Hairpin Climbs UK

campbellrae1

Hi all,

Was having a chat in the office today with one of the guys I work with(new rider) and he was wondering if there were any climbs in the UK with more than 1 or 2 hairpins in them? Ideally in Scotland(live in Glasgow) but curious in general! He was watching Giro/Tour repeats on youtube and think he fancies trying a few of them!

Thanks,

Campbell.

sunburntknees

Box Hill has three. Will that do? It's quite a long way from Glasgow though.

napoleond

Crowdicote in the peaks has 3 too. not too far from scotland either, only about a day and a half's ride.

lotus49

Bealach na Bà that goes to the Applecross peninsula. It's not exactly handy for Glasgow but it's in Scotland and on the same side as Glasgow.

If you have never been there it is truly spectacular. Don't get too close to the edge though, it's a long way down.

LegendLust

Thwaites Brow in Keighley has a few. Oh and it's 20% and has cobbles too!

thegibdog

I'd say Mytholm Steeps has three:

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll ... 7&t=m&z=16

cornerblock

The road to Applecross has a few. Not done it but looks like a great climb and descent down into Applecross too.

JustGetOutTheDoor

South Loch Ness is pretty good, I might not be popular locally for highlighting these VERY quiet routes, but at least four spring to mind:
1. Garbole road from Tomatin to Farr NH746253
2. Road North of Loch Ruthven NH607287
3. Road descending NW from spot height 238 W of Loch Ashie NH617352
4. The famous corkscrew road from Inverfarigaig - just look at a map and you'll find it. NH523239

A route to do all these together (some up, some down) would be a good afternoon, but perhaps best saved for spring as all roads see a fair bit of ice and are not high on the gritting list.

netman

Long way for you but if you're ever down here in Dorset have a look at zig zag hill near Shaftesbury - you can find some video on youtube and I think there's even a Sportive called The Joker that takes it in.

Calpol

Not quite what you are looking for but it has the hairpins and is quite near Glasgow.

http://www.owenphilipson.com/blog/2011/09/01/scottish-climbs-the-serpentine-rothesay/

jouxplan

lotus49 wrote:

Bealach na Bà that goes to the Applecross peninsula. It's not exactly handy for Glasgow but it's in Scotland and on the same side as Glasgow.

If you have never been there it is truly spectacular. Don't get too close to the edge though, it's a long way down.

Absolutely agree. This is a monster climb (I think it is the highest road in UK) and certainly has hairpins. I've climbed it half a dozen times over the years, and it hurts like hell. Very, very steep, especially if you climb up from Applecross - there is a section near the summit that has the front wheel lifting off the tarmac! The climb up from the other side is not easy either, and the views are indeed staggering. Cars struggle to do the climb and caravans are banned.

Although I did climb it both ways on a 52/39 and 12-26 in my youth, these days (I am old now) I would not dream of doing it on anything less than 50/34 and at least a 12-28. It is a BRUTAL climb. I love it

drlodge

sunburntknees wrote:

Box Hill has three. Will that do? It's quite a long way from Glasgow though.

Three? There's 2 on the zig zag but where's the 3rd? I wouldn't really call them hair pins though, but there is what I would call a hairpin on both Combe Bottom and White Down.

hulla the hulla

there is the W near Nailsworth in the Cotswolds...

y33stu

There's some cracking riding out by Hexham in Northumberland. 3/4 hairpins here, and a nice river to cross. Very hilly too. Hexham

essjaydee

Lake District maybe too far, but Hardknott would provide what your friend seeks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardknott_Pass

diy

sunburntknees wrote:

Box Hill has three. Will that do? It's quite a long way from Glasgow though.

One of my bugbears on the zig-zag is catching a car held up by slower cyclists and seeing endless cyclists overtake the car using the off-side when they cannot see what is coming around the bend. Not only does it annoy the hell out of the driver who is giving the slow riders space to round the bend before overtaking, but seems to be done with a "look how fast I can climb this hill".

More often than not they are wearing team dyno-dick shirts.

