Wrynose and Hardknott

John C. · September 2007

Planning to do Wrynose and Hardknott return on Saturday,weather permitting. Any one else interested , Not sure where to park car yet, maybe Little Langdale. Advice would be welcombe. I am use to the North York Moors and Dales hills .

vermooten · September 2007

There's parking on the west side of Hardknott. I like to park up at Coniston cos then I havwe to ride a few miles which warms me up. There's a good layby on the road between Coniston and Wrynose too. A good ride would be to go up Great Langdale, followed by Wrynose, followed by Hardknott, then back again. You'd feel thatt he next day.

Anonymous · September 2007

John C. wrote:

Planning to do Wrynose and Hardknott return on Saturday,weather permitting. Any one else interested , Not sure where to park car yet, maybe Little Langdale. Advice would be welcombe. I am use to the North York Moors and Dales hills .

John.C,

I've just sent you a private email thing via this forum....its got a good few helping details...
let us know if you have received it...

Cheers,

Rich

the ferry · September 2007

c'mon Rich share the crack.
John let us know how you go mate and what gearing you used
and well done, i think the Hell of the north will be nothing compared to this.

John C. · September 2007

Cheers RICHBOY CP

I'll bare that in mind and yes I will do a report and comparison with Rosedale, Church Houses and Boltby that I have ridden within the last fortnight

rhnb · September 2007

If you want to see how John and the rest of us got on on Saturday, there's a report on the ride with some pictures here...

http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk/localri ... /index.htm

We all had a great day, and the weather couldn't have been better!

Cheeers... Allan.

hugo15 · September 2007

Great ride report Allan and some fantastic photos.

ash68 · September 2007

great pics, enjoyed reading about your ride, made my legs ache just looking at the route profile

giant_man · September 2007

rhnb wrote:

If you want to see how John and the rest of us got on on Saturday, there's a report on the ride with some pictures here...

http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk/localri ... /index.htm

We all had a great day, and the weather couldn't have been better!

Cheeers... Allan.

Excellent little site you got there and so informative great stuff!!

rhnb · September 2007

Well thanks for that chaps. Glad you enjoyed it.
I'd already met 'richyboy' a few times before, but it was good to see 'fathead' (don't know where that one came from!) and 'JohnC'.
Maybe see some of you up this way some time.
I'm running out of hills to show Richard now! Think he's done them all ;-)

giant_man · September 2007

How did you get on John C? As hard as you thought? Or easier?

shockedsoshocked · September 2007

Excellent read! I'll have to get out to the lake district one time I think.

You guys ever fancy doing a similar thing in the Moors? :twisted:

rhnb · September 2007

You guys ever fancy doing a similar thing in the Moors?

Certainly do. I think JohnC and Richyboy were talking about trying to arrange something so we'll try and tag along with that.
Nearest I've been to anything 'out that way' was the PolkaDot Challenge this year, and I really enjoyed that.

Fat Head · September 2007

rhnb wrote:

I'm running out of hills to show Richard now! Think he's done them all ;-)

have you shown him Hardnott yet????

rhnb · September 2007

Good thinking - I don't think he knows that one ;-)

pipsqueak · September 2007

thanks for the photo's and the routes- did most of this route a couple of weeks ago on my jack, with very similar weather.

Fat Head · September 2007

we spoke about doing something similar again before the turn of the year, I would deffo be up for a loop in the Yorks moors........

Anonymous · September 2007

Fat Head wrote:

we spoke about doing something similar again before the turn of the year, I would deffo be up for a loop in the Yorks moors........

Dont know if I could make this route this year....but a great one would be

Kirbymoorside - Nunnington - Ampleforth - Wass - Kilburn - WHITE HORSE BANK - down Sutton Bank - Thirlby - Boltby - BOLTBYBANK - Helmsley - Carlton - Cockayne - Gilamoor - Low Mills - Church Houses - BLAKEY BANK - Ralph Cross - Drop down into Rosedale Abbey - ROSEDALE CHIMNEY - Hutton Le Hole - Kirbymoorside

70miler / 2700 meters.

Think this will rip the legs of folks.....Boltby and the Chimney are the toughest 1km climbs ive ever did...Blakey banks no picnic either...White Horse aint so bad...it would also be a stunning run...the sceney around that route is awesome...all on VERY quiet roads.
Lots of steep undulations in between the Main climbs aswell.

The Ryedale Rumble will be doing a pretty similar route this year...but since its 110miles or so it will be very tough.

Cheers

John C. · September 2007

Hardknott ? haven't heard of that one.

I loved the hills and a cracking day we had. I admit I have still to do Hardknott West, did I mention Haedknott. BUT our hills may not be as high as those in the lakes but the North York Moors hills tend to have stings in their tails , An example is Hardknott East, did I mention Hardknott. has it's steepest bit at the bottom and is then just a normal hill, This I would compare with White Horse Bank which has a steep second right hander then carries on like Hardknott but then has two sharp bends at the top. Boltby (Ah my Boltby, Mr Boltby to those who haven't ridden it) Starts off steep has a 20 yrd. flat section then up straight up getting steeper as you climb. Rich summed it up, Boltby is Brutal
All hills are steep it's just a matter of pace

John C. · September 2007

This 70 miler in my neck of the woods is sounding good. Could start in Thirsk and do Boltby first then do Caydale ford up to Old Byland down to Revaux then Helmsley

I

I am............a

I am an add addict

there I've said it,
it's easy now
I am an addict!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm addicted to hills and I love it YEH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous · September 2007

John C. wrote:

Hardknott ? haven't heard of that one.

