Hill Climbs near London

moconnor01
moconnor01 Posts: 27
edited June 2009 in Training, fitness and health
Hi there .... some advice - I'm tyrying to get some good hill training in over the next month and a bit - Etape de Tour looms ...... does anyone have any good locations for some long, reasonably steep hills close to London (ie 20 - 30 miles from central London)???

Any ideas will be greatly apppreciated .. and tested!

cheers :D

Comments

  • funckchicken
    funckchicken Posts: 93
    i can only comment on what's south of london.

    there's quite a few in kent. some shortish 15 to 20%ers and the odd longer one. beddlestead, gangers, woldingham hill, yorks hill, ide hill, toys hill, sunridge, brastead . all within 3O miles of London.

    there's quite a few in surrey as well - box hill etc.

    of course you have to cycle back to the big smoke from them after you've finished, so leave something in the tank :lol:
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    I keep hearing on here that there are "hills" in Richmond Park
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  • Billios
    Billios Posts: 96
    They arent hills in Richmond park. Merely little bumps. Its just Londoners are soft :)
  • phil s
    phil s Posts: 1,128
    You could always ride out to the area used for the Northroad Hardriders TT, an area known as little Switzerland... look at the area of Herts above Potters Bar and plot a course around Essendon, Brickendon, etc... all up and down. As for long climbs, you'll have to go to another country for them
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  • David-Witts
    David-Witts Posts: 80
    In North London, Try Highgate Hill Road or the quieter Highgate west hill Road. Both will get your lungs working, Davy
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    It's not worth going for these hills, they are merely 5-10 minutes in effort and then you freewheel down the other side. So they are about short, sharp efforts. Going up Ventoux this July means a slog for an hour or two, so copy this in training by slogging for an hour or two. Sprinting up and freewheeling down is the opposite effort.

    But still head for the hills as they are fun and always useful on a long ride to break up the ride.
  • ohlala!
    ohlala! Posts: 121
    try climbing from Archway up to Highgate, then down to Hampstead (Royal free hospital) then climb up again through Hampstead high street up towards Golders Green.

    Or climb from Putney bridge up to Putney heath, then down again and up again.
  • Barkiesnake
    Barkiesnake Posts: 244
    Take the Metroppolitan line out to Amersham and you are right in the Chilterns, lots of nice hills there.
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  • NWLondoner
    NWLondoner Posts: 2,047
    Barkiesnake wrote:
    Take the Metroppolitan line out to Amersham and you are right in the Chilterns, lots of nice hills there.

    Whats you local Met station?

    Mine is Preston Road (being located in Colindale) and to be honest getting a bike thorugh the ticket gates on an Early Sat/Sun morning would be a nightmare.

    Taking the Met to Amersham does sound like a good idea though.
  • Barkiesnake
    Barkiesnake Posts: 244
    I'm in Harrow and have no problem, the staff are more than willing to help by opening up the wide gates at the side.
    "If you think you can, or if you think you can't, your right" Henry Ford
  • phil s
    phil s Posts: 1,128
    Actually I'd say your best bet is a diet of long tempo rides, good recovery and some work at threshold. Power is power, whether it's on the flat or going uphill so being able to churn out high watts for a long time is the key
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  • spasypaddy
    spasypaddy Posts: 5,180
    phil s wrote:
    You could always ride out to the area used for the Northroad Hardriders TT, an area known as little Switzerland... look at the area of Herts above Potters Bar and plot a course around Essendon, Brickendon, etc... all up and down. As for long climbs, you'll have to go to another country for them
    this. especially as you can ride up there via highgate. There are some very big hills around Herts just need to know where to look!
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  • edeverett
    edeverett Posts: 224
    It'd be great if people could map their hilly routes and share them here.

    Here's mine - I normally get the train to Orpington so I don't have to cycle through suburbia:

    http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/298814

    With 1300m of climbing in 80km, it's a good workout and the gradual descent from Knatts Valley to Eynsford is one of the nicest bits of cycling around.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Get on a train to Dorking and ride the Surrey Hills - plenty of routes on Bikely - riding a few times up Leith Hill via Coldharbour will simulate long continental climbs pretty effectively - it works for me!
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  • mjhale
    mjhale Posts: 28
    Barkiesnake wrote:
    I'm in Harrow and have no problem, the staff are more than willing to help by opening up the wide gates at the side.

    Where do you go riding round Harrow or on the Met? I have done a few rides heading through Pinner towards Harefield and Rickmansworth and want to start venturing further out.

