Start: 550464 Finish: 570489
Length: 4.3km Height Gain: 212m
There's an immediacy to this hill as it climbs out of Wells, 55m of ascent in the first 700m of road. So, settle in for the pull early - if your experience is anything like mine you're in a fairly low gear from the off. A patch of trees on your right, revealed by one of the many slight bends that characterise this hill, signs a brief respite and time to gain a gear or two back. The respite doesn't last, so you'll need that variation in gears available as you snake your way through the sequence of straights leading to bends. There's something about the landscape which keeps suggesting that the road will level out after the next bend, which it steadfastly refuses to do, there are at least seven of these straight sections, each time you see a few hundred metres more of the hill. The angle never rears up at you but the length and continuity of the climb take their toll (well, not on JT-L, but they did on me!).
There's a pleasant variety of countryside on this pull, starting from the town, through sections of woodland, through sections of open Mendip farmland - all very pleasant. A pity then that there are so many fossil fuel devourers sharing the tarmac. In due course that tarmac leads out of the top of Biddle Combe woods at a track leading up to the WT station on Pen Hill and you're just about up - unless you decide to take on the dead end track itself.
Rating: Well worth making a specific trip to do, the route was on last year's Tour of Britain after all! The length of the hill provides a significant challenge, unless you happen to be Jonathan Tiernan-Locke. There is too much traffic - look out for comments on Old Bristol Hill which effectively takes on the same challenge - still on my to do list.
Length: 4.3km Height Gain: 212m
There's an immediacy to this hill as it climbs out of Wells, 55m of ascent in the first 700m of road. So, settle in for the pull early - if your experience is anything like mine you're in a fairly low gear from the off. A patch of trees on your right, revealed by one of the many slight bends that characterise this hill, signs a brief respite and time to gain a gear or two back. The respite doesn't last, so you'll need that variation in gears available as you snake your way through the sequence of straights leading to bends. There's something about the landscape which keeps suggesting that the road will level out after the next bend, which it steadfastly refuses to do, there are at least seven of these straight sections, each time you see a few hundred metres more of the hill. The angle never rears up at you but the length and continuity of the climb take their toll (well, not on JT-L, but they did on me!).
There's a pleasant variety of countryside on this pull, starting from the town, through sections of woodland, through sections of open Mendip farmland - all very pleasant. A pity then that there are so many fossil fuel devourers sharing the tarmac. In due course that tarmac leads out of the top of Biddle Combe woods at a track leading up to the WT station on Pen Hill and you're just about up - unless you decide to take on the dead end track itself.
Rating: Well worth making a specific trip to do, the route was on last year's Tour of Britain after all! The length of the hill provides a significant challenge, unless you happen to be Jonathan Tiernan-Locke. There is too much traffic - look out for comments on Old Bristol Hill which effectively takes on the same challenge - still on my to do list.
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