I loved the hills and a cracking day we had. I admit I have still to do Hardknott West, did I mention Haedknott. BUT our hills may not be as high as those in the lakes but the North York Moors hills tend to have stings in their tails , An example is Hardknott East, did I mention Hardknott. has it's steepest bit at the bottom and is then just a normal hill, This I would compare with White Horse Bank which has a steep second right hander then carries on like Hardknott but then has two sharp bends at the top. Boltby (Ah my Boltby, Mr Boltby to those who haven't ridden it) Starts off steep has a 20 yrd. flat section then up straight up getting steeper as you climb. Rich summed it up, Boltby is Brutal
All hills are steep it's just a matter of pace

Yeah John, your right that Boltby and Rosedale are brutal....no doubt about it...these climbs really tanked it out of me....but I still firmly beleibe Wrynose East and most definately Hardknott West / Bwlch Y Groes are much tougher...

I hit Rosedale Chimney after only 4 miles from the Blacksmiths Arms and being truthful I marched up it....when we did Wrynose East we hit it after only 6 miles....and I really done it CLEVERLY...such was the respect....imagine hitting that after Kirbymoor...I can assure you Rosedales a much more easier ordeal than the Terrible Wrynose Pass and I know.

Its just my opinion but I reckon Ive did most climbs in the UK with a similar fitness and the 2 top dogs are Bwlch Y Groes and Hardknott West....Wrynose East not far behind...

shockedsoshocked · September 2007

I planned an absolute killer route, but realised it'd be pushing 100miles of nearly all uphill (although theres is a flat section at the end) so maybe a bit ambitious

Thirsk, Boltby, Hawnby, Osmotherly, Swainby, Faceby, Carlton, Chop Gate, Helmsley, Cockayne, Gilamoor, Low Mill, Church Houses, Rosedale Abbey, Hutton-Le-Hole, Kirkbymoorside, Helmsley, Ampleforth, Kilburn, Thirsk.

Big Climbs:- Boltby, Carlton, Newgate, Blakey Bank, Rosedale Chimney

Any idea how much climbing that would be in meters? I might save this route for next summer :twisted:

John C. · September 2007

That is going to be a killer. Not keen on the Chop Gate to Helmsley bit, that's a very busy, very fast road. Otherwise it will be one to work up to.

Wrynose East ? if you thought that was as bad as Rosedale then you must have had a bad night on the drink before hand . I did it on the middle ring !

Really chuffed to find I'm not the only one who likes hills.

Anonymous · September 2007

John C. wrote:

That is going to be a killer. Not keen on the Chop Gate to Helmsley bit, that's a very busy, very fast road. Otherwise it will be one to work up to.

Wrynose East ? if you thought that was as bad as Rosedale then you must have had a bad night on the drink before hand . I did it on the middle ring !

Really chuffed to find I'm not the only one who likes hills.

Its real Funny how people's experiences are so different, for me on Wrynose East its the unrelenting way it justs gets steeper....It really kills me...Its not as steep as say Rosedale but its so much longer...I had no idea you did that on the Middle Ring...I tip my hat :shock:

I find that on Rosedale that once over the cattle grid from the bottom of the switchback then it a 100% Max effort to get to the left hand veer off..even though its still around 20% here its still so easy after that preceeding sustained 1:3, but from my personal experience I think I found Boltby Bank tougher...again it just gets steeper and steeper until I would say 30%...I near bloody passed out at the top of that...so I think unrelenting mad steep stuff is the ones which wipe me.

Maybe a real test would be hitting them after a good bit beforehand....I reckon if I had White Horse/Boltby/Blakey and 55 miles in the legs the Chimney would take on a new meaning, and again if we had did Wrynose as the last climb on that excellent run last saturday it would also be completely different. Me and my brother did Wrynose East after a good few tough climbs in the lags last time and it left a very tainted memory

Both Brutal....

John, don't know if it can be possible for me to do one of those proposed runs this year as very busy at work now...but defo up for one with your goodself and James in April next year..(when at Flamingoland).it would maybe be real nice to take in some unknown terrain of say Grosmont etc...

Cheers

P.s Will have to try that one some time...whats it called...hardknott or something

John C. · September 2007

Richboy
As soon as you let us know your dates for Flamingoland we'll sort a ride out, your knowledge and discription of hills is amaizing, Close as it may sound, Gromont area is out of my usual cycling routes (it's also packed in summer) so maybe we could do a couple of those climbs as a first for both of us. Hardknott West is a must as well.
Did someone mention Hardknott.

jabottomley · October 2007

me and a couple of mates did the fred whitton route yesterday. I had a really dark hour on the way to hardknott coming down the coast and was getting quite worried (having had to push most of it last year). A few powergels later and I had recovered somewhat, but still got cramp and had to push the first 200yds of hardknott, after that the middle section was not bad bit the last bit is a killer, I was in my 30x27 and still nearly vomited, easily the hardest climb i have ever attempted (in fact the hardest day ever on my bike). Wrynose after was not so bad, I stuck it in lowest gear and spun up as best I could, little bit of zig zagging at the top bit.
I can imagine climbing up wrynose from coniston is fairly tough but do not want to think about it today, I do not even want to look at my bike today

Andy.

John C. · October 2007

Well done Andy . Why O why do I love hills ?

Brian B · October 2007

Jabottomley,

Everybody I know has a dark hour coming towards Hardknott during the FWC. I z lost about 20 mins on my overall time this year when doing this years FWC as I knew what was coming and how much suffering it takes to get up without stopping. My legs felt like lead, dodgy stomach and an elevated pulse even rate when at rest at the last feed station.

I got up without stopping and felt great at the top but unlike yourself I found Wrynose harder than I remembered from that side but still managed it, but my body told me not that this was enough for one day as I never suffer from cramps but I did that day.

But hey I love to climb hills/mountains and the pain, suffering and dread are a part of the whole experience of climbing.

Wrynose and Hardknott

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