Hill Locater - Maps or something

pinguS

Hi All

UK Question:

What is the best website to locate some good hills like the Brighton Dithcling Beacon.

I live round Windsor area (Berkshire) UK. Every hill I find seems to be not so steep and short.

So was wondering if there is a website or maybe somehow use Google Maps to Locate.

Its not so much to challenge myself, but to set my bike up to something I'm good with.

Pseudonym

buy an OS relief map - made of paper.....you may be suprised....

richa

There are a few here:
Surrey Hills Project

malcolmfrost

If you go to Strava.com and go to explore, you can do a climb search with a key word.

dabber

RichA wrote:

There are a few here:
Surrey Hills Project

That's useful... although only a few have any details it's easy enough to replot the climb on one of the other mapping sites... MapMyRide, Ridewithgps etc for more gradient detail.

This site http://www.jibbering.com/hills/ is useful as well.

markos1963

Could I use the same websites to avoid finding hills? I've made the first move and relocated to Norfolk, I just don't want to get caught out with any unexpected ones.

Feltup

Where have you looked from Windsor? I presume you have been out to the Hambleden Valley? Steep but not that long. Watlington Hill has a steep start but then becomes a bit more alpine in nature, a little longer than the Hambleden climbs. Streatley Hill is a bit further away but easily doable from Windsor.

Otherwise out towards Box Hill there are a couple of good climbs.

Nothing is that big in the SE but some are pretty steep.

Mark Bom

Have you headed over to past Marlow?

The Chilterns are probably the nearest hills to Windsor. I live near Windsor so I know what you mean.

racingcondor

I use this for planning my routes. Essentially it's Google maps but with elevation info available. http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx

Rouge Penguin

I was going to the same thing, im from Windsor and usaually head out via Cliveden to Marlow. Not a bad place for short hills.

Bourne End to Cliveden is around 12% for half a mile.
Bisham upto Pinkney Green is another good one
Henley Hill either way is ok.
Danesfield Hill from Henley to Marlow's ok
Marlow to Lane End has a good couple
Marlow/Longridge to Winter Hill is a bugger of a switch back at 10-12%

You can ride them all within 30 miles, so not a bad ride really and can repeat if required.

Mark Bom

.

Rouge Penguin wrote:

I was going to the same thing, im from Windsor and usaually head out via Cliveden to Marlow. Not a bad place for short hills.

Bourne End to Cliveden is around 12% for half a mile.
Bisham upto Pinkney Green is another good one
Henley Hill either way is ok.
Danesfield Hill from Henley to Marlow's ok
Marlow to Lane End has a good couple
Marlow/Longridge to Winter Hill is a bugger of a switch back at 10-12%

You can ride them all within 30 miles, so not a bad ride really and can repeat if required.

I ride these areas and that climb from Longridge to Winter Hill (Quarry Wood Road) has a great hairpin bend as you say.

I need to explore more up towards Ibstone along Frieth Road and try and loop down through Sonning Common and Twyford.

Rouge Penguin

Henley to twyford is pretty boring.

The lane end and handicross areas are probably better. Frieth Rd is meant to be pretty good, and could be included in a lane end ride

Mark Bom

Rouge Penguin wrote:

Henley to twyford is pretty boring.

The lane end and handicross areas are probably better. Frieth Rd is meant to be pretty good, and could be included in a lane end ride

I've ridden up Frieth Road a couple of times. It's long but not too steep, although it might kick up a bit further? I need to set aside some more time to go on a few miles.

I tend to go through Bourne End and up Sheepridge Lane and down Winchbottom Lane, then onto Marlow and back up to Winter Hill via the great hairpin.

I did some ridess down in Devon recently and the hills around Windsor don't prepare you too well for some of the cripplers down there!

Rouge Penguin

The further you go the better it gets. A friend lives in lane end and rides out to Christmas Common, as you get into the chilterns I bet there are some great hills.

Shame its so far away to include it in a Saturday ride (kid, limited time)

Rouge Penguin

And to the OP, there's a book out there call britains 100 best climbs or something. Will look it up later for you as in work internet is locked after 1pm

Rouge Penguin

http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Greatest-Cycling-Climbs-Cyclists/dp/0711231206

Here you go Pingus

pinguS

Thanks for all the information.

I normally head towards maidenhead and do the little hills there, but when I did the Ditchling down Brighton last weekend night ride, thats what prompted me to look.
NO WAY AM I FALLING FOR THAT AGAIN !!

I want to be prepared, so from all the posts, I'm going to plot some routes. I know I'm leaving it short considering winter's round the corner, and haven't got much cycling weather left.

Ok, what about planning a route, normally I just go to Google Maps / Directions / Avoid Highways.

But you guys reakon a cycle route planner would be better, just find them hard to use, and then you have to memorise the route. Bar printout / GPS on bike.

Rouge Penguin

I just have a rough idea of where im going, get on the bike and ride whats in front.

Tend to find the better routes that way, like the side roads up the hill out of Henley towards Renmenham or Taplow, Cliveden, Bourne End. I had little idea where i was going and it made it more interesting.

pinguS

Thats an idea

springtide9

malcolmfrost wrote:

If you go to Strava.com and go to explore, you can do a climb search with a key word.

+1

... as well as getting it to show you the climbs around a particular area.

rafletcher

Mark Bom wrote:

Have you headed over to past Marlow?

The Chilterns are probably the nearest hills to Windsor. I live near Windsor so I know what you mean.

I was thinking the same. Could try Whiteleaf hill near Princes Risborough.