Has anybody gone up....

drummer

WINNATTS PASS in Castleton?

Did it today and it was murder.

Has anyone else got any experience of this climb?

phil s

No

singlespeedexplosif

nice isn't it!
I can think of worse, but not many..

stagger

Its pretty hard

I live pretty close to it, but dont go up it very often, unless I am feeling particularly feisty. I need 30x27 although plenty of people seem to power up it on doubles-did you?.

much better and beautiful climb is from the edale side to mam nick which is longer but still has a couple of tough ramps, also the edale road is quieter and you can then loop to come down winnats instead- far more sensible.

drummer

I have a triple mate and even with that it was unbelievable.

I consider myself to be fit and I've done lots of sports at a decent level but that was the hardest thing I've ever done!

The conditions yesterday were also crap. Wind whistling down and pouring with rain!
Just reading Geoff Thomas' biog and he said he could'nt get up it SO I thought I should see if I could.

I did but it's a monstrous effort!

Wappygixer

I've done Winnats a few times when I've come over Snake pass to Lady bower.
Had a time last winter where the wind was blowing straight down the pass and it was murder.I got off and walked in the end even with a 30/23 set up.
Now I'm a little fitter I can do it on my compact 34/23 but it is hard but very rewarding especially if you get walkers cheering you on

ConsciousPilot

I had an attempt earlier this month with my new 34-24 setup. Failed miserably. Had to stop several times to recover lungs. Now working on additional fitness to have another go soon.

trig1

is it worse than bealach na ba?

iain_j

I'm planning on a short-ish loop, out over the Snake, maybe around the hills above Hathersage and then back via Winnats or Edale and Mam Nick - can't decide. I think Edale would be slightly easier and more scenic, but i want to challenge myself.

I've been through that way once before and wimped out of both - i rode up the old hairpin road and clambered up over the landslide

drummer

Iian, Just MAKE SURE YOU ARE PREPARED PAL!! :shock:

If not, you will be DOOMED to fail!!

drummer

See the link below of somebody doing it. It's on youtube althought to be honest it does not do it 'REAL JUSTICE' it terms of it's BRUTALITY!! :roll:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eqpKA6jI8u0

fatbee

Once, many, many years ago. It was a b@st@rd then and I don't doubt still is. As a flat soft southener from the flat soft south, I hadn't ridden much like it anywhere else in the UK at the time, and was passed by several local lads who made it look easy (relatively.)

Captain Fagor

trig1 wrote:

is it worse than bealach na ba?

No.

a_n_t

planning a club run over there in the new year - I reckon I can take it!

trig1

thanks captain fagor! been over that this year lookin for some other nasties to try.

Captain Fagor

trig1 wrote:

thanks captain fagor! been over that this year lookin for some other nasties to try.

Winnats is still worth cycling up, as are plenty of other hills in that neck of the woods. I just don't think it's as hard as the BnaBa, that's all.

Anonymous

Winnats is a tough steep climb but I can think of many many climbs which are far worse...

NY Moors - Boltby Bank,Blakey Bank,Black Brow from Grosmont,Rosedale Chimney Bank are much tougher.

Dales - Fleetmoss from Hawes,Coal Road,Oxnop,Park Rash all tougher aswell.

Scotland - Glen Quaich from Kenmore,Glendaruel,Lecht,Cairn O Mount,Bealach.

Wales - Bwlch Y Groes,Bwlch Penbarras...Devils Staircase very similar in pain to Winnats...

Pennines - That brute over Langdon Fell from St Johns Chapel, Great DunFell

Lake District - Hardknott Pass,Wrynose Pass, Struggle,Honister and tons more...

Winnats is tough but compared to some of the above its very acceptable...

mrushton

It's a weary climb. I don't mind the gradient but the narrowness of the road and the traffic on it make it horrid. much prefer going thro' Edale and coming out on Rushup Edge.The ride thro' the valley is nice and the climb is shallower but longer and actually higher so you get a better workout imo.

nickwill

I've done it a couple of times on the Polka Dot. Its quite nasty, but short enough to mean you can give it some welly, and know that you've got enough left in the tank to finish it.
Compared to some of the Yorkshire and Cumbrian brutes it's relatively straightforward. I do think it looks worse than it is, because the top is hidden round a corner. Once you realise that the top is only just round the corner, you've called it's bluff!
As stated above, the traffic can make it a lot less straightforward than it should be.

a_n_t

a_n_t wrote:

planning a club run over there in the new year - I reckon I can take it!

went, saw, KICKED ITS ARSE!!

Not that tough at all really, over the cattle grid, bit of a right hander, bit steeper, bit of a left hander, another cattle grid, was that it??!!

disgruntledgoat

Winnats is tough... onlly done it on the Polka Dot and on a 39 x 23. Got up it both times but it was one of those moments where you're pawing at tour shifter hoping for another gear from somewhere, especially with Wrigley setting the pace ahead of me.

Pokerface

I've ridden DOWN it many a time - and that scares the poop out of me!

Only ridden UP it once. Clocked it a one mile from cattle grid to cattle grid - and it took me a very painful 7 minutes. Thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest! But it can be done! Oh yeah - and I only have one good leg so anyone with two good ones shouldn't have a problem!

a_n_t

i'm guessing it would be tough on 39x23 but thats why I have a compact!

Bhima

One mile in 7 minutes? :shock: Sounds painful! I know a couple of 1 mile climbs and the hardest one I can do in 5:15 - and that takes me to the limits!

Ant - what's the lowest gear you used?

a_n_t

on winnats? 34:23 / 26.

pretty easy with that tbh!

Anonymous

Where is this winnats? I must try it.

a_n_t

it was on the clubrun yesterday whilst you were swanning around cheshire

http://www.rural-roads.co.uk/winnats/winnats1.shtml

antfly

It looks tough but quite doable.
Has anyone else ridden up the hill at Brigsteer just outside Kendal? Now that`s really tough!

disgruntledgoat

My toughest hills that I ride with any sort of regularity

1. Fangs Brow
2. Newlands Pass
3. Castlerigg (near Keswick, goes up to the stone circle)
4. Red Bank (between Grasmere and the Langdales)
5. The Struggle

And i'm leaving HOnister and hardknott out of this as too obvious (maaaaan)

torin

i'm going for it this year my dad did it last year but said it was hard and i beat him up sa colobra so i think i can do it (fingers crossed)
Will it be hard for a 13 year old?

Tom Butcher

RICHYBOYcp wrote:

Winnats is a tough steep climb but I can think of many many climbs which are far worse...

NY Moors - Boltby Bank,Blakey Bank,Black Brow from Grosmont,Rosedale Chimney Bank are much tougher.

Dales - Fleetmoss from Hawes,Coal Road,Oxnop,Park Rash all tougher aswell.

Scotland - Glen Quaich from Kenmore,Glendaruel,Lecht,Cairn O Mount,Bealach.

Wales - Bwlch Y Groes,Bwlch Penbarras...Devils Staircase very similar in pain to Winnats...

Pennines - That brute over Langdon Fell from St Johns Chapel, Great DunFell

Lake District - Hardknott Pass,Wrynose Pass, Struggle,Honister and tons more...
..

Not sure I agree about those last two Lakes climbs - I'd say Winnats is more challenging than the Struggle and Honister - though I've only done Honister from the Fred Whitton side I didn't find it too bad once you get past the initial steep bit.

I'd have Bwlch Y Groes as a fair bit worse though - that's if I'm thinking of the right climb - the one not far from Lake Vrynry (I know the spelling is way out but you know what I mean).