UK's flattest city?

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Comments

  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    I went to a boarding school in the centre of Cambridge, and we were constantly lectured about cycling safety. A lot of kids had bikes to get into town as quickly as possible during 'town time', which was only 1hr, and there were constant accidents.

    However, I suspect they were mostly attributable to Leys students, rather than drivers.

    There were also a few incidences of Leys students being deliberately knocked off their bikes, one of which I witnessed, due to our not being well-liked by some kids at other schools. After that the rules were changed to stop kids leaving the school grounds in uniform, but these again are not really proper bike accidents.

    Cambridge is a dreadful place to cycle though, having been back many a time, the roads are tiny, the road layout is confusing, there are big buses in the middle, and there are various streets which really ought to be pedestrianised but aren't. London is far better. Oxford is marginally better.
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    Cambridge is a dreadful place to cycle though, having been back many a time, the roads are tiny, the road layout is confusing, there are big buses in the middle, and there are various streets which really ought to be pedestrianised but aren't. London is far better. Oxford is marginally better.

    Hmm, I dunno. I've cycled in Cambridge a fair amount (lived there for a couple of years), I've cycled in London a reasonable amount.

    I reckon Cambridge was better for cycling, less because of road layout and width (which yes, is probably better in London), and more because the ratio of bikes to cars was far higher. Bikes always seemed to outnumber cars, and it seemed to show with driver's attitudes.

    That said, I didn't cycle through Cambridge (or London) as a child - maybe that colours the experience?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,244
    Aidy wrote:
    Cambridge is a dreadful place to cycle though, having been back many a time, the roads are tiny, the road layout is confusing, there are big buses in the middle, and there are various streets which really ought to be pedestrianised but aren't. London is far better. Oxford is marginally better.

    Hmm, I dunno. I've cycled in Cambridge a fair amount (lived there for a couple of years), I've cycled in London a reasonable amount.

    I reckon Cambridge was better for cycling, less because of road layout and width (which yes, is probably better in London), and more because the ratio of bikes to cars was far higher. Bikes always seemed to outnumber cars, and it seemed to show with driver's attitudes.

    That said, I didn't cycle through Cambridge (or London) as a child - maybe that colours the experience?

    I always felt the presence of more bikes increased the risk - because drivers go out with a 'bicycles ruin my day' attitude, and feel that they can only get anywhere on time by squeezing past, since otherwise they'll be waiting all day. (see Histon road...)

    My best cycling experience was Sheffield, where I seemed to be rare enough that cars didn't mind waiting a few more metres, since there wasn't another rider 5 metres up the road.

    Then again, I was too busy smashing myself to try and get up the hills.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Porgy wrote:
    What about Exeter - I don't remember it being particularly hilly.

    Similar hilliness to Norwich. The rail journey between Exeter St Davids and Central stations must be one of the steepest in the country (just checked - 1 in 37) so although it isn't that long, it absolves Exeter of any claim for flatness!
    Faster than a tent.......
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    supersonic wrote:
    Except for a couple of hills, York is relatively flat.

    I'd say Sheffield is the hilliest - from about 100ft ASL in the East, to 1800ft in west, and a lot if undulations in between!
    That can't be right. I just looked on mulimap and the river don goes through the city at about 80m, and the Peaks are at about 400-500m (not that there are any roads right over the tops).

    But it does appear to be hilly.
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    supersonic wrote:
    Except for a couple of hills, York is relatively flat.

    I'd say Sheffield is the hilliest - from about 100ft ASL in the East, to 1800ft in west, and a lot if undulations in between!
    That can't be right. I just looked on mulimap and the river don goes through the city at about 80m, and the Peaks are at about 400-500m (not that there are any roads right over the tops).

    But it does appear to be hilly.

    it is and rather compact as well! nice place my wee sis went to uni there.
  • Stone Glider
    Stone Glider Posts: 1,227
    Actually Splottboy it's P'narth :) The th is pronounced as think not hard as in that, otherwise you would sound Welsh and that would never do :shock:
    The older I get the faster I was
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    supersonic wrote:
    Except for a couple of hills, York is relatively flat.

    I'd say Sheffield is the hilliest - from about 100ft ASL in the East, to 1800ft in west, and a lot if undulations in between!
    That can't be right. I just looked on mulimap and the river don goes through the city at about 80m, and the Peaks are at about 400-500m (not that there are any roads right over the tops).

    But it does appear to be hilly.

    It is correct - look up Blackburn Meadows in the east, and Marjery Hill (high stones) in the west. The latter is not in the city centre, but is still in the Sheffield boundary. The former is on the city boundary with Rotherham, but closer to the centre and near the M1.

    Also wiki shows these points. But yes, the road doesn't go up that high lol. Some tracks do mind.
  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    Flatest? The Roman one that's under Chester.

    Was a Mega City, probably the biggest Roman city outside of Rome itself.
    But, town planners in the Old Days didn't appreciate it, and buried it with the shopping centres, now used for today WAGS !

    " Wot ave the Romans ever REALLY done for us? "
    " Erm...sanitation, education, roads and don't forget the wine ! "
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    supersonic wrote:
    It is correct - look up Blackburn Meadows in the east, and Marjery Hill (high stones) in the west. The latter is not in the city centre, but is still in the Sheffield boundary.

    Sheffield city signs are funny - you can be driving through the beautiful Peaks and pass a sign saying 'Welcome to Sheffield' or something like and there won't be a sign of human habitation to be seen. No - that isn't Sheffield. That's a bit of the Peaks. You can tell when you've got to Sheffield because it's concrete; there's a difference!
    Faster than a tent.......
  • eltonioni
    eltonioni Posts: 82
    A Sheffield commute does give you options though.

