Devil’s Punch Bowl Grand MTB Tour

From £58.00 inc. VAT

(6 customer reviews)

Ride info

Location: Surrey Hills
Duration: 5-6 hours
Style: Cross-country (XC)
Level: 8

MTB ride rating 8

Bike type

Mountain bike
Electric mountain bike
Gravel bike

Distance

36 mi | 58 km

Ascent

4,350 ft | 1,325 m

Devil’s Punch Bowl Grand MTB Tour

From £58.00 inc. VAT

(6 customer reviews)

Welcome to the western end of the Surrey Hills National Landscape – where the sheer density of rocky, rooty, fast-rolling bridleways and byways gives us unlimited options to discover the history and beauty of the Devil’s Punch Bowl and beyond. This 36 mile XC epic has been freshly rebooted for 2024, with an improved route we know you’ll love.

If you need to hire a bike, check availability first using the bike hire selector below.

Description

There is far more to mountain biking in the Surrey Hills than Peaslake and Holmbury Hill!  At the far western end of this stunning area is the simply fabulous Devil’s Punch Bowl, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and one of the most popular natural attractions in the south east of England. This ancient area is smothered in an impressive web of interconnecting byways and bridleways that link towns and villages together to create a cross-country mountain biking and hiking haven.

Sometimes, only a longer ride will satisfy your love for the outdoors, and this day out is ideal for those who are looking for an adventure. This Surrey Hills mountain biking experience is perfect for the regular mountain biker who likes nothing more to discover a new area, its history and maybe a well-earned country pub lunch afterwards.

What to expect

To enjoy our Devil’s Punch Bowl ride, you’ll need to an active person with regular cycling fitness. You’ll need to be happy with taking on big climbs. However, if you have recently joined us on our other intermediate or advanced rides, then this epic tour around Hindhead, Haslemere and Liphook that also takes in Black Down, the highest point on the South Downs National Park, will be the perfect next step for you. The riding is good old-fashion cross-country, with long but rewarding climbs and epic views. The riding is a mixture of the stunning double and singletrack highways of yesteryear. The terrain is not overly technical, however, a couple of the descents do require confident bike handling techniques.

The ‘Devil’s Punch Bowl Grand MTB Tour ‘ provides an exciting mixture to inject plenty of fun and a sense of challenge for regular and experienced mountain bikers.

If you are still not sure whether this ride is for you, then please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

The area and the trails

This western part of the Surrey Hills offers an amazing network of bridleway trails that link seamlessly together to explore this stunning and ancient part of the south east. Thanks to the sandstone commons and heathlands of the Surrey Hills the majority of this ride handles the variety of weather very well – but in places, our route can be exposed and therefore we would recommend packing an additional layer – and your sunglasses. The well trodden, ancient and eroded trails with their rooty rollers, rocky steps and other fun natural features will keep you on your toes and have you grinning from ear-to-ear across the entire loop.

Riding with Marmalade

We pride ourselves on creating the perfect vibe that makes everyone feel comfortable and confident. Combine a super fun and relaxed atmosphere with Marmalade’s expert knowledge and professionalism we will guarantee you the best day out discovering the trails of the Surrey Hills.

Bike choice

This route is a traditional cross-country mountain bike ride. There will be fun bumpy descents, rooty forest trails and wide-open pastures. So a hardtail or short travel full suspension mountain bike would be perfect. Big travel bikes are welcome – just be prepared for some extra effort.

This ride can be enjoyed on a conventional mountain bike, e-bike or gravel bike. If this ride is right for your level of experience and fitness, then bring your choice of machine. Marmalade rides have a friendly welcoming atmosphere, and e-bike riders who find themselves first up the hill are always patient and understanding of those relying on human-power alone.

Ensure your bike of choice is maintained and ready to ride, and please pack a spare mech hanger with your usual trail pack spares.

Ride details
  • Duration: 5-6 hours
  • Distance: 36 mi | 58 km
  • Ascent: 4,350 ft | 1,325 m
  • Level:  Upper Intermediate
    (If you have any questions about your level, just contact us)
  • Meet time: 9.30am │ 9.00am on bikes
  • Meet point: The Bel and Dragon, Churt
What do I need?

