Rosedale Chimney

[dodgy]

That's quite a climb, Wrynose would appear to be steeper though?

Dave.

 

[Chris James]

How do they measure hill ratios, though? It it's constantly 1:3, than that wouldn't pose a problem to most cyclists of any ability, as you would just steam straight up it.
.

Steam straight up a 1 in 3? I'd like to see most people try!

UK gradients are given as the maximum gradient on the road (unlike alpine ones which I believe are averages over the road's full length).

This would appear to be the case for Rosedale Chimney which, looking at the get a map site, appears to climb to 300 m from about 150m (the Abbey is at about 130m) in the space of about a kilometre.

The steepest section looks to be in the middle of the hillside when the road kicks up from a elevation of 200m to 300m in a 500m stretch of road.

I make that 100/500 = 20% or 1 in 4.

The road is shown as having several distinct steep sections with only one short bit showing as a double chevron (i.e. 1 in 4 or greater).

The road certainly doesn’t average 1 in 3 over its full length. I very much doubt that any road (unless incredibly short) would do that.

So Rosedale Chimney peaks at 1 in 3, which is very steep indeed.

For comparison purpose, the (infamous) Hardnott Pass roses from 100m ASL to 393m ASL in a distance of about 2km but is also rated as 1 in 3.

 

[dodgy]

If you go to Google maps and click on 'my maps' you can use a path profiler tool. When I used that it indicated that the Chimney was a max of about 17%, so there's probably a short bit of 33% to qualify for the signpost. Wrynose also has a 33% warning at the start, and I would say good portions of that climbe really are 1 in 3, but definitely not averaged along the entire climb. Again, Google shows it at about 22%. Hardknott is steeper still!

Dave.

 

[Hugo15]

The first bit of the climb up to the first hairpin was OK. I managed to sit down on this part and save my legs a little. Once you get round the first haipin you are hit by what looks more like a wall! You are then out of the saddle from here up to the second hairpin. After this it kicks up straight, probably 1 in 4 or 1 in 5. I tried to sit down, but as I did the front wheel quickly rose off the road and I rapidly got back out of the saddle just to stay on the bike. After a couple of hundred yards (well that's what it felt like) the gradient eases and I could get back in the saddle. At this point it started to pour with rain but there was no way I was going to stop now. A slow grind to the top completed the climb.

One thing I did notice was how much my arms ached. Suspect I was pulling rather hard on the bars just to keep going.

 

[marinyork]

I enjoyed the photo and post. I've heard of this place near Rosedale (I went to the area a couple of years ago) but I didn't know it had a name.

 

[Globalti]

"I make that 100/500 = 20% or 1 in 4."

*pedant mode on*
Errrr.... that looks like 1 in 5 to me.....

 

[Chris James]

"I make that 100/500 = 20% or 1 in 4."

*pedant mode on*
Errrr.... that looks like 1 in 5 to me.....

Being extremely pedantic...

Actually it is neither as the '1 in' measurement is based on the length of the road, not the horizontal distance on the map. So it is 1 in 5 and a bit!

Pedant mode off - yes, I was wrong on my post.

 

[asterix]

Is it not time that someone put their oar in, saying how much steeper the hills are in Wales?

I'd do it myself, but I have almost never been there except by accident.

 

[Chris James]

From my experience of growing up in Chester and speniding a lot of time in North Wales (including bike trips across Wales) I reckon that the hills in the Pennines are steeper but shorter than the Welsh ones. However, there are lots more hills around here and they are pretty much unavoidable.

I haven't cycled in the North York Moors but have driven up Sutton Bank for example and it is very steep.

 

[cycling fisherman]

Hugo 15 I Salute You

For those who have seen or witnessed rosedale chimney OH BOY !!!

I was working for calor gas at the time and i took a wrong turn at the moor top and ended up coming down the chimney in a 18 ton gas wagon full of cylinders...

Then...

I read a few months ago with great interest that riders actually attempt this bad boy and i just could not believe it, I mean this is one seriously steep hill...

who has tried it ?
did you have to stop ?
did you beat the rosedale chimney ?

HUGO 15 I SALUTE YOU OR ANY OTHER HUMAN WHO CAN CONQUER THE CHIMNEY !!

WELL DONE !!
​

 

[longers]

I meant to say well done Hugo, but forgot

 

[papercorn2000]

I've done this climb a few times, the last time on 28x28, the bottom gear on my light tourer.

I'm assuming a 700c wheel - that's a, what, 27" or so gear!
I don't think I could actually stay upright, it would be like doing a track stand!

 

[papercorn2000]

Is it not time that someone put their oar in, saying how much steeper the hills are in Wales?

I'd do it myself, but I have almost never been there except by accident.

There's a 25% climb in Llangoed in Anglesey near to where my grandparents lived.

 

[kennybaby]

Has anyone been up wearing a garmin GPS watch, that shows gradient, speed, distance, heart rate, etc. The result would be interesting. Just looking up the climb as the book I was reading said this chimney bank was a difficult one. Most climbed recently got up to 22% according to my mates Mr Garmin watch.

 

[yenrod]

If you go to Google maps and click on 'my maps' you can use a path profiler tool. When I used that it indicated that the Chimney was a max of about 17%, so there's probably a short bit of 33% to qualify for the signpost. Wrynose also has a 33% warning at the start, and I would say good portions of that climbe really are 1 in 3, but definitely not averaged along the entire climb. Again, Google shows it at about 22%. Hardknott is steeper still!

Dave.

I'll show you a climb one day - whereby you'll wish you'd rather have done 65ml !!! - its a real out of the way brute !

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&s...68733,-2.739973&spn=0.01338,0.043774&t=p&z=15