    My commute into town :D

    eltonioniscommuteinbound.jpg

    and going home again :shock:

    eltonioniscommutehomebound.jpg
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Rolf F wrote:
    supersonic wrote:
    It is correct - look up Blackburn Meadows in the east, and Marjery Hill (high stones) in the west. The latter is not in the city centre, but is still in the Sheffield boundary.

    Sheffield city signs are funny - you can be driving through the beautiful Peaks and pass a sign saying 'Welcome to Sheffield' or something like and there won't be a sign of human habitation to be seen. No - that isn't Sheffield. That's a bit of the Peaks. You can tell when you've got to Sheffield because it's concrete; there's a difference!

    I think you could say that about a lot of cities lol. The boundaries often extent much further than the built up centre area.
  • Beeblebrox
    Beeblebrox Posts: 145
    We were in Cardiff last weekend and that is fairly flat. Hilly on the outskirts but the main part is on an alluvial plain. (A Level Geography at Penarth County Grammar School) The Bay Area seems very cycle friendly.

    Cardiff is definitely very flat - although as soon as you exit the main part of the city it's pretty much up in every direction. I have to cycle to quite a few of the outlying rugby clubs and it's always a lot easier on the way back (I live in the student ghettos in central Cardiff), but nothing silly like in Bristol.

    Also, my friend is a amateur runner and he says lots of PBs for half marathons are set in Cardiff thanks to it's relative flatness.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    supersonic wrote:
    I think you could say that about a lot of cities lol. The boundaries often extent much further than the built up centre area.

    True enough but Sheffield stands out; the signs are in such beautiful wilderness and the city so, errrm, aesthetically challenged it is more of a contrast than most. I recall that if you approach Otley from the West you get signs saying Welcome to Leeds on the outskirts which sometimes get sprayed over as the residents perhaps prefer the Otley signs. But there, there is still plenty of sign of human habitation.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • beverick
    beverick Posts: 3,461
    Manchester is pretty much flat - not many hills around Leeds either. Sheffield is more like Bristol.

    South west Manchester is fairly flat but anywhere to the north is hilly. Anyone who says that there are 'not many hills around Leeds' has clearly never been away from the city centre. True, there's a 3km equilateral triangle very roughly bounded by the centre, Elland Road football ground and Kirkstall which is relatively flat but outside of that you're into hills immediately; and long and steep ones at that.

    Sheffield other than the Don Valley (which is billiard table flat) is hilly.

    Newcastle's and Sunderland are there to catch out the unaware! You can cycle across the cities in one direction (roughly e-w for N'cstle) and you'll never change down, yet go in other directions and you'll never change up!

    In general York is flat (with the odd 'nagging' hill) - as is Milton Keynes.

    Bob
  • maybe southport? it's only a town though lol.
    Coveryourcar.co.uk RT Tester
    north west of england.
  • dilemna
    dilemna Posts: 2,187
    Isn't it Boston in Lincs., shamed by a C4 documentary last year as having the highest proportion of morbidly obese people in any town or city in the UK?
    Life is like a roll of toilet paper; long and useful, but always ends at the wrong moment. Anon.
    Think how stupid the average person is.......
    half of them are even more stupid than you first thought.
  • fenboy369
    fenboy369 Posts: 425
    Ewwww, Bostscum. But it has its world famous Stump. The must be above sea level....
    '11 Cannondale Synapse 105CD - FCN 4
    '11 Schwinn Corvette - FCN 15?
    '09 Pitch Comp - FCN (why bother?) 11
    '07 DewDeluxe (Bent up after being run over) - FCN 8
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    Rolf F wrote:
    Porgy wrote:
    What about Exeter - I don't remember it being particularly hilly.

    Similar hilliness to Norwich. The rail journey between Exeter St Davids and Central stations must be one of the steepest in the country (just checked - 1 in 37) so although it isn't that long, it absolves Exeter of any claim for flatness!

    Funny that I come from Plymouth but have only been to exeter once - walked from the station out to where a friend lived - and I don;t remember a single hill. But it was 20 years ago...memories fade.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    Porgy wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    Porgy wrote:
    What about Exeter - I don't remember it being particularly hilly.

    Similar hilliness to Norwich. The rail journey between Exeter St Davids and Central stations must be one of the steepest in the country (just checked - 1 in 37) so although it isn't that long, it absolves Exeter of any claim for flatness!

    Funny that I come from Plymouth but have only been to exeter once - walked from the station out to where a friend lived - and I don;t remember a single hill. But it was 20 years ago...memories fade.
    Exeter is in a bowl, isn't it? Plus its in Devon, and there is not a single flat road in Devon, FACT.

    Anyway, I associate Exeter with a torture of a climb back up towards Dartmoor, so its hilly and that's that.
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    Porgy wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    Porgy wrote:
    What about Exeter - I don't remember it being particularly hilly.

    Similar hilliness to Norwich. The rail journey between Exeter St Davids and Central stations must be one of the steepest in the country (just checked - 1 in 37) so although it isn't that long, it absolves Exeter of any claim for flatness!

    Funny that I come from Plymouth but have only been to exeter once - walked from the station out to where a friend lived - and I don;t remember a single hill. But it was 20 years ago...memories fade.
    Exeter is in a bowl, isn't it? Plus its in Devon, and there is not a single flat road in Devon, FACT.

    Anyway, I associate Exeter with a torture of a climb back up towards Dartmoor, so its hilly and that's that.

    There are some bloody big hills outside Exeter I know that - and Dartmoor is all hills.

    Mind you, Plymouth City Centre is mostly flat - in fact it's flat all the way from the mouth of the Tamar through the City Centre and back out to where my parents live on the Plym estuary. It was great fro riding bikes when I was a kid.