Steepest Bit of Hill in the UK ... That You Know Of

2

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  • stock
    stock Posts: 56
    B3234, Lynmouth Hill.
  • jim453
    jim453 Posts: 1,360
    stock wrote:
    B3234, Lynmouth Hill.


    Agreed. That is one brute of a climb. In fact there are no particularly easy ways to get out of Lynmouth. Countisbury Hill (A39) is very unpleasant.

    Further up the the A39 there is Porlock Hill, also an extremely difficult climb.

    Infact, you cannot ride anywhere, in any direction in North Devon without having to do some fairly serious climbing. It's top.

    About 'bikeroutetoaster' mentioned earlier in the thread. Are the ascent figures accurate, or is it as crap as mapmy ride in terms of getting accurate gradient information?
  • Buckled_Rims
    Buckled_Rims Posts: 1,648
    jim453 wrote:
    About 'bikeroutetoaster' mentioned earlier in the thread. Are the ascent figures accurate, or is it as crap as mapmy ride in terms of getting accurate gradient information?

    I use: http://ridewithgps.com/

    It seems to give fairly accurate gradients as I usually upload a genuine gpx file rather then trace a route.
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  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    I might give 50/25 ago up Rosedale Chimney as long as there is a physio at the top.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Buckled_Rims wrote:
    jim453 wrote:
    About 'bikeroutetoaster' mentioned earlier in the thread. Are the ascent figures accurate, or is it as crap as mapmy ride in terms of getting accurate gradient information?

    I use: http://ridewithgps.com/

    It seems to give fairly accurate gradients as I usually upload a genuine gpx file rather then trace a route.

    +1, just switched to this from Map My Ride. It gives much more localised gradient information too.
  • jim453
    jim453 Posts: 1,360
    Just ridden out to Lynmouth to remind myself about the B3234.

    @.

    The kind of road that has intermittent 'escape' routes with gravel on for people whose brakes fail.

    I rode down it. Makes you feel the bike's going to tip forward at any second.

    Never ridden up up it. Don't think I could. Has anyone?
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Which way out of Lynmouth? I assume you mean the road past the hotel heading towards Porlock? The road back up towards Lynton isn't great either, used to ride them both a few times a year. The path from Lynmouth to Lynton would be a challenge too (the one that follows the route of the cliff railway).
  • kettrinboy
    kettrinboy Posts: 613
    Ive used Ride With GPS for a while now and like it, but it doesnt always get gradients on short sharp hills correct in my experience, on a recent ride in Rutland i did where there were four short (50-60m) climbs with my Edge 305 making them from 13%-17%, the R.W.GPS made the maximum grade just 10%, a few weeks back i think one of the guys who runs the site was on here and i think he said something like, the mapping software they use hasnt got a high enough resolution to accurately plot the grade on hills below a certain length, then again grade readings on the Edge can vary a bit on different rides on the same hill, but i doubt it was out by 7% for the steepest hill on that ride.
  • ynyswen24
    ynyswen24 Posts: 703
    I was going to suggest Constituition Hill as well. The Endura team were down here this week having a recce in time for the ToB.
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    freehub wrote:
    Rosedale Chimney or http://www.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&ll ... 9,,0,16.22

    This hill IS as hard as Rosedale Chimney, and it can be harder if you've never being up it before.

    DSC00127-1.jpg
    But Will, that one's downhill. Doesn't count.
  • ex-pat scot
    ex-pat scot Posts: 939
    andy162 wrote:
    ShockedSoShocked wrote:
    andy162 wrote:
    Rosedale is mega steep. Hywell Davies ( Planet X triathelete) can get up it on 53/25 tho!
    He's a mate of Wayne "'ard as fook" Randle so that probably explains it.

    I dread to think what Wayne gets up it on! Probably about 53/16.

    I think Davies was the only one of the Planet X crew that got up Rosedale on the 53. Earned him £100 PX for his effort. Probably needed it afterwards to repace his stretched chain & bent crank arms!

    They had a "Big Ring Challenge" up Rosedale Chimney. Set by Wayne

    Madness.
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  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    jim453 wrote:
    stock wrote:
    B3234, Lynmouth Hill.


    Agreed. That is one brute of a climb. In fact there are no particularly easy ways to get out of Lynmouth. Countisbury Hill (A39) is very unpleasant.

    Further up the the A39 there is Porlock Hill, also an extremely difficult climb.

    Infact, you cannot ride anywhere, in any direction in North Devon without having to do some fairly serious climbing. It's top.

    About 'bikeroutetoaster' mentioned earlier in the thread. Are the ascent figures accurate, or is it as crap as mapmy ride in terms of getting accurate gradient information?

    Speaking of brutes in N. Devon, Ridge Hill out of Combe Martin is a steep one. In some places it feels as though I have to get out of the saddle or I'll end up doing a wheelie.
  • jim453
    jim453 Posts: 1,360
    Roger that.

    Shute Lane out of Combe Martin is another.
  • Mike Healey
    Mike Healey Posts: 1,023
    Thought Rosedale was even harder than I expected, so checked the bike at the top and I'd gone up it with the bike in 52 x 18.













    Nearly burnt the cluch out tho'
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  • ilm_zero7
    ilm_zero7 Posts: 2,213
    hills - the closest we get here is a flyover!
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  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,697
    Splottboy wrote:
    1. Near Bangor, through a ford, then to a T junction. Trackstack or fall off are the options!

