Success. At the fourth attempt. In the previous 3 I never even got on the hill. 1st time we missed the turn onto High Street, 2nd and 3rd time it threw it down with rain before I'd got out of the car. Keeping going when it's raining is fair enough; starting out in a thunder storm is something else entirely...
Start: At the junction where High Street leaves the B3114 GR569563
Finish: By the radio mast at GR550536
Height Gain: 191m Horizontal Distance: 3.25km
Average Gradient: 6% Category: 3
I had to take this in a short afternoon ride so I started from Burrington Combe car park; as good a place as any though all the roads into West Harptree make for pleasant cycling. Here you turn onto the B3114 to East Harptree, the climb starts at the junction about a kilometre along the road.
A sequence of easy steps leads to a ramp up into East Harptree, steep enough that the local non-cyclists will be impressed (it seems) that you can cycle up their hill, but not actually steep enough to hurt. The crossroads with Whitecross Road isn't straight, go left then right to achieve what looks like straight over on the map.
As the contour map shows, this remains easy territory but the pull up through the farmland suddenly gets a whole lot harder from shortly after the next but one junction; the slope altering from easy to 15%. Fight your way up to the sweeping left hander for a chance to rest the legs and regain a few gears before the right hand bend at Pit Farm brings the final challenge; the road steepening again briefly but this is only an issue if you're hurting from what you've already done. As I pushed my way over the top I had cramp beginning in both legs.
As the cross section shows, this climb hits you hard and hits you late. The sections from 1.5 to 2km and 2.5 to 3km are tough going, but doable. You finally peak at 294m, just about the highest point you can get to on a road in these parts and over 200m above East Harptree where you started from (the last 20m of ascent just hardly counts as climbing so I haven't included that part of the route in the stats). Workmen were resurfacing the B3134 back down to Burrington Combe - gravel everywhere. Should be OK again soon though, and descending Burrington has to be one of God's gifts to cyclists - though I recommend against hitting the top cattle grid at 35mph. Ow!
Summary: Well worth doing, just for the joy of completing a big climb (by Mendip standards) on decent road. Could easily be included in a route from Bristol down towards Wells, the obvious route being to drop down Old Bristol Hill - now there's a descent.
DP
Did this again (3rd time in 2017 so far - and it's only March!!!) this weekend. The steep bit in the middle is still a tough pull but after that 5 years of leg and lung development have certainly made a difference. Descended Broad Road and Westfield Road into Rodney Stoke - now that is a brilliant descent - under two minutes from the top of the Mendips to the houses in the valley. Weeeeee!
DP
Start: At the junction where High Street leaves the B3114 GR569563
Finish: By the radio mast at GR550536
Height Gain: 191m Horizontal Distance: 3.25km
Average Gradient: 6% Category: 3
I had to take this in a short afternoon ride so I started from Burrington Combe car park; as good a place as any though all the roads into West Harptree make for pleasant cycling. Here you turn onto the B3114 to East Harptree, the climb starts at the junction about a kilometre along the road.
A sequence of easy steps leads to a ramp up into East Harptree, steep enough that the local non-cyclists will be impressed (it seems) that you can cycle up their hill, but not actually steep enough to hurt. The crossroads with Whitecross Road isn't straight, go left then right to achieve what looks like straight over on the map.
As the contour map shows, this remains easy territory but the pull up through the farmland suddenly gets a whole lot harder from shortly after the next but one junction; the slope altering from easy to 15%. Fight your way up to the sweeping left hander for a chance to rest the legs and regain a few gears before the right hand bend at Pit Farm brings the final challenge; the road steepening again briefly but this is only an issue if you're hurting from what you've already done. As I pushed my way over the top I had cramp beginning in both legs.
As the cross section shows, this climb hits you hard and hits you late. The sections from 1.5 to 2km and 2.5 to 3km are tough going, but doable. You finally peak at 294m, just about the highest point you can get to on a road in these parts and over 200m above East Harptree where you started from (the last 20m of ascent just hardly counts as climbing so I haven't included that part of the route in the stats). Workmen were resurfacing the B3134 back down to Burrington Combe - gravel everywhere. Should be OK again soon though, and descending Burrington has to be one of God's gifts to cyclists - though I recommend against hitting the top cattle grid at 35mph. Ow!
Summary: Well worth doing, just for the joy of completing a big climb (by Mendip standards) on decent road. Could easily be included in a route from Bristol down towards Wells, the obvious route being to drop down Old Bristol Hill - now there's a descent.
DP
Did this again (3rd time in 2017 so far - and it's only March!!!) this weekend. The steep bit in the middle is still a tough pull but after that 5 years of leg and lung development have certainly made a difference. Descended Broad Road and Westfield Road into Rodney Stoke - now that is a brilliant descent - under two minutes from the top of the Mendips to the houses in the valley. Weeeeee!
DP
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