London riding

Just spotted you're thinking of starting in Woking, can join up with that route at Ockham

@neonblurb yep was looking at that, joining at Ockham and heading round to Dorking and back in to London

Are the roads fairly busy/fast cars around there?

Once out it is relatively quiet (with exception of Box which is easy to cut out). The key is to leave nice and early for a more pleasant ride.

There are lots of clubs that follow similar routes out/back. e.g.

Staple, Crock, Box (easy to switch Box for Juniper - can draw the route if you want).
https://www.strava.com/routes/13996501

Another with a bunch more hills.
https://www.strava.com/routes/11447018

Can also draw up someething shorter around Effingham/Juniper and or Box.

Good point, Juniper is a good alternative if you are feeling puffed out by Box Hill.

Crocknorth road on the 'Staple, Crock, Box' is short but pretty brutal FYI -high teens in % (killed me with no gears!) - also personally I would modify that route to come down Ranmore so you cut out most of A24.

cut out most of A24.

Always

If you can get to Richmond on the overground, this routes pretty good avoids quite a lot of the usual bad roads - can even skip box hill if the traffic is a bit chocka at the bottom.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33256810

Crocknorth road on the 'Staple, Crock, Box' is short but pretty brutal FYI -high teens in % (killed me with no gears!) - also personally I would modify that route to come down Ranmore so you cut out most of A24.

My bad, it's a better downhill but agree, better to cut out the A24.

Have re-plotted without the A24 and via Juniper for reference.
https://www.strava.com/routes/2727924923304821200

@seager your route is set to private.

My gf is picking up a road bike from Woking this weekend...

Why not ride back to London from Woking? or as far as Richmond Park.

Picking up a brand new bike on the same day as riding a country road is a bit of a jump.

Oops my bad - try this one.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32638254

IMO it's garbage riding to and from Surrey. I'd say let's provide the OP with a nice Woking loop and then you and GF take the train back into town.

Would definitely reduce the chance of relationship implosion

I wouldn't want to do 150km on a saddle I'd never ridden before either

Dunno, could be character building

IMO it's garbage riding to and from Surrey.

100%

Dunno, could be callus building

ftfy

There's some nice route that go past railway station for an easy way back to London, can ride as far as Weybridge.