Epsom and Walton Downs: hack ride no.1

Introduction

Epsom and Walton Downs offers lots of opportunities for hacking. But if you haven't been before, you're not familiar with the hack rides, you don't understand the hack ride marking system, or you just want to be told where to ride, this hack ride might be for you. It's about 8¾km (5½ miles) long, and might take you 1–1½ hours. If that's too short, there are plenty of other hack rides you could explore — or you could go round again!

This hack ride can be used at any time of day. If you're riding before midday, and particularly in the early morning, you should expect to see and pass racehorses in training on the downs. If you think that might be a problem for you and your horse, you should not set out before midday. None of this route takes you along roads with any traffic, but you will have to cross several busy roads, and you may encounter cars elsewhere (e.g. near the downskeepers' hut).

The guide below will tell you where to ride. But it doesn't tell you about paces — that's up to you. There are, however, plenty of tracks suitable for trot work, and you will also find several good opportunities for canter if you wish.

The aerial Google mapping photograph below shows the route of hack ride no.1. Notice how the aerial photography for the eastern half of the downs was taken just after the Derby: the wear on the downs from a crowd of 100,000 is all too obvious.

Please note the route description has not yet been fully tested: please take a map with you!

View Epsom Downs hack no.1 in a larger map

Parking

Park your horsebox or trailer in Derby Stables Road. If you're arriving from Epsom town centre along Ashley Road (B290), look out for a sharp left turn into Derby Stables Road after the traffic lights with Langley Vale Road, but just before the equestrian pelican crossing. If you're approaching from the east along Tattenham Corner Road (B290), turn right just after passing the Queen's Stand and the equestrian pelican crossing. Derby Stables Road is one-way at the bottom, so if you miss it, you'll need (if going downhill) to go round the block (next right at mini-roundabout, then right again) or (if going uphill) turn round at the roundabout.

Park on the left, but not on the grass. Please avoid riding on the grass here (it's not a hack area), and please tidy up when you go.

The ride

Ride up Derby Stables Road, and pick up the pavement round to the left.

The double corner of the Derby Stables, on your left, was built in the 1970s, in the same style as the original stable block, to accommodate the new alignment of Tattenham Corner Road when the Langley Vale Road underpass was built over to your right.

Ignore the equestrian pelican crossing, and go straight on into Derby Arms Road, past the pub.

There are four equestrian crossings on the downs, primarily for the use of horses in training. Each one cost around £60,000.

Just before the pub, go right over the bank onto the grass, but continue alongside Derby Arms Road on your left.
Drop back down onto Derby Arms Road (on your left) just in time to use the equestrian push button (mounted on a post just short of the walkway with wooden railings) for the pelican crossing ahead. (If you push the button, and walk to the crossing, the lights will change when you reach them.) Cross Downs Road, and continue straight ahead along a broad gravelly track downhill.
After about 300m, the track bears left, and (ignoring the left turn) divides into two. Take the left hand of the two tracks, and continue straight on. After about 200m, arrive at the crossing of Burgh Heath Road.

Roger Ingram's racing yard, Wendover Stables, is on your left.

Do not go through the barriers out on to the road, but turn right, keeping between the road and the golf tee. Continue up hill, keeping close to Burgh Heath Road all the way, with the golf course on your right. After about 300m, begin to drop down slightly, and pass the junction of Burgh Heath Road with Longdown Lane South on your left.

You are approaching Buckles Gap roundabout alongside Burgh Heath Road: looking anti-clockwise around the roundabout are Grand Stand Road and then Old London Road. (Beyond, dropping down hill away from the downs, are Yew Tree Bottom Road and Fir Tree Road.)

Continue up to the roundabout, picking up a mown track round to the right just short of the roundabout. Now cross Grand Stand Road ahead of you, via the traffic island, and go onto the grass opposite and bear right alongside Old London Road.
Go straight ahead, keeping Old London Road to your left, and after 500m keeping a golf tee to your right, to arrive at Tattenham Corner Road opposite the downskeepers' hut, with the little roundabout on your left.

The downskeepers' hut is where, unsurprisingly, the downskeepers hang out. In an emergency, contact them on: 01372 722931.

Cross Tattenham Corner Road at the traffic island, go left on the shoulder of the roundabout round the outside of the small car park by the downskeepers' hut and bear right to drop down to the crossing over the racecourse (the Derby Straight).

The dusty brown track ahead is Old London Road, once a principal route across the downs. It was downgraded to a bridleway in the 1960s, when New Work No.2 was built: the new road round the inside of the racecourse.

Immediately after crossing the racecourse, turn right through the barriers, and ride along the grass 'platform' immediately adjacent to the racecourse (keep the hard track to your left, and the racecourse to your right). Go ahead along the platform for 470m: on reaching railings guarding a subway across the racecourse, go through a small gap on the right between the subway and the racecourse. Now continue ahead across the grass, and drop down to the hard track just to the left of the dingy Lonsdale Stand and toilets.

In case you were wondering, the toilets are open only on racedays. There are public toilets on Tattenham Corner Road, a little down from the downskeepers' hut (but on the other side of the road).

Do not pick up the hard track, but cross straight over it and go steeply down the grass to the crossroads at the bottom of the valley. This is Walton Road. Cross Walton Road and pick up the gravelly track, half right, down the valley.

