There be roads on them there hills!
I've discovered I rather enjoy driving myself uphill on a bike. If you're looking a this you are probably similarly afflicted. The idea of the blog is to explore the road bike climbs in the Western Mendip area. I will be having a go at them; there may be some that you might like to take on. Hopefully readers will use the comments system to give me some prompts for climbs that I might want to try.
What to expect - descriptions of climbs arriving as I do them. I'll start with Cheddar Gorge as it's the first one I did after I bought the road-bike. As every one else has done this (so I gather anyway) you can compare my comments on it to your own thoughts - but be aware that I did this off the back of no hill climbs in about 30 years, so I found it harder than I should have.
I have a list of 25 that I shall look to take on. To qualify; a climb has to have a height gain of at least 100m and (originally had) to be entirely west of the easting 570. This may seem like an odd place to make the division - why not go for 600 and thereby be on the edge of the Cheddar and Bristol West 1:25,000 maps? In answer; 570 goes straight through the middle of Chew Vally Lake (aesthetically pleasing) and (more practically) there is only one climb that I can see on the maps which would cross this line. The route from Chew Magna to Dundry is the climb in question, but as there is a perfectly reasonable alternative to this one going up Limeburn Hill just to the west, that leaves no climbs to conflict with the guide to Mendips East - someone else can do that one. See adaptation made in a later blog.
So what's the list?
Brockley Combe and Cookes Bridle Path (a made road) then the airport perimeter road so your finishing above the airport.
Cheston Combe up from Backwell, then up Backwell Hill Road.
Off the A38 at Lye Cross then follow Under Lane, then Sutton Lane, to Row of Ashes Fm GR515634.
Up the A38 from Cowslip Green to Bristol Airport.
Bleadon Hill from Elborough.
Bleadon Hill from Bleadon Bridge.
From Combe Lodge to Blagdon, then up Two Trees to Swymmer's Farm.
Compton Martin, up Highfield Lane to Butts Quarry Farm.
Compton Martin, up Harptree Hill, then the Old Bristol Road to Gibbets Brow.
From Townsend (GR569563) through East Harptree and up Smitham Hill to the WT station.
Bristol Hill out of Wells.
From Easton (GR512477) up Ebbor Lane then Deerleap and Pelting Drove.
Westbury-sub-Mendip, up Stancombe Lane then past Broadmead Quarry to the reservoir - removed from the list as it proves unsuitable for road bikes.
From Hill Farm at Rodney Stoke, up Westfield Lane and Broad Road to finish at the same reservoir (there is enough difference between these two that I think they can be counted as separate climbs).
From Draycott, up New Road. (Road closed for the next 18 months - as of July 2012).
From Wells up the Old Bristol Road
Cheddar Gorge.
Burrington Combe.
Shipham Road, Cheddar
From Cleeve, up Cleeve Hill Road.
From Branches Cross (Wrington), up Long Lane then through Redhill, turn left and up to GR497638
From Wrington, up Wrington Hill
From the traffic island at GR562633, up Limeburn Hill and then up past Elton Farm to GR 565658.
Winford, Dundry Lane, Winford Lane to GR553665.
And finally...
GR445566, south of Shipham, east along Long Bottom to Trotts Corner GR462564.
!!Replacement for New Road, Draycott... from Coley, up Litton Combe and then the A39 to Green Ore cross-roads.
Replacement for Stancombe Lane... Bath Road, Wells
The cut off at 100m immediately omits some considerable challenges - Monks Hill from Kewstoke up to Worlebury being one such, along with the various climbs up Pennard Hill because it's just not quite high enough. If my choices cause some debate - wonderful. I look forward to hearing which gems I've missed.
If I do get through all the list that will be a total of 4165m of climbing - the same height as the Western Breithorn in Switzerland...
The maps and cross section profiles that accompany the route are all made using the brilliant facility that is 'Bike Route Toaster'. If you don't know about this take a look - follow the link below.
