The military training ranges at Ash cover an extensive area of Surrey heathland, but are rarely accessible during the day. A call to the range office on 01252 325233 revealed that, today, the red flags would be down all day, and I took advantage of this to explore the ranges by bike. I parked at Henley Park Lake (avoiding the asbestos building waste fly tipped there). There is also access on the northern side, for example ivo Tunnel Hill.
I used the good network of tracks to criss-cross the ranges in a random walk (or cycle)- see map of my track
here.
The northern half - marked on the OS Explorer map Romping Downs, Crown Prince Hill, Emperor's Hill - is a high plateau offering particularly good views in all directions: to the North Downs and Guildford Cathedral, the London skyline and the Hampshire hills. There is a fair chance of spotting some interesting bird life: wood lark, tree pipit, stone chat and maybe even Dartford warbler. Whilst it is a shame that military activity restricts access, these same restrictions have preserved these unique heathlands from development, providing excellent cycling opportunities with panoramic views. Note the tracks are quite rough so mountain bike is preferable.
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| Henley firing range |
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| Typical track |
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| There are some wooded sections |
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| Track on Romping Downs |
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| View from to Guildford Cathedral |
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| View from Crown Prince Hill |
Very useful overview of the Ash Ranges on two wheels. Thank you! It is a lesser known part of Surrey because of the access restrictions that seem to vary month on month depending on the military training requirements. I managed to include the Ash Ranges in my ride today, unfortunately the visibility was very poor. I recommend to visit Tunnel Hill nearby (also under MoD control but open to the public), also very scenic and good fun with a MTB
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