This is one of my regular cycle routes because it only takes a couple of hours and it’s a nice figure-of-eight ride along country lanes (mostly) and a section of the Downs Link bridleway.
- Distance: 21 miles (33 km) for the whole trip
- Type of route: It’s mostly on-road with a section of well-maintained bridleway. Mountain bikes and hybrid bikes are best.
- Grade: Intermediate
- Start and Finish: Littlehaven station (but you can start anywhere in Horsham).
- You can easily find the route on this Ordnance Survey Map.
Map of the Route
Here’s the route. Just zoom in and out or change the map type in the upper right to get more details. I’ve added a few of my Twitter comments (blue icons) on the map. These comments were tweeted live as I cycled the route in August.
More About the Route
The route starts at Littlehaven (that’s only because I live near there!) but you can start anywhere in Horsham. The first part of the trip is along Kerves Lane south east of Horsham town centre. There’s a short but steep climb (Hard’s Hill, kinda appropriate eh?) on Kerves Lane before it joins up with Broadwater Lane (downhill) to Copsale.
At Copsale, take the Downs Link bridleway heading south east, via the old station at West Grinstead, and on to Partridge Green. This is the halfway point; it’s about 10 – 11 miles to here.
At Partridge Green, cycle up the main village street before turning left and heading back via Littleworth (and the Windmill pub) and crossing the busy A272 south of Maplehurst.
At Maplehurst itself, turn left to Copsale, and then retrace part of the route as far as Sedgwick Lane. This is a right turn before you get to Kerves Lane. Cycle up Sedgwick Lane until you get to Sedgwick Park entrance on the right. The road bends left and there’s a long downhill section to the A281 Brighton Road. Cross that and turn left at Hammerpond Lane to bring you back into Comptons Lane – and home.
Overall
I really enjoy this route because it’s a mixture of on and off-road, it’s not without its challenges (Kerves Lane being one of them!) and it’s normally very quiet without much traffic. At the end of it, I feel like it’s been a good ride and 21 miles has been completed. Now, where’s that beer?
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