Brooklands GPX Route
Riverside towpath, a fragment of a 1907 motor racing circuit, and a semaphore tower that once talked to the fleet at Portsmouth.
Brooklands opened in 1907 as the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit, host to land speed records and aircraft testing long before Silverstone existed. Most of it is gone now, built over, grown over, or turned into a museum car park. This route rides one of the survivors: a stretch of banked concrete track you can still stand on.
Ride Details
Ride Level: Moderate (Blue)
Distance: 48 km / 30 miles
Terrain: Riverside paths, bridleways, sandy common, cycle paths and quiet roads
Bike: Gravel, cyclocross or mountain bike
Includes: GPX route file and printable Ride Guide
The Route
Leave Surbiton on quiet roads through Thames Ditton, pick up the Mole and follow it up to the Thames, then track the river upstream to Weybridge. From here it's a short hop onto NCR4 and into the woods around Weybridge Station.
The path back down the Wey Valley ducks under the railway and onto what was once the Brooklands Estate. A dull cycle path through a car park earns its place though. It leads to the old aerodrome, and the taxiway that puts you on a genuine remnant of the racing circuit. Look down at the cambered concrete and picture it lined with cars in the 1930s. It's a short section. Make the most of it.
A footpath through a thin strip of woodland brings you out onto Mill Lane and back to the River Wey. From here it's bridleways nearly all the way, on a mix of surfaces that cyclocross riders will enjoy more than most, especially through the sandy stretches of Ockham Common.
The route continues past Downside Common and Stoke D'Abernon, through Princes' Coverts, up to Claygate, and back into Surbiton.
The Semaphore Tower That Talked to the Fleet
Before telegraph cables, the Admiralty needed a faster way to reach the fleet at Portsmouth than a horse could manage. The answer was a chain of towers relaying signals hilltop to hilltop, Chatley Heath among them. It's been recently restored, and has outlasted whatever replaced it by rather a long way.
Along the Way
14 miles: Brooklands Museum, for the parts of the story a bike ride can't cover.
18 miles: Chatley Heath Semaphore Tower.
21 miles: The Cricketers, Downside Common.
Finish
Back into Surbiton with 48km and one genuine piece of motor racing history behind you. Not bad for an afternoon that starts and ends at the same suburban station.
Start and End Points
Surbiton Railway Station
Ride Details
- Distance: 48 km | 30 miles
- Climb: 380 m | 1,240 ft
- Percentage off-road: 60%
- Trail surface: Natural | Gravel | Woodland Single Track | Cycle Path
- Technical Grade: Blue - Moderate
- Mudometer: Medium, with some muddy patches in wet weather and soft sand through Ockham Common.
Is this ride for me?
Moderate (30-50 km)
A faster ride for riders who cycle fairly often and can ride comfortably for a couple of hours.
Some hills and descents on gravel paths and bridleways. Best for riders with a bit of off-road experience already.
Suitable for MTB, gravel, cyclocross and off-road ebikes.
Read more about our grades here
Is my bike OK for this ride?
Fine on a hybrid bike in summer when it's dry, but you'll enjoy it more on a gravel, cyclocross or mountain bike.