Game: Name that road!

[Aravis]

No takers again? I thought it was an interesting one, on one of the best sections of coastal road in the UK.

The road climbing the hillside on the left rises 156 metres from the bottom of the valley in 1.2 miles, an average of over 8% with a brief easing in the middle. With continuous views of the open sea and distant lands beyond, it's well worthy of consideration for a list of memorable climbs.

I was travelling in the opposite direction. At the time I didn't have a detailed map to inform me of what I was taking on; reaching the saddle in the top left, any hopes I may have had that on this section I'd be following the contours were thoroughly dashed. Further south, those who prefer that kind of experience are amply rewarded.

 

[shnjmsn]

I can't even decide if that's England, Wales, Scotland or NI to be fair !!!!

 

[Venod]

That is Stocks Lane, north of Luddenden

I should have recognised that one but its a long time since I have been up there, it used to be a club run ride when I was a member of Featherstone Road Club, up then over Ovenden Moor, now populated by windmills but then a very rough road, then down to Oxenhope for a cafe stop, probably the 80s when I last climbed that hill.

 

[MontyVeda]

This is from a UK cycle tour some 35 years ago:

View attachment 520567

The hill was very steep and my bottom gear would've been something like 36/30 - so there was an "opportunity" to stop and look at the view! It'll probably be useful if I say I was looking approximately north-west.

somewhere near Minehead?

 

[ColinJ]

I should have recognised that one but its a long time since I have been up there, it used to be a club run ride when I was a member of Featherstone Road Club, up then over Ovenden Moor, now populated by windmills but then a very rough road, then down to Oxenhope for a cafe stop, probably the 80s when I last climbed that hill.

The last time I rode over the moor was a couple of years ago and it was still a bit rough, but quite doable on a normal road bike. 20 years ago it was much worse.

I reckon that the council don't want to turn it into a rat run so they patch it up from time to time but leave it rough enough to put drivers off!

@Aravis - I did search for your road but no luck so far. I'll have another look later if nobody else identifies it.

 

[Aravis]

somewhere near Minehead?

Good thinking. That's one of the few parts of the UK where the orientation could fit, making the distant land on the right part of South Wales - but it's not there!

 

[ColinJ]

BUMP!

(I still don't have a clue where it is...)

 

[All uphill]

North Wales with Anglesey in the distance?

 

[Glow worm]

This is from a UK cycle tour some 35 years ago:

View attachment 520567

The hill was very steep and my bottom gear would've been something like 36/30 - so there was an "opportunity" to stop and look at the view! It'll probably be useful if I say I was looking approximately north-west.

I think I might have got it @ColinJ . The field patterns screamed 'Ireland' to me. The 'looking north-west' clue helped enormously too- ruling out places like the Isle of Man and Cumbria in terms of road/coast orientation.

A bit of whittling down led me to Torr Road (the A2), Torr- between Cushendun and Ballyvoy, Northern Ireland. And it looks like one hell of a hill too! Possibly Rathlin Island in the distance.

here it is from Google Earth for comparison

And the original

 

[ColinJ]

Well done! Normally, we would wait for official confirmation but that is clearly correct. Over to you...

PS I was just going to check that on my mapping software but remembered that my digital OS map does not cover N.I.!

 

[Aravis]

Yep well done @Glow worm. As I thought, I'd left more than enough clues, and pointedly said "UK" on a couple of occasions.

One additional clue I thought of giving was that there are two islands in my picture (less distinct in the Google Earth image); identify them and you've effectively solved it.

I've posted it before, but this was my route that week in September/October 1985 (clockwise):

I know some looked at my route and wondered what on earth I was thinking of after Belfast. I'd arranged a rest day at a friend's house in Downpatrick, where there was a fridgeful of food, a bath and a quiet bedroom. Somehow at that moment those things were more enticing than exploring the Ards Peninsula, an omission I was intending to put right this spring...

 

[Glow worm]

Struggled a bit with this. The only roads I photograph tend to be tiny lanes I normally ride on which would be impossible to identify unless you know them well.

Anyhow, this UK pic should be guessable.
Clues- the picture was taken looking roughly north east. The water you can just see is an estuary and the open sea is out of view to the right. (Not nearly as picturesque as the last picture I'm afraid!)

 

[BrumJim]

Ah, found that one quickly.

At first I thought it was Waldringfield on the River Dibben, where we had a summer holiday a few years back. Found out it wasn't, but it all looked so Suffolk that I had a look further downstream and found Ferry Road, Old Felixstowe matched a lot better.

 

[Glow worm]

Ah, found that one quickly.

At first I thought it was Waldringfield on the River Dibben, where we had a summer holiday a few years back. Found out it wasn't, but it all looked so Suffolk that I had a look further downstream and found Ferry Road, Old Felixstowe matched a lot better.

Spot on - yep- Ferry Road Felixstowe Ferry, Suffolk. Well spotted! (the little ferry to Bawdsey on the other side of the estuary takes bikes).

 

[BrumJim]

Here's my entry. The road is under my feet, although there is one to the left of the picture too.

Its within riding distance of my home, and you will see from the right hand side that this isn't a natural lake. Taken recently at around 14:30.