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One of the great cycling
pleasures on offer in Surrey is the 94 miles of quiet and attractive
country roads in the southern part of the county known as the Surrey
Cycleway. From Woking, the nearest reach of the Surrey Cycleway
is Coombe Bottom near Shere. It’s a lovely ride to this point for
as you travel through Pyrford and Ripley there is a real sense of
adventure as you leave the town behind and start to discover ‘rural’
Surrey. Once you pick up the well-signed
Surrey Cycleway you can wend your way
through the picturesque Surrey Hills, which include the North Downs,
probably Surrey’s best-known landscape feature.
There are options of routes out to Edenbridge to the east and Farnham
to the west, and all points in between, including southern England’s
highest peak, Leith Hill. Until recently the Surrey
Cycleway was the known to only a few in the
Woking area. This changed at Easter-time, when Surrey County
Council invested in carefully signing the Woking Link to and from the
Surrey Cycleway. Travel out of Woking towards Maybury and you
will see the brown leisure route signs directing you towards Pyrford,
Ripley and beyond. After about 40 minutes you will find that you
have reached the Cycleway proper, and away you go!
The advent of the Woking Link can be chalked up as another achievement
for the Woking Cycle Users’ Group. Three years ago, our web
deacon Jon Atkey identified the route and made it an informal feature
to highlight the easy reach of the network. Such was the
popularity of the route that the Group asked Surrey County Council to
formally adopt the Woking Link and this was taken on board in the April
2003 edition of the Surrey Cycleway map.
A year later the now familiar brown signs arrived and they serve not
only to advertise the route but also highlight to motorists that they
share the road with cyclists.
So well done Jon - and Surrey County Council, for taking forward his
idea so handsomely. The free Surrey Cycleway map is available
from local cycle shops and public libraries to enable you to plan your
journey. Happy cycling! James Parker |
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