Scotty-Gee

lotus49 wrote:

Bealach na Bà that goes to the Applecross peninsula. It's not exactly handy for Glasgow but it's in Scotland and on the same side as Glasgow.

If you have never been there it is truly spectacular. Don't get too close to the edge though, it's a long way down.

I'm planning on doing this route for my 30th in July. Stay at the Applecross campsite on Saturday night and do the ride on Sunday morning.

Brian B

Glen Quaich(both sides) - Loch Tay

Amulree side 2 Hairpins and a 250m vertical gain with 20% ramps

Loch Tay - Most hair pins on any climb I know in Scotland through the forest. Monster 430m ascent and not a steep as the other side(only just though and it has it moments) but constantly steep from the start. A real lung buster and its the second hardest climb in Scotland after the Bealach. Its like the Scottish Mortirolo in both character and gradient if not in length. get it done

Brian B

essjaydee wrote:

Lake District maybe too far, but Hardknott would provide what your friend seeks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardknott_Pass

There are not hair pins on Hardknott more like a stairway to hell with kinks. Done it about 20 times(from different sides) now and 6 Freds and still can remember every inch of tarmac. May look like hairpins from a flat photo but in reality it just goes up :twisted:

Omar Little

Closest to Glasgow would be the old military road up to Glen Fruin from faslane, then the Dukes Pass from Aberfoyle. The Glen Fruin one is a bit hidden so easily missed unless you know the turning....centre of glasgow out to Helensburgh to Faslane, then Glen Fruin over to Loch Lomond and back to Glasgow would be about 50 miles. Doing the Dukes from Glasgow would be about 65, but you could park up at Aberfoyle and then do the loop that takes in Loch Katrine and the Dukes Pass...about 30 miles, really nice ride too as half of that is traffic free.

aberdeen_lune

Plus 1 for the Dukes Pass. It's a fantastic road. There is an event over there each October the Tour De Trossachs. It's classed as a mountain time trial. Lots of spectacular bends.

Wallace1492

For close to Glasgow and big climbs, there is the Crow Road over the Campsies, not really hairpins but some long climbing, also the Tak Me Doon Road up from Kilsyth, again long climbs, probably the hardest you can do from Glasgow, just steep, and great views without hairpins. Both I would say are harder than the Dukes Pass.
The Applecross Road is brutal and the hardest I have done in this country. Consider also the Mam Ratagan pass from Shiel Bridge over to Glenelg, excelent scenery and switchbacks near the top.

For a couple of switchbacks closer to Glasgow, the Cuilt Brae road from Strathblane to Carbeth, followed by the Khyber pass from Stockiemuir Road to Mugdock are great training runs, steep and both have a switchback, you can session them.

Argyll has a few crackers too, Hells Glen from Lochgoilhead is tough, as is road over to Otter Ferry, and road from Kilmelford to Loch Awe via Loch Avich.

Dougall

+1 for Glen Fruin. The start of it is just beyond the main gate at Faslane submarine base. Bottom of it is ridiculously steep & the cattle grids are positioned a bit awkwardly. By the time I got to the top it was my arms that hurt not so much my legs from pulling on the bars so hard.
The climb at Tillytoodlum inthe Clyde VAlley is a stinker too along with the climb from Kirkfieldbank up to Lanark again in the Clyde Valley.

Otter Ferry, & Hell's Glen over at Dunoon too should provide teh sort of thing your looking for too

Cheers

thegreatdivide

The climb from Kenmore up from Loch Tay has quite a few switchbacks - 5 proper and a slight 6th with an 8.2% average at 3.2 miles long. Current KOM is just under 10mph and the guy that holds it is a demon.

http://www.strava.com/segments/kenmore-615848

I’ve not had the chance to do it yet (excuses, excuses).

pride4ever

We don't generally build roads with hairpins in this country due to the fact our hills and mountains are simply not high or broad enough. Instead we tend to build roads that go straight up and over which is why we have some of the steepest gradients in Europe. Its strange but the long steady climbs you get on the continent are actually less brutal than some of the stuff we have on our own doorsteps. I did Ventoux after training all my life around The Strines/Peak district/West and North Yorkshire and found it pleasant in comparison.

