Where the cobbles at?

explosifpete

Now maybe i'm on my own but when i'm out on the road bike I hunt down cobbles, its like i'm riding Essex to roubaix.
Anyone feel the same if so I was gonna put down the bits i've found so far (just one good bit so far) and maybe everyone could do the same.

stony lane in thaxted, cobbled climb about 100 metres long
51.953896,0.343167

explosifpete

Edale, peak district
Nice climb up to the youth hostel with a cobbled strip up the middle, nice but you have to turn round and come back when you get to the top

53.371174,-1.788658

mrchrispy

Swiss Hill, Alderley Edge
great little climb

ColinJ

The Buttress, Hebden Bridge up/down which the Pennine Cycleway is not-so-cleverly routed.




Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!

FransJacques

^ That is wicked, looks like the Koppen/Kemmel/Paterberg stylee.

Does it lead anywhere? That is, can you make it part of a road race or sportive route? or is it a walking route only? Is it about 300 meters or longer? From the pix it looks to be about 250-300 meters long. Any idea of the elevation gain? Me likee. Luckily I'll be getting a fix this weekend.

We should all co-author a "UK Pave" book like the guy who did the 100 climbs. This one would surely be the queen secteur. Does anyone know of a worse bit than the above?

wildmoustache

Obviously Edinburgh New Town. Ever ridden their FJ?

Far too little proper pave in London. Wapping has some serious stuff but not enough of it.

FJS

mrchrispy wrote:

Swiss Hill, Alderley Edge
great little climb

great cobbled hill that

other, short, ones:
Chapel-en-le-Frith, Church Brow:
53.323882 -1.914593

Sheffield, Paradise Street:
53.384032 -1.470065

Quite eager to make a visit to Hebden Bridge/Halifax; loads of cobbled hills there.

Simon Notley

Guildford High Street! It's rather heavily trafficked normally, but there's a race there every July. The circuit is simple - ride up the cobbles, ride down the tarmac, repeat.

thecrofter

wildmoustache wrote:

Obviously Edinburgh New Town. Ever ridden their FJ?

Yeah, we're that hard core into pave we've even employed a German contractor to come and dig up the normal roads and make them really bumpy, they're doing it under the guise of building a tram system, so don't tell anyone.

sportsunday

Have a look at this if you like cobbles. It happens this Saturday...http://crossjunkie.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-ronde-van-oost-lancashire-2nd.htm[/img]

explosifpete

I love the pave! I do go right out of my way to link tiny sections in my rides,

explosifpete

I love the pave! I do go right out of my way to link tiny sections in my rides,

explosifpete

The Buttress, Hebden Bridge looks amazing, i'll have to make a trip up in the summer.

I like the idea of the book

explosifpete

The Buttress, Hebden Bridge looks amazing, i'll have to make a trip up in the summer.

I like the idea of the book

wildmoustache

thecrofter wrote:

wildmoustache wrote:

Obviously Edinburgh New Town. Ever ridden their FJ?

Yeah, we're that hard core into pave we've even employed a German contractor to come and dig up the normal roads and make them really bumpy, they're doing it under the guise of building a tram system, so don't tell anyone.

Yes, the edinburgh roads are a complete shambles. Very smashed up indeed.

The Germans must be having a laugh at the deal they're on up there!

pickled

Beeston Brow in Pott Shrigley.
Never been up it, but I've been down very slowly. It's well over 20% in places, very narrow too. Good luck!

FJS

pickled wrote:

Beeston Brow in Pott Shrigley.
Never been up it, but I've been down very slowly. It's well over 20% in places, very narrow too. Good luck!

That's in Bollington, isn't it? If so, I rode up that a couple of weeks ago; it's definitely steep, but I was a bit disappointed with the cobbles. Only a tiny bit, 10-20 meters or so, at the bottom and midway is actually cobbles, the bit in between just some sort of concrete with stony bits in it.

pickled

Ah yes, so it is. :oops:
I said Pott Shrigley because I'd just come from there!

ColinJ

FransJacques wrote:

^ That is wicked, looks like the Koppen/Kemmel/Paterberg stylee.

Does it lead anywhere? That is, can you make it part of a road race or sportive route? or is it a walking route only? Is it about 300 meters or longer? From the pix it looks to be about 250-300 meters long. Any idea of the elevation gain? Me likee. Luckily I'll be getting a fix this weekend.

We should all co-author a "UK Pave" book like the guy who did the 100 climbs. This one would surely be the queen secteur. Does anyone know of a worse bit than the above?

Looking at an OS map It is roughly 300 metres in length and it gains roughly 60 metres so it is tough!

I've never seen anybody manage to ride up it despite it being on the Pennine Cycleway route.

I definitely do not recommend anybody riding down it. Forget your bravado - stopping once you get going would be almost impossible and it opens out straight onto a road at the bottom. I tried it when I first started cycling and didn't know how steep it was. I was braking in terror with my back wheel lifting. I saved myself by grabbing the handrail. You could get very seriously hurt, or kill one of the many pedestrians who walk on it.

Riding up it on a road bike though - now that would be a challenge.

The Buttress opens out onto a pavement and a road at the top.

The pub at the bottom used to organise a straw bale race up there. I once watched a bunch of lads with pints in their hands looking up the slope and shaking their heads. Then a young woman grabbed a bale and started staggering up the thing. Suddenly she had 4 or 5 of them in pursuit!

I reckon it would make a fantastic hill climb challenge except that 99% of riders wouldn't even make the first section which is close to 30%. I got a very fit young mate to have a go and he failed. It is very difficult to get started again once you've stopped.

VerwoodAsh

Gold Hill in Shaftsbury -

torico

Gold hill used to be on my regular commute home, its a ncie little climb and to be honest i could have taken a different route but I liked the buzz of the tourists clapping when you sailed up it ! quite an ego boost when you've had a tough day at work. I still ride up it and its pretty easy . ive watched the tour of flanders on the mur koppelmur and its a far cry from that beast but would lend itself to a nice sportive route ( with an alternative easy route to accomodate les brave riders)

In my view this would be a great addtion to the longleat endura sportive and would mean re routing away from the A303 section which was pretty awful anyway.

explosifpete

Gold Hill in Shaftsbury, looks so nice. I think a tour de cobbles will be on the cards this summer

morstar

Can I just point out that you are all insane.

My commute to work includes about a 100m section of cobbles over a footbridge on the Ribble.

I spend those 100 or so metres thinking "respect to the pro's" and thank god it's over as I exit the other side.

Jonny7c

Shibden Wall near Halifax is in the 100 climbs book and I can vouch for it being very difficult. Big gappy cobbles and very steep!

prb007

Wales' own pavé...

Constititution Hill, Swansea city centre..
tricky dry, even trickier when wet..





http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sourc ... 9&t=h&z=18

Croxted Avenger

If you want cobbles you could always sign up for The London Classic http://www.thelondonclassic.org

explosifpete

I would of ridden that but its full

Sportive Challenge

The Lincoln Grand Prix Sportive finishes on the cobbled climb of Michaelgate outside the Cathedral and then returns to the HQ on Minsters Yard. Steep but levels out for the actual finish almost outside the cathedral, so anyone dying can just keep riding straight on, into the cathedral, stick your head in the font and have a quiet sit down.