Walton Road was formerly the main road from Epsom to Walton-on-the-Hill. It remains a public road, but vehicular traffic is prohibited under a traffic regulation order. This bit is still used for access to Downs House, and is popular with cyclists and walkers, so watch out!

Go down this valley track for 300m. Watch out for the third post on your left, well after an isolated tree on the hill on your left: the post should be marked with a red cross on the near side, and a blue arrow on the far side. After passing the post, turn left off the track. Your route now lies up the gentle valley ahead of you: bounded to the left by a low baulk with taller grass, and to the right initially by a bank and scrubby hedge (later, by Downs House Road). Go straight up the valley, taking care not to veer left over the baulk. It's about 475m to the top, which is marked by the line of Walton Road (but beware, the road isn't very obvious until you reach it).

This is one of the best hack areas on the downs, because of the gently rising gradient. The bank and trees on your right mark the near side of the old alignment of the Derby course. It was moved to its present alignment in the C19, because of the excessively taxing start to the race from the bottom of the valley. You can ride along this bit if you want: your chance to ride the Derby course!

Turn right along Walton Road, and shortly, at the unmarked junction with Downs House Road (which goes down to the right in the direction you've just come from) go straight ahead through the gap across the racecourse. Continue ahead, to drop down and across the fibresand track. (Warning: horses may be in training on the grass or on the fibresand track before noon). Continue straight on through the woods.
Emerging from the woods, Walton Road arrives at a T-junction. Go neither right nor left, but continue ahead along a grassy track. Go straight ahead past signs (about horses in training) to the top of Six Mile Hill (or Walton Hill). Continue straight on across the MacTrack and continue down hill along a well-defined track, initially covered in fibresand, later rather rutted. (Warning: horses may be in training on the MacTrack or on the downs below it before noon: please keep a good look-out and give way if necessary).

You're still on Walton Road: people used to drive up here until the 1970s! Six Mile Hill is the main training gallops.

Drop down to and go through the barriers at the bottom of the hill. Cross the all-weather gallop and the sand track. (Warning: horses may be in training on the all-weather gallop before noon.) Turn left along the hard track just below the sand track.

The sand track is for hack riders' use, but only after midday.

After 150m, fork right uphill into the trees. Immediately inside the trees, fork left by a marker post, to follow a rough track uphill across Juniper Hill. Go ahead for 250m, ignoring a crossing track (four marker posts), to arrive at a T-junction with a bridleway.

This track across Juniper Hill was reopened in 2008, and has great views left and behind over Six Mile Hill. Juniper Hill is noted for its semi-natural grassland, but there's a constant battle to keep back the scrub and woodland. Sheep are sometimes brought here to graze the grass.

Turn left and slowly drop downhill to emerge from the trees onto a hard track. Turn right, and follow the hard track up hill (after midday, you can initially use the parallel sand track for a short distance before it peters out) for about 375m, where it bears round to the left and continues up hill, now with Epsom Lane North on your right behind the hedge. (Warning: horses may be in training on the all-weather gallop before noon, and if so, will share your track to return to the Old London Road crossing.)
At the top of the rise, do not go through the gap ahead, but follow the reddy-brown track round to the left, winding round past a spur of the racecourse, and eventually turning right to round the end of another spur. Keep on the reddy-brown track, shortly bearing a little left through the woods, to emerge at the Old London Road crossing of the racecourse. Do not cross the racecourse, but keep straight ahead (keeping the racecourse just on your right).
The next crossing is Walton Road, which you used earlier. Now, ignore the racecourse crossing, and go straight over Walton Road. Do not follow the reddy-brown track ahead to the left, but go straight on onto the rough grassy area to the right of it, to pick up a grassy track parallel to but about 20m to the left of the racecourse railings. After about 200m the track reaches a T-junction with a path and a wall of heavy scrub beyond it: turn left to follow the small path alongside the scrub, which soon emerges onto that reddy-brown track you left behind a few moments ago. Turn right along it.
You have a choice: you may ride on the grass to the left of (but keeping close to) the track, or remain on the track. Continue along here, gently downhill, for 450m, and follow the reddy-brown track as it bears right and peters out into a grassy track. Continue ahead, keeping slightly right, passing just below the very end of the racecourse.

This is where the Derby Stakes race starts from: it's 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards, or 2,423 metres, and the first part is a taxing climb of over 40m uphill to the milepost marker.

Just after passing the end of the racecourse, take the left hand of two tracks going ahead, and drop down to a junction of tracks at the bottom of the valley. Don't take any of these, but cross straight over, climb up the grassy bank, and bear half right, ascending gently past three isolated bushes, towards the Rubbing House buildings in the distance.
Go past a barrier in the far corner of the field out on to Walton Road by the Rubbing House pub. Turn half left (not sharp left) past the terrace of the Rubbing House, and cross the racecourse. Now turn right, and follow the surfaced path up towards the pelican crossing near the Queen's Stand. Push the button on the post as you pass, and cross Tattenham Corner Road at the lights. Your horsebox or trailer is just round the corner to your left.

Back to Epsom and Walton Downs page

Page last updated: 26 December 2009