Ophelia in the Hogs Mill GPX Route
A quietly scenic suburban loop that traces the Hogs Mill to the spot said to have inspired Millais's Ophelia.
Flat, mostly off-road, and further from the city streets than the postcodes suggest.
One of our easier Blue routes, built almost entirely on parkland trails and cycle paths, with a downloadable GPX for easy navigation.
Ride Details
- Ride Level: Blue - Moderate
- Distance: 43 km / 27 miles
- Terrain: Natural, gravel and cycle paths (55% off-road)
- Bike: Hybrid, gravel/CX or mountain bike
- Includes: GPX file and printable Ride Guide
The Route
Starting at Streatham Common Station, the route crosses Mitcham Common before threading through Beddington Farmlands and Carshalton, where it's worth a detour into Carshalton Park to see the (usually dry) Grotto Canal.
From there it climbs gently towards Belmont Common and into Nonsuch Park, site of one of Henry VIII's many palaces, of which almost nothing now remains above ground. Suburban Ewell follows, then the route picks up the Hogs Mill Open Space, a long, glorious linear park that follows the stream for several miles.
Around mile 25 the Hogs Mill runs alongside the route; somewhere along this stretch is where, tradition has it, Millais's Ophelia came to rest (more on that below). After a careful crossing of the busy Kingston Road, the route rejoins the Hogs Mill and follows its course to Berrylands, then picks up a newly resurfaced cycle route towards Raynes Park before quiet roads lead back to Streatham Common.
Millais's Ophelia and the Hogs Mill
John Everett Millais's 1852 painting Ophelia, one of the best-known images to come out of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, is usually said to have been painted on the banks of the Hogsmill River near Ewell, where Millais spent months working on the background alone before Elizabeth Siddal was added later, famously posing in a bathtub of water back in his London studio. The exact spot has long since changed and is disputed, but the stretch this route follows is as good a candidate as any.
Along the Way
Places to Visit:
13 miles Nonsuch Park – site of Henry VIII's Nonsuch Palace
25 miles The Hogsmill River – the stretch said to have inspired Millais's Ophelia
Places to Eat:
22 miles Ewell – numerous pubs and cafés
Finish
Finish back at Streatham Common, having covered more parkland and open water than you'd think possible without ever really leaving the suburbs.
Start and End Points
Start/Finish: Streatham Common Station
Ride Details
- Distance: 43 km | 27 miles
- Climb: 300 m | 1000 ft
- Percentage off-road: 55%
- Trail surface: Natural | Gravel | Cycle Paths
- Technical Grade: Blue - easy riding over a longish distance
Is this ride for me?
At 43km this is a gentle full morning or half-day out – expect two to three hours in the saddle, longer if you stop to explore Nonsuch Park or wander along the Hogsmill itself. There's very little climbing and the surfaces stay rideable for most of the year, which makes it a good one for building off-road confidence.
Read more about our grades here.
Is my bike OK for this ride?
Any hybrid or off-road bike fitted with knobbly tyres is fine – the majority of the route is on well-made gravel paths with few hills.