Touring in Surrey 2020 with a roadbike

[Arne]

I'm planning to fly from Oslo to Gatwick and bring withe me my roadbike to do some preseason cycling,
approx one week and 100kms a day.

Think it would be nice to tour around in the spring but need some advice.
When is the best time to go ?

Any tips of nice local hotels/motels, cafes, pubs, routes would be appriciated.

[Vorpal]

Hi Arne,

Welcome

https://cycle.travel/ is a good route planner. As for the rest, I will leave it up to the folks familiar with Surrey to offer help.

[LinusR]

I'm planning to fly from Oslo to Gatwick and bring withe me my roadbike to do some preseason cycling,
approx one week and 100kms a day.

Think it would be nice to tour around in the spring but need some advice.
When is the best time to go ?

Any tips of nice local hotels/motels, cafes, pubs, routes would be appriciated.

Surrey is a very attractive part of south east England but the roads can be very, very busy because of the density of population and it is a very car-centric county and could be a shock to someone coming from Norway. Despite this it is very popular with road cyclists - partucularly the Box Hill area - and there are some quiet lanes to be found. I generally avoid road cycling in Surrey and prefer off-road riding. There is some information about cycling, including some car-free routes, here: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/sustainable-travel/cycling/routes

[Vorpal]

While I agree about traffic density, the OP said early season cycling, so I expect that's April? May? before school's out in any case. If the OP is used to cycling in Oslo, it won't be as different than if the OP is used to cycling in rural areas in Norway.The weather will likely be better in May than April, but anytime from Easter onwards will be significantly warmer than Norway, at least in England and Wales.

I'd recommend avoiding peak times (7:30 - 9:00 and 16:30 - 18:00) and doing the 100 kms per day between 9:00 and 16:30, if possible.

That said, there are lovely places in the UK with lower traffic denstiy, such as Norfolk, Yorkshire, the Peak District, etc.

[simonhill]

A week of 100kms a day could see you end to end Surrey a number of times. I would extend your tour a bit by heading east or west.

Hotel booking sites like booking.com can show accommodation options of varying quality and price. There are also budget hotel chains like Travelodge, Premier Inn, Holiday Inn etc that offer reasonable quality at a good price if you book early. You could easily book a tour around these.

If you like UK beer, the discount pub chain Wetherspoons now has hotels at some of it's pubs.

Stansted Airport in Essex has many budget flights and would give you access to the larger and less busy East Anglia if you're not fixed to Gatwick.

[Jamesh]

Flying into Liverpool / Manchester / Leeds Bradford would be cheaper with much nicer riding only minutes away.

Cheers James

[simonhill]

You also asked about weather.

It's pot luck, but the later you leave it the better it should be.

Thinking of the last couple of years, we have a few days of good weather in April, but plenty of unpleasant stuff as well - wet, windy and cold. You'd be lucky to get a good whole week.

More chance of better in mid May. I think May is one of the best times in the countryside as everything (plants, trees, etc) is really starting to get going. Green and verdant.

Lots a chilly Easterly winds in the last few years, but you may find these balmy breezes compared to back home.

[Marcus Aurelius]

https://www.strava.com/routes/12333664

Here’s a route I came up with for some hills training for the PRLS 100 charity I was riding with. It starts and finishes at Woking train station, and takes in some of the Surrey Hills climbs.

There’s a Travelodge hotel right at the start / finish point as well.