Equipment, kit and clothing

Essentials:

  • Suitable mountain bike in good working order (bikes can be hired in advance)
  • Helmet (in good condition, with no damage)
  • Clothing and shoes appropriate for cycling and weather conditions on the day
  • Personal choice of drink and ride snacks

Recommended:

  • Gloves
  • Glasses, sunglasses or eyeshields
  • Backpack
  • Spare inner tube
  • Puncture repair kit and bicycle pump
  • Padded cycling shorts for comfort

What’s not included

  • Bike hire – this can be booked via the ‘Bike Hire‘ section
  • Personal clothing & equipment
  • Overnight accommodation
  • Pre, during or post activity refreshments
  • Personal travel or accident Insurance
Is this for me?
  • To take part, you’ll need to be an active person who has the personal fitness to ride for at least 4 hours at a social and comfortable pace, with breaks
  • You will be confident in mountain bike handling skills and proficient with operating your bicycle in the correct manner
  • The trails do include features such as roots and loose rocks, along with small rollable steps – all of which can be easily ridden or avoided
  • This ride does contain undulating trails – and in places, climbs that may be challenging
  • This ride requires a suitable mountain bike (Hybrid and budget bicycles are not suitable)
    • See the ‘Bike Hire‘ section below if you need to hire a bike
  • Riders should be aged 18 and over
  • If this ride sounds a little beyond your current skill and fitness level, please contact us and we’ll help you look at other options
Bike hire

If you need to hire a bike, we can recommend these excellent providers. Based in Sussex and Surrey, you may have to co-ordinate carefully with them to agree when you pick up and return your bike.

Reviews
  1. Vadim

    This was my 2nd ride with marmalade overall and I enjoyed it a lot. It is a hard route with some hard climbs with loose, slippery rocks. As usual, the ride was well organised with about 60km of riding. I’d recommend it if you are an mid-level rider with some trail skills. Definitely not a beginner level.

  2. Nigel Pigden

    I’ve now been on a few marmalade rides and my skills have grown and the Devils Punch Bowl was another superb day out with Jim our leader…with his huge experience and knowledge also making a minor repair to an issue I could not detect on my bike getting me back on track. Beautiful scenery & great company making an exciting day out.

  3. John Pillar

    Great ride and great group – ably led by Jim, who made the day as good as it could be. Started very wet and then dried up, and we pushed on up some very challenging climbs and some amazing clattery descents. Big day out. Thanks

  4. Mark Bennett

    Yet another amazing guided ride delivered by Sean and Marmalade MTB. Over 30 miles of some the best bridleways and byways that the Surrey Hills has to offer. A true variety of wooded singletrack and open heath riding filled with challenging ascents and amazing descents, all shared with a great group of riders. A ride and route that I’d definitely do again!

  5. Richard Mason

    Another brilliant trip from Sean/Marmalade who always manages to find the best trails with excellent scenery, single track and invariably a good group to enjoy it with.

  6. Jeff Grimes

    Yet another brilliant day out with Sean. The route was varied and challenging, some rocky twisty downs and some formidable ups but in between some lovely trails and great views. Very glad that Sean knew the route. Highly recommended.

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Private experience (extra information)

Booking the Devil’s Punch Bowl as a private ride

To take on this ride as a private experience, our base price of £240 is for one to four people. Add more riders for a group of five to eight using the ‘Extras’ drop down menu.
If you want a completely bespoke guided ride, then choose the ‘Custom Half or Full Day’ option from the ‘Experiences’ drop down menu.
Still not sure what experience is for you or have a question? Then please send Sean an email or call on +44 (0)7840 724611.

Need to hire a bike? Then after you have booked your private ride, scroll down or click click here to reserve your bike(s).

Meet point: Once you have booked, we can decide on the best location to start your ride. This will depend on whether you’re staying locally and and whether or not you require bike hire. If needed, we can bring the bikes to you.
If you want to discuss this before you book then please send Sean an email or call on +44 (0)7840 724611.

(All prices include VAT)

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