Strava 100/200 climbs

The criteria is not simply “difficulty”, Cheddar Gorge is unquestionably an interesting climb in the area!

Not when you’ve been up it 1000 times. It’s a bit like seeing the Sydney Opera House on your bus commute every day. :smile:

It does have mountain goats though. (Cheddar, not Sydney :wink: )

Wookey Hole to Priddy via Deer Leap doesn’t tickle either.

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Where’s the top 200 climbs list? I only see the top 100

We’ve got a few down with us. We were talking about going on a couple of missions soon to tick some more off.

I’ve done:

Dartmeet
Widecombe
Salcombe Hill

We’ve got Rundelstone on the West side of the moor, that should be pretty easy.

Challacombe up in North Devon - we camped at the top of that hill a week ago. It was an absolute brute. Short and sharp.

Countisbury, Porlock, Dunkerry Beacon and Crowcombe are all up on the North Devon/Somerset coast.
There are a couple in Cornwall and another further West on the N Devon coast in Clovelly. They would be a bit more of a pain to get to.

FMD that’s a hard climb. Did that when it came about 80 miles into a sportive from Cheddar.

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Exactly, and as an ex rock climber there’s some history for me too with Cheddar.
I am less bothered about steepness and more interested in remoteness and beauty. I would say that all my favourite climbs fall into that category. Obviously other people have their own criteria for what they like the most.

There are plenty in the 100/200 list that are pretty straightforward and IMHO really fantastic; Hartside, Yad Moss & Holme Moss for example.

I’m also a big fan of climbs on closed roads, of which we have several corkers in my all time top 10; how the first two are not in the original 100 is beyond me.
Elidir Fawr - up to the highest point on tarmac in Wales, 520m of climbing and stunningly beautiful (in the Welsh book)

Stwlan Dam - Similarly only in the Welsh book, half as long but very sustained with proper hairpins


Great Dun Fell -


Chew Road - I loved it, almost made me want to embrace gravel!

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Lovely area. There is a great climb from East Harptree. It’s not mega hard but does end at a pub called the Castle of Comfort :grin:

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We are talking about different places :slight_smile:

The Chew Rd I’m talking about goes up to Saddleworth Moor in the NW Peak District.

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I thought you were talking about Chew Magna, look remarkably similar. :smile: :man_facepalming:

Chew Road is where that guy got the train up from London, took a walk up, never came back.

We’ve walked the dogs up there, it’s rammed at the bottom at Dovestones Reservoir, but nobody walks up to the top.

Splendid isolation

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They did eventually identify him:

Like Poet says, it’s very peaceful up there and the views are amazing.

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I’m not sure I’d go that far but it’s a little underwhelming having ridden it today.

I’m surprised that the Brickworks didn’t get the nod over it as they’re geographically close and Brickworks is by far the better climb.

Goyt Valley is much better than Axe Edge too, especially if you include the moorland section at the top where the climb goes on above the exit from the valley

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Goyt Valley isn’t a climb, it’s an affirmation of how beautiful this country can be :heart_eyes:

Brickworks is an odd climb. Steep, shallow and flat!
Great descent though.
And a great coffee shop on it :white_check_mark:

I see you also did Artists Lane :paintbrush::art:
Was that for the potholes :joy::joy::joy:

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Yeah, I deliberately added a small loop just to ride Goyt valley again. I think I only saw 1 car on it; great to have it alone. It is incredibly green at the moment.

I thought Brickworks was steady all the way, will take a pic of the chimney next time :slight_smile:

… wanders off to look up Artists Lane …

OK, the Alderley Edge climb. I enjoyed that except my lungs hadn’t woken up and were struggling a bit so I took it very gently. Not been that way before so was a bit of a discovery trip really (always gone up Cat & Fiddle previously).
Only 35 min drive from my house to where I started so will head there again and maybe go south towards Manifold Valley.

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Goyt Valley is the best cycling road in the Peak, nothing else comes close

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It’s a shame they’ve removed the concrete barriers now. Cars were going up it at the weekend :face_with_symbols_over_mouth:
(It used to be closed 11am-4pm Sat, Sun and BH)

But yes, even I love it :face_with_peeking_eye:

Although the headwind up the last part to the Cat Inn is always unwelcome :joy:
I prefer the left turn and over towards Axe Edge, but come down the A54 to Bosley. That was closed most of lockdown due to landslide, too. Amazing.

Manifold Valley is quality @Cobbie :ok_hand:t4:
A bit more gravel on the roads, but Chrome and Parkhouse Hill are always stunning. Larkstone Lane, Grindon, Hulme End. Some really quiet roads.

Yep, know it well from my climbing days & often camped there as it was so quiet.

Thinking of a trip to Bala next week but maybe Manifold Valley the week after.

Very much enjoying an away day each week :grin:

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I’m off to Bala soon, looking forward to trying the Bwlch y Groes climb, looks savage

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It’s a great climb. Easiest from Vyrnwy, longest from Llanuwllchyn & most sporting from Dinas Mawddwy.

All the best :+1:.

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Full disclosure, I’ve only been on it once, on a very hot day at the end of a century ride and there was a small amount of walking involved. In my defence, if I’d realised I was so close to the top, I’d have carried on riding with a foot down (there’s a LH bend which masks the top section from view).

Really, I need to work out a route to do it earlier in a ride but that is easier said than done.

As @Doonhamer says, the other two ways up are really lovely. From Bala you get a great climb and get to admire the ByG on the way down, the views that way are stupendous.

My plan is to head out west on a little known road that takes you quite quickly into one of the more remote bits of N Wales :slight_smile:

Did the Dinas way up the Bwlch y Groes today, absolute savagery, consistently steep for so long.

I’ve done most of the real tough top 100 climbs excluding Scotland and that was definitely one of the hardest. Solid type 2 fun :face_vomiting:

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