Ditchling Beacon vs Box Hill / Leith Hill

chrisaonabike
chrisaonabike Posts: 1,914
edited May 2013 in Road beginners
Please could someone that knows all three give me an idea of Ditchling's difficulty compared with Box Hill and Leith Hill?

I can do Box Hill quite easily (albeit not quickly), and Leith Hill with effort, just wondering whether it's worth a visit to the Beacon as a pre-L2B recce. I have a 6.30 start for the ride, so I have no excuses if I can't get up it :)
Is the gorilla tired yet?

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    Chris, don't bother, it's not exactly the Alpe d'Huez, although it might resemble the first mile of it... even Simon Warren gives it a 6/10... the country is dotted of Ditchling Beacons. The only reason is feared is because for lots of folks doing L2B it's the first climb ever
    left the forum March 2023
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Hi Chris, I cannot give you a direct comparison either as have not been up Leith hill yet.
    When I asked the reverse of your question I thought Ditchling was slightly harder?

    How many miles were in your legs when you went up Leith Hill?
    The only two things that you might find tough is traffic and tired legs, but if you are leaving early and the ride has not taken a toll on your legs you should be fine ;-)
  • cubegame
    cubegame Posts: 7
    Ditchling isn't that hard.

    First time I tried it was years ago on the L2B. Only failed that day because of people walking up.

    I now live in the area and it does have the fear factor. Since I became a new born cyclist in February I avoided it, but first time I tried it I sailed up with fresh legs.

    However, I did try it today after already doing 45 miles and thought better of it half way up.

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