The UK's longest and/or highest climbs?
sonny73
Posts: 2,203
Does anyone have an offerings as to what could be the UK's longest road climbs and/or the climbs with the most height gain?
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Have a look at http://www.climbbybike.com0
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Isn't number one the Bealach na Ba and the Bealach na Ba?More problems but still living....0
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Of course, I totally forgot about climbbybike the n*b I am.
Cheers NapD0 -
Longest climb in England is Cragg Vale nr. Mytholmroyd on the Lancs/Yorks borderM.Rushton0
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mrushton wrote:Longest climb in England is Cragg Vale nr. Mytholmroyd on the Lancs/Yorks border
Long Hill from Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire to the top of Goyt Valley is equally long - but the road dips down for about 100 feet at one point, so doesn't rate as "long" a climb as Cragg Vale.
It's about 5 miles of climbing all told - but not a steep gradient. The National Hill Climb championships will be held there in 2011.
Takes anywhere from 14 to 25 minutes to ride it - depending on how fit you are and how hard you push yourself. And the winds on the day.0 -
And a splendid ascent/descent it is (except when the weather is bad!)M.Rushton0
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That "climbbybike" site doesn't have staple hill near taunton on it.
230 metres in approx 6km
There are lots of roads in the Blackdowns that go up approx 200 metres in a few km0 -
Pokerface wrote:Long Hill from Whaley Bridge, The National Hill Climb championships will be held there in 2011.
Really? Not exactly hard is it? Must average about 4%!!0 -
Great Dun Fell goes from 159 to 848 m in 9 km - an elevation gain of 689 m (7.7% average).
I believe RichboyCP of these parts has ridden it and written it up, maybe at sportivecentral.
The Bealach is a long one, as is the climb to Lowther Hill radar station, if you go up the Mennock Pass rather than start at Wanlockhead. E.g. from Mennock it is 15 km long and goes from 120 to 725 m, elevation gain of 605 m (4.0%). Though the last km must be about 12% average!
All info from here:
http://ciclismo.sitiasp.it/motore.aspx? ... =eng&da=azLe Blaireau (1)0 -
a_n_t wrote:Pokerface wrote:Long Hill from Whaley Bridge, The National Hill Climb championships will be held there in 2011.
Really? Not exactly hard is it? Must average about 4%!!
Every few years the CTT throw in a longer one. Recently it has been on cheddar gorge, cat and fiddle and even the Gibbet in northumberland a few yrs back would not be defined as a typical hill climb hill.0 -
848m , does that not make it around 200m higher than the highest road in England?fay ce que voudres0
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fnb1 wrote:848m , does that not make it around 200m higher than the highest road in England?
No, it makes it the highest road in England :-)
It goes up to a radar station - like the road to Lowther Hill in the Southern Uplands of Scotland.
Lowther Hill is closed to vehicular traffic from Wanlockhead up (although those working at the radar station obviously have access), but is open to cyclists (the Southern Upland Sportive finishes there). I suspect it may be the same deal with Great Dun Fell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Dun_Fell
RichyboyCP's write-up:
http://www.sportivecentral.com/?p=blogs&rid=321&page=1Le Blaireau (1)0 -
PS I do fancy having a go at this one, though perhaps not at the end of the masochistic route Richyboy took!
Have already been to the summit of Lowther Hill (Scotland's highest paved road, 725 m), and have ridden over the Bealach-na-Ba (Scotland's highest pass, 620 m) and the Corrieyairack Pass (Scotland's highest (possibly) unpaved road, 780 m) so Great Dun Fell would complete the set!Le Blaireau (1)0 -
a_n_t wrote:Pokerface wrote:Long Hill from Whaley Bridge, The National Hill Climb championships will be held there in 2011.
Really? Not exactly hard is it? Must average about 4%!!
Is 4% considered difficult?
All I know is (and you can attest to this) - my climbing ability sucks - and I used to ride Long Hill every day home from work (after an hour's journey just to get to it!).0 -
Better than any of these, although very definitely unpaved, was the track up Beinn a' Bhuird in the Cairngorms - it used to go almost all the way to the top at 1192m. I rode up it in 1991, actually my first MTB trip: I hired one in Braemar as I had never actually been on one before.DaveyL wrote:PS I do fancy having a go at this one, though perhaps not at the end of the masochistic route Richyboy took!
Have already been to the summit of Lowther Hill (Scotland's highest paved road, 725 m), and have ridden over the Bealach-na-Ba (Scotland's highest pass, 620 m) and the Corrieyairack Pass (Scotland's highest (possibly) unpaved road, 780 m) so Great Dun Fell would complete the set!
I have no idea how I managed it, my general fitness level was quite good in those days (1/2 marathon in 1:25) but I had literally not been on a bike for years at that point. The pain that lingers most in the mind was the pumped forearms on the descent, along with the sheer fear that sooner or later I wouldn't be able to hold the brakes any longer.
That track is now gone, but there are still tracks over 900m up in the Cairngorms.0 -
Wow, sounds awesome.
I have had a similar fear on the three occasions I've descended the Corrieyairack Pass - it is seriously sketchy and very quick in places.Le Blaireau (1)0 -
Hey Bompington - (sorry to hijack the thread somewhat) - can you suggest a good 80-100 miler loop starting and finishing in/near Dundee?
I don't know those roads at all - west of the A9 I am fine and you are somewhat spoiled for choice there but once you go to the A93 - things tend to have a habit of ending in dead-ends East of there!0 -
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Pokerface wrote:Is 4% considered difficult?
All I know is (and you can attest to this) - my climbing ability sucks
You got up mow cop!! Plenty cant!
Well everyones different! 4% isn't hard at all in my opinion but others may disagree
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a_n_t wrote:Pokerface wrote:Is 4% considered difficult?
All I know is (and you can attest to this) - my climbing ability sucks You got up mow cop!! Plenty cant!
Well everyones different! 4% isn't hard at all in my opinion but others may disagree
If you're racing up them in a hillclimb race they are all hard. Short 4 min 12 percenters or long 4% twenty minuters. I find racing up Hartside as hard as something like Carlton Bank or East Chevin.0 -
a_n_t wrote:others may disagree0
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Some pretty puny hills around in England! 0
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I went and did Great Dun Fell this year...
http://app.strava.com/activities/76733877
Elevation gain of 2,111ft. I'm pretty sure that's the most you can do in the UK on a road bike.0 -
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Another vote for Great Dun Fell. Did it as part of a ride from Reeth earlier this year. The weather was tremendous and I thoroughly enjoyed the traffic-free road to the top.
http://app.strava.com/activities/562054730 -
I rode Great Dun Fell as part of a loop on my MTB last year, it goes on forever! Got my first road bike earlier this year and ill be heading back to try it out again 0
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In the 4 years that have passed, my climbing ability has progressed somewhat! 16km at 8% average isn't a big deal any more. 6km at 4% used to be! 0
