the toughest road climb in the uk is.......... ?

[ton]

your choices please.

[Bearbonesnorm]

It's a little back lane heading into the hills near Birds Rock.

[fatbikephil]

Applecross / Bealach na ba - 0 to 620m and back in 8 miles.

[whitestone]

The road to Llyn Cowlyd from Trefriw. Just 2km but

[ton]

Applecross / Bealach na ba - 0 to 620m and back in 8 miles.

glad that came up, i am doing it next week.

[Asposium]

Road?

[robbie]

Cairn a mount.

Glen quaich from Kenmore

[Al]

It's a little back lane heading into the hills near Birds Rock.

The 82 sustrans route up to Braich Ddu?

[slarge]

Great Dun Fell - 620m and a bitch as I found out on Sunday. Or Rosedale Chimney at 30%

[RIP]

It's a little back lane heading into the hills near Birds Rock.

The 82 sustrans route up to Braich Ddu?

Yeah I was gonna say that. Got a traumatic memory of going up there near midnight once in incredibly thick mist. At least we couldn't see it.

Kirkstone Pass is pretty nasty.

[AndyTheBikeGuy]

The road to Llyn Cowlyd from Trefriw. Just 2km but

Seconded, although Strava has it at 3km. Either way, it's on the home turf of ex hill climb champion Dan Evans so it must be good...

[redefined_cycles]

Tony... from your door and I reckon (in order of 'WTH!!') then its

1. Doghouse Lane (behind train station of Todmorden or Hebden... I forget which as the brain combines em.

2. Shibden Wall

3. Mytholm Steeps (but there's a few more like Halifax Lane nearby)

..... I'd have added (Super) Trooper Lane but I've only ever managed to walk it all the way up.

Not from your door then Asterton Bank (literally heart popping) and Rosedale Chimney...

For ref, I gave up on 100 greatest/Another 100 when I realised how scary and remote and exoensive to reach Bealach Na Baa is.

Gt Dun Fell is nasty if it's not a quite/non windy day and The Porlock is something I looked at and then rode up the Toll Rd next door instead ...

[woodsmith]

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

[Delv4]

Every single one when you are as gravitationally challenged as myself

[stevewaters]

I can't resist saying that I "Everested" Bealach Na Ba from the Applecross side - inspired by Rich Seipp's exploits on the Mam Nick climb:

https://www.strava.com/activities/313135221

I have done 68 of Simon Warren's "Top 100" UK road climbs and it's up there as one of the toughest, but it's not the steepest. The contrast between sea level and the 2,000ft col was quite something though.
They all have different characteristics so I couldn't say definitively one is the toughest. Hard Knott from the Eskdale side must be close though and the road surface is worse every time I do it. The final straight super-steep section near the top is brutal after what has already been tackled.

[fatbikephil]

Hardknott is pretty tough - not massively long but affy steep = 1/3!
The A939 and A93 are worth a mention. If you do the A93 from Perth your starting from sea level. The last bit up past the Devils elbow is a grind.... Total = 65k all uphill to the UK's highest public road at 665m.

The '939 is best done in its entirety from Deeside to Nairn. 5 distinct climbs and the Lecht road section is a monster. In fact if you did the A93 and 939 from Blairgowrie to Nairn that would be a decent days hill climbing - 165k and 2500m of climbing. Not steep hills but long ones...

[Escape Goat]

Applecross / Bealach na ba - 0 to 620m and back in 8 miles.

glad that came up, i am doing it next week.

Its not that tough, but it is thst amazing.

[ScotRoutes]

Applecross / Bealach na ba - 0 to 620m and back in 8 miles.

Is no one else going to object to the mixed measurement units then? I was trying to ignore it but it keeps getting requoted.

[The Cumbrian]

If anything's steeper than Hardknott Pass, then to be honest, I won't be going anywhere near it. I cycled over it years ago when I thought I was fit and didn't like it. I then made the mistake of going over Wrynose pass before heading home to Workington through the Lakes, when all I was good for really was riding to the coast and catching the train home.

[whitestone]

Applecross / Bealach na ba - 0 to 620m and back in 8 miles.

Is no one else going to object to the mixed measurement units then? I was trying to ignore it but it keeps getting requoted.

Yeah, should be 12.8km

[substandard]

Great dun fell wasn’t all that bad, rode up it on my loaded fatbike id ridden from lands end largely off road on last years gbduro, did it without stopping.

To be honest I found bwlch-y-groes harder as it ramps up near the top where I’d already ran out of legs!

Haven’t found anything I’d say was truely hard on the road in the uk. Contesbury hill at night, mid December at sub zero was tricky on a traction front!

All the hard climbs that have really tested me have been off road

[psling]

Haven’t found anything I’d say was truely hard on the road in the uk.

I have. Anything steeper than 1:5 is tough for me but then I'm not a grimpeur

In Bearbones land, the little lane starting out from Arthog up past Daran is a bit of an eye-popper at first

[Chew]

Haven’t found anything I’d say was truely hard on the road in the uk.

Come to Calderdale
Can show you several

[Lazarus]

Haven’t found anything I’d say was truely hard on the road in the uk.

Hardknott is hard especially at the end of a long day its certainly over 20% in places and I assume everyone finds that hard even if they can get through it/over it.

Obv nothing on the road is as hard as the worst off road stuff but I assume we are talking about things that can actually be ridden.

[fatbikephil]

I quite often find road climbs harder than as big or even bigger off road climbs for some reason. I thinks its because on an off-road climb you have the distraction of finding traction, getting round or over rocks, through boggy bits etc. whereas on a road climb its just case of pounding the pedals and suffering.....

Buttertubs pass on the YD300 springs to mind. Not as bad as Fremington edge in terms of steepness or length but felt much more horrible.