Wallace1492

pride4ever wrote:

We don't generally build roads with hairpins in this country due to the fact our hills and mountains are simply not high or broad enough. Instead we tend to build roads that go straight up and over which is why we have some of the steepest gradients in Europe. Its strange but the long steady climbs you get on the continent are actually less brutal than some of the stuff we have on our own doorsteps. I did Ventoux after training all my life around The Strines/Peak district/West and North Yorkshire and found it pleasant in comparison.

Agree to a degree. We have some brutal climbs here, but for the sheer lengths of the continental climbs, you cannot compare.

There is a fantastic wee road from Lochinver to Kylesku past Clachtoll with 4 1 in 4 (25%) climbs. None are particularly long, but them combines with the other hills on that road make it extremely challenging. All up and down, and up and down. Continental roads are more consistant with the gradient.

gcs

+1 For Zig Zag hill near Shaftesbury in Dorset
Did it once when it actually got to 30 deg in the UK, almost felt like being abroad!
Just have to dodge all the spotty oiks in Citroen Saxos and the like, but still a cracking road.

But a bit of jaunt from Scotland....

rollemynot

Brian B wrote:

Glen Quaich(both sides) - Loch Tay

Amulree side 2 Hairpins and a 250m vertical gain with 20% ramps

Loch Tay - Most hair pins on any climb I know in Scotland through the forest. Monster 430m ascent and not a steep as the other side(only just though and it has it moments) but constantly steep from the start. A real lung buster and its the second hardest climb in Scotland after the Bealach. Its like the Scottish Mortirolo in both character and gradient if not in length. get it done

+1 and only 15 miles from home. Does 1 attempt count as hill repeats :?

Brian B

thegreatdivide wrote:

The climb from Kenmore up from Loch Tay has quite a few switchbacks - 5 proper and a slight 6th with an 8.2% average at 3.2 miles long. Current KOM is just under 10mph and the guy that holds it is a demon.

http://www.strava.com/segments/kenmore-615848

I’ve not had the chance to do it yet (excuses, excuses).

That climb is Glen Quaich mentioned earlier! Hard from both sides but Tay side is the hardest - Kudos to the guy with the KOM time on Strava as even fresh that climb is rock hard for that sort of speed.

I do this climb after a long and hard day in the saddle when I up that neck of the woods. Usually hit this climb on my way back to the car with130miles already bagged(having already done the other side after only 20miles into my route much earlier in the day) and my average speed is way down and just grind my way up and glad for the slight break half way. After the switchbacks there is a never ending series of false summits which take you high up on the hill with the most stunning 360° views - anybody who watched Cameron McNeish new Borders to Cape Wrath route would have seen the green mountain rescue hut featured quite a lot and he commented how good the views from here are.

Met a group on a guided tour last year after topping this climb who had came up from the Amulree side and one of the blokes on tour said to me you have just came up the easier side and if you want to be real climber you have do the hard side like he had done. However as fate would have it I knew one of the guys through sportives who was on holiday who knew my love for epic days in the saddle asked me where I had been that day as it was well late into the afternoon. When I explained where I had been the tour guide said I had done the his whole long weekend tour in one day and gave me a wink when aforementioned bloke went silent

jotko

hulla the hulla wrote:

there is the W near Nailsworth in the Cotswolds...

Thats a good one, pretty much where I grew up -

http://app.strava.com/segments/653776

Josh_No90

gcs wrote:

+1 For Zig Zag hill near Shaftesbury in Dorset
Did it once when it actually got to 30 deg in the UK, almost felt like being abroad!
Just have to dodge all the spotty oiks in Citroen Saxos and the like, but still a cracking road.

But a bit of jaunt from Scotland....

Yep, Zig Zag's a beaut. Nice and easy but feels like a mini-continental climb. It's one of my (many) local climbs. All it needs is more road graffiti and some heavily inebriated Dutchmen. If you're ever in North Dorset...