If it was perverse to omit the Box Hill Zigzag route from Cycle Orbital, it was doubly so to leave out Leith Hill nearby, now that the Box Hill Loop is installed, for the construction of Leith Hill Tower NT has ensured this hill tops out at 1000 feet - the highest point in Southern England. Furthermore these are the Surrey Hills, occupying the Lower Greensand ridge south of the North Downs and providing perhaps the wildest and emptiest countryside in the whole Southeast. Hereabouts the most prominent fauna at the weekend is the Lycra-clad cyclist.
It's a genuinely tough climb up from Dorking and Spin-off 7, and once up at Coldharbour 4.6 there is the choice to climb offroad to the summit, or skirt round the hill on Abinger Road. At the junction with Leith Hill Road 6.2 from the south is the Rhododendron wood of Leith Hill Place - a good alternative midpoint destination to the hill itself. The off-road track from the summit soon rejoins at the carpark 6.5.
Thereafter it's a graded descent through Abinger (L fork 8.1), eventually reaching and crossing the A25 9.7, then climbing back to Abinger Roughs and Spin-off 7. R 10.3 for a a pleasant easy descent to Dorking - but if you are fit (and young) enough you can continue north and make the formidable White Down climb up and over to Arc 7 which crosses on an ancient drove road 11.3. L will take you west on an offroad adventure via Netley Heath towards Guildford and Clandon; R will complete the circuit to Dorking via Ranmore Common and Denbies vineyard. Either way, clockwise or anti-clock, you will have achieved some of the most challenging miles of this network.