BikeRouteToaster
DP
I've discovered I rather enjoy driving myself uphill on a bike. If you're looking a this you are probably similarly afflicted. The idea of the blog is to explore the road bike climbs in the Western Mendip area. I will be having a go at them; there may be some that you might like to take on. Hopefully readers will use the comments system to give me some prompts for climbs that I might want to try.
What to expect - descriptions of climbs arriving as I do them. I'll start with Cheddar Gorge as it's the first one I did after I bought the road-bike. As every one else has done this (so I gather anyway) you can compare my comments on it to your own thoughts - but be aware that I did this off the back of no hill climbs in about 30 years, so I found it harder than I should have.
I have a list of 25 that I shall look to take on. To qualify; a climb has to have a height gain of at least 100m and (originally had) to be entirely west of the easting 570. This may seem like an odd place to make the division - why not go for 600 and thereby be on the edge of the Cheddar and Bristol West 1:25,000 maps? In answer; 570 goes straight through the middle of Chew Vally Lake (aesthetically pleasing) and (more practically) there is only one climb that I can see on the maps which would cross this line. The route from Chew Magna to Dundry is the climb in question, but as there is a perfectly reasonable alternative to this one going up Limeburn Hill just to the west, that leaves no climbs to conflict with the guide to Mendips East - someone else can do that one. See adaptation made in a later blog.
So what's the list?
Brockley Combe and Cookes Bridle Path (a made road) then the airport perimeter road so your finishing above the airport.
Cheston Combe up from Backwell, then up Backwell Hill Road.
Off the A38 at Lye Cross then follow Under Lane, then Sutton Lane, to Row of Ashes Fm GR515634.
Up the A38 from Cowslip Green to Bristol Airport.
Bleadon Hill from Elborough.
Bleadon Hill from Bleadon Bridge.
From Combe Lodge to Blagdon, then up Two Trees to Swymmer's Farm.
Compton Martin, up Highfield Lane to Butts Quarry Farm.
Compton Martin, up Harptree Hill, then the Old Bristol Road to Gibbets Brow.
From Townsend (GR569563) through East Harptree and up Smitham Hill to the WT station.
Bristol Hill out of Wells.
From Easton (GR512477) up Ebbor Lane then Deerleap and Pelting Drove.
Westbury-sub-Mendip, up Stancombe Lane then past Broadmead Quarry to the reservoir - removed from the list as it proves unsuitable for road bikes.
From Hill Farm at Rodney Stoke, up Westfield Lane and Broad Road to finish at the same reservoir (there is enough difference between these two that I think they can be counted as separate climbs).
From Draycott, up New Road. (Road closed for the next 18 months - as of July 2012).
From Wells up the Old Bristol Road
Cheddar Gorge.
Burrington Combe.
Shipham Road, Cheddar
From Cleeve, up Cleeve Hill Road.
From Branches Cross (Wrington), up Long Lane then through Redhill, turn left and up to GR497638
From Wrington, up Wrington Hill
From the traffic island at GR562633, up Limeburn Hill and then up past Elton Farm to GR 565658.
Winford, Dundry Lane, Winford Lane to GR553665.
And finally...
GR445566, south of Shipham, east along Long Bottom to Trotts Corner GR462564.
!!Replacement for New Road, Draycott... from Coley, up Litton Combe and then the A39 to Green Ore cross-roads.
Replacement for Stancombe Lane... Bath Road, Wells
The cut off at 100m immediately omits some considerable challenges - Monks Hill from Kewstoke up to Worlebury being one such, along with the various climbs up Pennard Hill because it's just not quite high enough. If my choices cause some debate - wonderful. I look forward to hearing which gems I've missed.
If I do get through all the list that will be a total of 4165m of climbing - the same height as the Western Breithorn in Switzerland...The maps and cross section profiles that accompany the route are all made using the brilliant facility that is 'Bike Route Toaster'. If you don't know about this take a look - follow the link below.
BikeRouteToaster
DP
No comments:
Post a Comment