    2. Top of Y Drym/The Drum, above Abergwyngregin. Old Roman road. Stoooopid steep, but you are close to 2,500 ft though.

    3. Nefyn to Trefor, Llyn Paninsularcoast road. Steep, then steeper...

    Have you done the road up to Colwyd Reservoir?! Thats another good one - Nice technical track roun the river an own into Capel as a reward....
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  • rdt
    rdt Posts: 869
    RonB wrote:

    Speaking of brutes in N. Devon...


    The road up out of Clovelly is a b@stard. I mean the very bottom section from the quay. It's very steep, slippy from diesel spilt from the Landie which ferries the fatties back up, and is narrow enough that should you meet said Landie on its way down, you're hosed if clipped in.
  • jim453
    jim453 Posts: 1,360
    or the 'pave' up through the middle of town.

    Either way, you'd have to pay the extortionate rates to actually be down there in the first place. Worth it for a mackerel sandwich though.
  • rdt
    rdt Posts: 869
    jim453 wrote:
    or the 'pave' up through the middle of town.

    Either way, you'd have to pay the extortionate rates to actually be down there in the first place. Worth it for a mackerel sandwich though.

    :lol: to the pave.

    Public road to the quayside last time I looked. So surely it's only uninformed grockles, following the misdirecting road sign, who pay the fee.
  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    We had land owners and Council "permission" to build a DH track in Llyn Colwyd area, so yep, I know it well.

    But, tosspot who owns the shop/fishing place put a block on it by sayin, "Cyclist would
    make too much noise, and be dangerous to car users, using my cafe/shop/fishin etc."

    I was descending it one day, late Summer with a group, and bloody wasp got down my shirt, and stung me 4 times. Trying to beat your chest, descending one of the steepest hills one-handed...Not easy!
    Stamped on the liitle twot, and he was still buzzing!
    Neck, chest went all "frozen" for about 2 hrs.
  • bobgale67
    bobgale67 Posts: 10
    Cross o'cliffe hill in Lincoln and is even steeper at quarter to 7 most weekday mornings!!!!!!
    Loafmaster extraordinaire!
  • jim453
    jim453 Posts: 1,360
    rdt wrote:
    jim453 wrote:
    or the 'pave' up through the middle of town.

    Either way, you'd have to pay the extortionate rates to actually be down there in the first place. Worth it for a mackerel sandwich though.

    :lol: to the pave.

    Public road to the quayside last time I looked. So surely it's only uninformed grockles, following the misdirecting road sign, who pay the fee.

    Very interested to read this. Last time I was there some jobsworth stopped me and my wife walking down this road. Insisting that we had to pay at the visitors centre and walk down through the town. I started to argue with him but my wife didn't want a scene so I paid up like a moron. Made me angry though.

    After reading what you wrote I did a bit of looking on the internet and it looks like these clowns have an at best tenuous right to charge people to even walk down the main street. And no right whatsoever to stop you walking or cycling down the back road to the quay.

    Unbelievable.

    When the rain stops I'm riding over there to exercise my right to get to the mackerel sandwich shop umolested.

    Thank you.
  • flet©h
    flet©h Posts: 88
    Did this b1tch of a climb on Sunday.

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&sourc ... 8&t=p&z=15

    Average 13% gradient peaking at over 25%. Not the steepest in the UK but not too far off and it was enough. Only just got up with a 34/25.

    Regretted it as I was halfway up Barber Booth later in the day with thighs burining.
  • jim453
    jim453 Posts: 1,360
    Good effort,

    It's nice round there. Used to love mountain biking in the peaks.
  • rdt
    rdt Posts: 869
    jim, the car park at the bottom is just for the quayside pub residents, but there's a small car park about 50 yards from the bottom (on the right) known as the fisherman's car park, which you can park in for free, if there's a space.

    If you ride over, then good luck getting back up!
  • Airmiles
    Airmiles Posts: 101
    Cripes. Winnat's Pass nearly killed me and that's "only" 1 in 5 (although I had done 2/3 of the Polka Dot first :wink: )

    Although for real climbing of course you have to go off-road...
    I'm not saying pedestrians in Hackney are stupid.. but a fixed bayonet would be more use than a fixed gear...
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    The bottom bit of the Lecht on the Aberdeen side from the wee hotel to the layby half a mile later is damn steep. I often see cyclists walking up it.
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  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    _Brun_ wrote:
    freehub wrote:
    Rosedale Chimney or http://www.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&ll ... 9,,0,16.22

    This hill IS as hard as Rosedale Chimney, and it can be harder if you've never being up it before.

    DSC00127-1.jpg
    But Will, that one's downhill. Doesn't count.

    What is downhill? I took a picture at the top whilst waiting for everyone to get up.
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    Airmiles wrote:
    Cripes. Winnat's Pass nearly killed me and that's "only" 1 in 5 (although I had done 2/3 of the Polka Dot first :wink: )

    Although for real climbing of course you have to go off-road...

    Winnats pass is not 1 in 5, it's over 1 in 4, nearly hitting 30% at one point.
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    my car struggles up winnats pass. im going to have to try it on a bike. whats it like going down, its pretty narrow.

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