Deceptive Bends – 7 - a population with a broad spectrum –

5 – 1980 - today

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More recently, the valley took centre stage during the 2012 Summer Olympics, when cyclists tackled Zig Zag Road multiple times en route to the summit of Box Hill.

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Across the centuries, the Mole Valley has carried Stone Age travellers, Roman engineers, medieval pilgrims, émigré thinkers, sailors, soldiers, and modern visitors and commuters.

Figures connected with the area—from Thomas Cubitt (old Denbies), Sir Carl Aarvold (Foxbury), William Locke (Norbury Park) to Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook—have left their mark on its landscape and legacy.

It has never been the preserve of any one group; its character has always depended on shared use.

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That remains true today. Walkers, cyclists, riders, drivers and motorcyclists are all drawn here for the same reasons: the landscape, the freedom of movement, and the quiet enjoyment of a remarkable place.

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But coexistence has never meant absence of responsibility.

When use tips into excess—through sustained noise, aggressive riding, or behaviour that prioritises spectacle over setting—the balance is broken. What has historically been a place of passage and enjoyment becomes, for many residents and visitors, something to be endured.

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