    Any hints gratefully received!
  • boneyjoe
    boneyjoe Posts: 369
    There are some nice steep hills around Crystal Palace. Otherwise take the train to the Surrey hills or a bit further to the South Downs - both great day trips in the summer.
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  • mrc1
    mrc1 Posts: 852
    Get the train to Caterham from London Bridge (about 30 mins) and there are plenty of hills around there. Although obviously they are all steep and short so not massively useful for etape training.
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  • mclarent
    mclarent Posts: 784
    Quite a few short steepish hills in Essex / East London borders - Epping / Toot Hill / High Beech etc, nothing very long (unless anyone wants to recommend something to me?)

    Hill repeats?
    "And the Lord said unto Cain, 'where is Abel thy brother?' And he said, 'I know not: I dropped him on the climb up to the motorway bridge'."
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  • Aggieboy
    Aggieboy Posts: 3,996
    mjhale wrote:
    Barkiesnake wrote:
    I'm in Harrow and have no problem, the staff are more than willing to help by opening up the wide gates at the side.

    Where do you go riding round Harrow or on the Met? I have done a few rides heading through Pinner towards Harefield and Rickmansworth and want to start venturing further out.

    Any hints gratefully received!

    MJ

    From Pinner I go out thru' Ricky to Sarrat,Flaunden, Bovingdon etc and go up and down either side of the Chess Valley (try Stony Lane up to the A404 to clear your lungs!!!) and come back through Chorleywood and Denham. Also out to the Burnham Beeches/Fulmer area or out to Amersham and onto Great Missenden/
    Wendover/Princes Ris' area. Some very nice rides of all types.
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  • mjhale
    mjhale Posts: 28
    Agggieboy - many thanks. Some good ideas there.
  • sampras38
    sampras38 Posts: 1,917
    mjhale wrote:
    Barkiesnake wrote:
    I'm in Harrow and have no problem, the staff are more than willing to help by opening up the wide gates at the side.

    Where do you go riding round Harrow or on the Met? I have done a few rides heading through Pinner towards Harefield and Rickmansworth and want to start venturing further out.

    Any hints gratefully received!

    There's a little hill that links Denham to Harefield called Park Lane. It's not massive but if you do it a handful of times it'll warm your legs up. I'll sometimes do it 4 or 5 times using different techniques.
  • HighgateN6
    HighgateN6 Posts: 30
    I am a cyclist - very heavy 12.5 stone at 5'6 but love hills...and also am London Cab driver


    Best hillls:

    1.. Highgate West Hill average gradient 8,5 parts 11% 1k long quite safe lovely curve..

    2... Next door the Highgate Mortirolo Swains Lane 1k long 8% then for 200m 14-16% very safe except coming down be careful it is one way! you going against traffic.

    3.. Fitzjohns Av 4 - 7% lots of traffic quite dangerous

    4 Muswell Hill 1.4k very dangerous knocked off by bus 6-8% avoid. St James lane round corner .8k 8-17%

    5.. Bishops Av and Winnington Rd both quite safe 4-6% 2k...

    I would just go up and down Highgate West Hill and Swains lane to the East of it 12 times equals 1000meters of vertical climb

    Hope that helps thats all I do......you get very strong legs .......can go to any gym and still squat 160 kg 5-8times no prob..


    For laps do the outside of Regents Park I go outside of the ouside east to West more lighting safer, no cars parked on the left and and avoid cycle scrums...

    Hope this helps
  • sampras38
    sampras38 Posts: 1,917
    Did some nice climbing training around the Surrey Hills today. There are a few leg warmers there.
  • HighgateN6
    HighgateN6 Posts: 30
    I just did the above hills of North London climbed 1500m per day 3 days a week and it was more than enough to do the Stelvio and the Gavia...! but only half the rest of the Mortirlo the rest I did inthe van :P
  • mclarent
    mclarent Posts: 784
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/mar/03/cyclingholidays.london4
    "And the Lord said unto Cain, 'where is Abel thy brother?' And he said, 'I know not: I dropped him on the climb up to the motorway bridge'."
    - eccolafilosofiadelpedale
  • navt
    navt Posts: 374
    Downe, Cudham, Brasted, Toys Hill, all strongly recommended. Quickly becoming a favourite of mine. Many a club cyclist train there too.
  • dave milne
    dave milne Posts: 703
    I can certainly recommend Toys Hill in Kent. North side is probably a mile maybe of gentlre gradient so between 3-9%. The south side is a beast which is more 10-15% so you've got it all in one place. It's where I do my hill repeats

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