Ride report: 3rd August MTB The Medicine Garden, Cobham

Four riders met at Cheam Station south side on a warm still morning, Dave Rapson, Mick Curtis, Trevor Kite from the KPRC and myself leading.

I’d taken a look at the O/S map a little while ago trying to find alternative routes to the Medicine Garden out at Cobham and had put together a new section to explore. We headed out over the edge of Horton Park and through to Chessington South. After crossing the A3 via Claygate Common we headed through Arbrook Common in the direction of Esher Common before crossing the A3 once again in a southerly direction. Soon we were on the unknown part of the route which snakes itself through the houses along Sandy Lane, Oxshott and brings you out onto Oxshott Heath (a heath rather than a common just for a change, must be a posh area!)

We were into undiscovered country for me as we got to the bottom south west corner of Oxshott Heath and I turned right through a small group of houses and onto the second part of the new route I’d mapped out. This new section took us over Knowle Hill Park south west of Cobham and dropped us onto Stoke Road. (Stoke D’Abernon)

Dave and Trevor recognised this new section over Knowle Hill Park as where an evil ogre women lives who doesn’t like cyclists using the route past the back of her and her posh neighbours houses. She must’ve been sleeping in this morning as none of us were turned to stone!

Alas this route, I was reliably informed, has sprouted new kissing gates and some new shiny little ‘No cycling’ badges and so the grumpy locals have won and blocked off yet another route to avoid a busy road. So next time it’s back to running the gauntlet of the busy Barwell Lane with its ‘S bend’ railway bridge and the impatient locals driving their Mercedes, Audi’s etc to the paper shop!

Soon our group was trundling through Park Wood and arrived at the Medicine Garden, downside a little after 10.30hrs. After refuelling we retraced our steps as far as Bridle Lane, Oxshott and headed back through Prince’s Coverts. Here we let Trevor off the leash and he went flying to the top of the hill with a big smile on his face. 😉👍

We crossed the A24, Leatherhead Road  (Telegraph Hill) and into Epsom Common using our normal route to take us across to Horton Country Park. The Hogsmill River was once again used to get us back in the direction of Ewell and Nonsuch Park. Dave needed more coffee by this point and so we stopped for more refuelling at the cafe in Nonsuch House. It was busy and so a shady spot of grass was found under the trees for our ‘post ride warm down!’

Good ride chaps.

For me 27.4 mile, 2h:45m

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