I have a hankering for climbing mountains on a road bike - location suggestions please?

[roubaixtuesday]

Others have recommended it, but Great Dun Fell is the greatest climb in the UK and actually a mountaintop finish.

From earlier this year...

100 climbs gives a good range of the UK's best climbs.

https://cyclinguphill.com/100-climbs/

A day out in the Yorkshire Dales, North Pennines, Peak District or pretty much anywhere in Wales will be harder than Tuscany.

 

[fossyant]

Make sure you've got a good climbing set of gears. Peaks and North Wales rider here, and it can get very unpleasant if you've not got the gearing. I take the CX bike with 34 x 34 on the really hilly stuff as 39 x 26 is somewhat unpleasant over 15% - it's fine on the drags like Cat and Fiddle, Long Hill, Axe Edge, Snake etc

 

[Webbo2]

No one has suggested the North York Moors not many really long climbs but probably most of the steepest climbs in the UK hang out round there. Is it as Simon Warren suggests did the council just get a job lot of 33% climb signs and randomly put them around or are they that steep.😉

 

[Jameshow]

No one has suggested the North York Moors not many really long climbs but probably most of the steepest climbs in the UK hang out round there. Is it as Simon Warren suggests did the council just get a job lot of 33% climb signs and randomly put them around or are they that steep.😉

Yeap felt like that esp on day two of a three counties coast to coast!
Lakes, Dales and Moors!!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

drags like Cat and Fiddle, Long Hill, Axe Edge, Snake etc

All done on single speed as a kid, nice friendly gentle climbs.

 

[Webbo2]

All done on single speed as a kid, nice friendly gentle climbs.

🏅🎖

 

[fossyant]

All done on single speed as a kid, nice friendly gentle climbs.

I have done climbs like that on my fixed in my early 40's, then got broken.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Gospel Pass above Abergavenny is another good one.

This is very lovely and a good climb. My parents lived nearby so I used to ride there a lot in my youth.

Sent me on a trip down memory lane ... There's also a little dead-end road that runs sort of parallel to that, and goes towards Grwyne Fawr reservoir that I used to like riding up. Also used to drive and park or get dropped off to go walking.

I can't join the willy waggling about riding SS or fixed but I was riding a crappy bike that I'd put together myself from the cheapest bits available
which was consequently unreliable and generally useless, so that's something.

 

[Dan Lotus]

Thankyou very very much everyone, I've been away from this post for less than 24 hours, and it's exploded with LOADS of useful info, thankyou so much - plenty to be looking at, and a huge range of ideas.

Have to be honest, had not considered a train or plane solution - potentially with the train one (into France) you might even be able to take a bike with you?

Gearing wise I might look to make some alterations depending on what I end up trying to tackle, and how much elevation in total.
In Tuscany I was tending to drive to the vicinity of the climb, and then either up and down, or a circular route with ascent and descent, and these were between 2-3 hours. I didn't check my gearing, but latterly realised my lowest gear was 36/28, which was manageable, but the percentage was rarely over two figures, and was more lengthy than properly steep. I think if I'm looking at steeper I'd need to look at altering a bike to have a 36/34 bottom gear, and that would give me a much better chance of success / completing more climbs.

 

[vickster]

Have to be honest, had not considered a train or plane solution - potentially with the train one (into France) you might even be able to take a bike with you?

Not easy on Eurostar, not sure about TGV/local trains

 

[Gwylan]

Think a good medication might be better.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Have to be honest, had not considered a train or plane solution - potentially with the train one (into France) you might even be able to take a bike with you?

Sadly I think this would be challenging

Not to say it's impossible, but it's definitely not easy. I don't know the details because I haven't tried.

My trip to Lourdes was Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord, metro to Paris Montparnasse then TGV Inoui to Lourdes.

Eurostar is not bike friendly. At least not according to what I read on here. I think it has to be boxed. TGVs I don't know but it may require dismantling and putting in a box. I did spot a bike box on my trip. But do check, don't trust me on that.

The metro would be another challenge. You could end up having to reassemble the bike, ride it across Paris and disassemble it again. (Or get a big taxi)

This is why I've gone for hire bikes when doing this. Also there's the fact that I can hire bikes that are lighter and snazzier than my own.

If you went on local trains and used Le Shuttle or a ferry it might be easier. It would take twice as long, or more, but it would be an adventure

 

[MichaelW2]

The South Downs around Eastborne has one pretty switchback roads and some killer steep roads. Hastings has some altitude.
For the effort and expense involved in heading to Scotland you could probably do a tour of the Pyrenees , the closest big mountain range. Alpine green and wooded on the northern slopes, dry mediterranean scrub to the south.

 

[Animo]

Loads of hire options in the Pyrenees. We had it arranged so that they were delivered to the lodge for us. Our taxi got there and the bloke was just pulling up with the bikes. PM me Dan if you want any further details.

 

[fossyant]

If you 'do' Instagram, there is a lad called 'andrewon2wheels' that is trying to do just about every climb in the UK - he's got a crazy low gear set up on his Boardman.