Highest Road?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
vernon
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Post by vernon »

workhard wrote:
thirdcrank wrote:There is a village in N Wales on the A 525 bteween Wrecsam (AKA Wrexham) and Llandegla with a sign saying it is the highest in Wales.


wonder what the good folk of Llangurig in Mid-Wales have to say about that claim?


They didn't say much when i cycled through the place a couple of days ago :lol:
workhard

Post by workhard »

vernon wrote:
workhard wrote:
thirdcrank wrote:There is a village in N Wales on the A 525 bteween Wrecsam (AKA Wrexham) and Llandegla with a sign saying it is the highest in Wales.


wonder what the good folk of Llangurig in Mid-Wales have to say about that claim?


They didn't say much when i cycled through the place a couple of days ago :lol:


You didn't go in the Blue Bell then! :wink:
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patricktaylor
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Post by patricktaylor »

There's a superb 'high' road between Yspytty-Ifan and Ffestiniog in North Wales. At one end used to be the highest filling station in Wales (I think, or perhaps even the UK).
glueman
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Post by glueman »

It would be interesting to know what the highest public road was from a low elevation start, i.e. the longest climb.
You could also look at the longest road with consistently steep gradients - none of yer short blasts if 1 in 3, but lengthy steep ascents. The lowest route would be good too, probably some sub-sea level ride near The Wash.
vernon
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Post by vernon »

glueman wrote:It would be interesting to know what the highest public road was from a low elevation start, i.e. the longest climb.
You could also look at the longest road with consistently steep gradients - none of yer short blasts if 1 in 3, but lengthy steep ascents. The lowest route would be good too, probably some sub-sea level ride near The Wash.


Cragg Vale is the longest continuous gradient in the UK. I must get around to pedalling up it at some stage as it's local to me.
Tommo
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Post by Tommo »

Is Cragg Vale the one from Hebden Bridge? If so I cycled down that after coming up onto Soyland moor from Littleborough on my LEJOGLE last year. I heard that we were either going up or down the longest continuous ascent. I didn't pay much attention to which was which, but I suppose the ascent would probably have been steeper than the descent which, very handily, did seem to go on for some time.

When we started in Littleborough in the morning it was bright sunshine and a bit sweaty going up the hill. When we arrived at the top and turned off towards Hebden Bridge we could barely see for fog!
thirdcrank
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Post by thirdcrank »

Tommo

It's the B6138 between the A62 and Mytholmroyd - starts just near the reservoir.

vernon wrote:Cragg Vale is the longest continuous gradient in the UK. I must get around to pedalling up it at some stage as it's local to me.


I seem to remember some time since a discussion on here about how estate agents stretched desirable areas and somebody, possibly you or daveg mentioned Meanwood. Now, including Mytholmroyd... :wink:

It's certainly a cracker to ride down and I for one have never been daft enough to consider riding up. For anybody unfamiliar with it, it's quite sharp towards the bottom but not one in nothing stuff, and the rest would seem never-ending if you were riding up.

Incidentally, for anybody riding the West Yorkshire Cycle route clockwise, this road in the downhill direction would save a lot of time as the official route never does more than 50 yards without a corner at this point.
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patricktaylor
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Post by patricktaylor »

vernon wrote:
glueman wrote:Cragg Vale is the longest continuous gradient in the UK. I must get around to pedalling up it at some stage as it's local to me.

Quite local to me too. Where does the 'longest continuous gradient' actually begin? Is the starting point (the bottom) on this map?

Image
thirdcrank
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Post by thirdcrank »

The gradient runs from the A 58 at the bottom of the map to Mytholmroyd and more or less gets steeper all the way. Obviously, it's flat alongside the reservoir (or all the water would run out) and there may then be the tiniest uphill (I cannot remember) but after that it's downhill all the way as they say.

Another eral advantage for fast descending is that there are no real side junctions till you get well towards the bottom, as you can see from your map.
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patricktaylor
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Post by patricktaylor »

According to my Ordnance Survey map, Mytholmroyd is at 93 metres altitude and Blackstone Edge reservoir is at 387 metres altitude, a climb of 294 metres, or 965 feet. Doesn't seem much to me. As an example, the summit of Winter Hill is at 456 metres altitude and Horwich (where I live) is at 110 metres altitude, a continuous climb of 346 metres, or 1135 feet (there's a road all the way up). So the climb from Horwich to the top of Winter Hill (I do this every day) is 170 feet more than the so-called "longest continuous gradient in the UK".

There must be longer continuous gradients than this. Kirkstone Pass, for example.
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Dean
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Post by Dean »

patricktaylor wrote:According to my Ordnance Survey map, Mytholmroyd is at 93 metres altitude and Blackstone Edge reservoir is at 387 metres altitude, a climb of 294 metres, or 965 feet. Doesn't seem much to me. As an example, the summit of Winter Hill is at 456 metres altitude and Horwich (where I live) is at 110 metres altitude, a continuous climb of 346 metres, or 1135 feet (there's a road all the way up). So the climb from Horwich to the top of Winter Hill (I do this every day) is 170 feet more than the so-called "longest continuous gradient in the UK".

There must be longer continuous gradients than this. Kirkstone Pass, for example.


Cragg Vale is the longest continuous climb, i.e. you're going uphill for 4 miles. Other climbs are shorter, or you have a break halfway up. Oh, and I think the sign says it's the longest continuous climb in England, not necessarily the UK.
thirdcrank
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Post by thirdcrank »

I hope vernon or somebody else will be able to provide a source for his entry.

In the meantime, what seemed a simple competition now divides into two separate categories:

1/ Longest continuous incline, by which I understand 'the furthest distance travelled with unbroken climbing (or descending, of course) irrespective of height difference.' Now, this is likely to be a big climb but might easily not have the greatest height difference top to bottom. Which takes us to the next category

2/ Greatest continuous incline, by which I understand 'the greatest height ascended/ descended on an unbroken incline, irrespective of distance travelled.'
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Dean
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Post by Dean »

thirdcrank
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Post by thirdcrank »

Now I've never seen that. I've always had the good sense to go down rather than up and I haven't got eyes in my saddle interface. :wink:

The sign does look new so if there is also one at the top, it is a while since I was by that way.
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patricktaylor
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Post by patricktaylor »

thirdcrank wrote:... two separate categories...

Yes, and the crucial aspect of either is not even one stretch that goes downwards (for a climb) or upwards (for a descent). In other words, strictly continuous.
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