There’s a short (around 1km) section of unsurfaced track through Ockham Common which can get muddy after heavy rain. The A3 makes this is pretty much unavoidable. Those with road bikes may need to walk it, or be prepared for a brief re-enactment of Paris-Roubaix. Anyone with a touring bike, MTB or a utility bike will be fine. The same applies to the River Wey towpath from Pyrford Lock, but there is a lanes alternative, though it’s a bit less scenic than riding alongside the river.
Map (zoom in for more detail)
Download file for GPSDirections and GPX
Route directions PDF (right click to download)
GPX file (right click to download)
We did this ride yesterday (19 May) – lovely ride with little traffic (and only a few very small inclines!). The Anchor is lovely pub especially when the sun is shining.
If the weather is wet (or has been) then you may need to walk along the track in Ockham Common if you have road bikes, but really not far.
Overall – brilliant!
Thanks Jack!
The track at Ockham can be bypassed by taking the cycle track along the A3 ( not much fun) or even better turn left at the Black Swan ( Martyr’s Green) and then use a bridleway to cross Wisley airfield to the A3 bridge. If you know where to enter ( no unauthrised vehicles sign at a gate!) you can ride down the old runway, We do it regularly on club rides.
A longer loop could incorporate the Basingstoke canal and the Wey navigation betwen Woking and Pyrford ( or the W Byfleet to Pyrford road) to avoid doing the same route in and out of Woking.
Did this ride today, it was nice and relaxing.
Newark lane was closed, but it is possible to get through by bike.
Pinnock’s coffee was amazing, highly recommended! Really good pour-over coffee & light lunch.
Thanks for the comment above Brian, I did make it across the airfield, it was really cool!
I thought by going through the airfield I missed out on getting muddy, but then I decided to take the canal path and the Wey was completely flooded. Had to carry my bike and my feet were soaked through and muddy. Until the water recedes, its best to take the road and not the canal path.
I did this ride today on a glorious morning.
Newark Lane is closed until July 4 but it is still possible to pass by bike; there’s a temporary bridge for pedestrians where the old one is being replaced.
The first 100m of the track in Ockham Common are pretty bad – huge ruts culminating in a pool of water you have to navigate around – but still passable. When the surfaced road comes out by the A3 it’s possible to nip left and explore the runway. I saw skylarks and a buzzard hanging around.
The Wey path was perfectly rideable and very pleasant at this time of year with all the buttercups out.
Thanks Jack!
Huw
Did this ride this afternoon under leaden skies and had a great time. The years have not been kind to the track at Ockham Common and the ruts are now impassable by bike – we started to walk alongside the track but the brambles made it hard going so we turned back. It’s possible the going eases up further on but we weren’t confident. The good news is the shared cycle path alongside the A3 (just a couple of minutes further up the road) is very serviceable, though scenic it ain’t! We weren’t sure if we were going to find the path at all as we nervously rolled up to the A3 junction but rest assured, it’s still there, tucked away on the left.
The light was fading by the time we reached the Anchor so we bailed out of the towpath section and continued along the lanes to eventually meet up with the return route south of Pyrford – though by the look of the map a more direct short-cut is possible.
Another great ride with a lot of wildlife about. Thanks, Jack!
Got round to this ride today – it was pretty busy, not helped by the fact it was the Wisely flower show! Interesting cycling round the villages, more so as I’ve been reading War of the Worlds over the past few weeks. The bridleway part is clearly being used as a challenge by the local boy racers – the ruts and mud are pretty insane, and there are bumpers, wing mirrors, number plates and other car detritus all over the place! I tried to cycle the first bit, and managed to fall off. There was a diversion on the river wey as well due to works on the weir, and the diversion wasn’t particularly bike suitable! Looks like it might be going on for another month or two so beware.
I rode this route a few days ago – dry, warm and a bit overcast. Too much traffic for my taste and lots of drivers going fast. It may have been because it was a Friday and also Wisley was very busy.
I think the instruction at km 27.7 is wrong. You should turn right, not left, when you reach the titans bridge.
Rode this as a group a few weeks ago on a very damp May afternoon. Was a bit worried initially as the starting roads were very busy but once you got out of Woking a bit it was much nicer. We had a great snack stop in Ripley at ‘Nest Home & Cafe’ really friendly staff who were happy to fill up bottles and asked about our bike ride.
Just beautiful scenery from there on out – wish I could add a photo. We also called in at the old airfield and RHS Wisley. Just a note the forest track/bridleway was completely impassable so we walked through, also the last river stretch was muddy so wouldn’t recommend a road bike.
Just did this ride on a Saturday morning. The roads were far busier than we expected and we were almost never able to ride two-abreast. That said, the scenery is lovely and Ripley is as nice a place as any to stop for a break. There doesn’t seem to be a bad choice when it comes to eateries. Particularly liked the canal path, but I can imagine that being very weather-dependent.
Did this route today and found the roads to be very busy. Only relaxing parts were the off road sections. Plans for 1700 new homes around the old airfield suggest that the roads are only going to get busier which is a shame as it was a nice route.
Did last week sunny day. A pleasant cycle. Traffic sparse once out of Woking. Note: At 12.9 miles, there is now a construction site there. There is a bridle path that leads up to the disused airfield. Though at the far end there is another construction site too. It seems the best way is using the cycle lane alongside the A3 to access the footbridge to cross it. There is a construction site adjacent to this footbridge not sure if this is the same one as at at the airfield.
The crossing over the A3 from Elm Lane to Wisley Lane no longer exits. A new bridge is under construction but cannot be used at the moment. Local man at the building site directed us down a overgrown small cycle path alongside the A3 and we were able to cross the A3 at the roundabout. From here the only way back to the route was going east along the A3 which we decided not to do as there was no path or cycle lane.
We rerouted along Mill Lane and then took a bridleway and footpath to rejoin the river Wey at the point you cross the river at a house.
Whilst the new bridge is under construction this causes significant impact on this route and it cannot be completed as planned.
Thanks for the alert on this, much appreciated.
Will you do a new version?
Hi Jordan,
I’ve not been to the location but reports suggest the new bridge is now open. There is a map of the proposed new cycling links here.
It’s not yet clear from Google Streetview if all the works are complete but I’d be surprised if they weren’t by now. Worth a recce and reporting back to other readers?
Jack