What are the best UK routes that include some good climbs?

[Jleconcorde]

My New Year's resolution has been to pack my road bike in my car and discover the best climbs around. I live in Peterborough and hate having to cycle the same routes each time. Added to that, there are the Fens, where its just long, flat and straight open roads where the scenery never changes! Having done Box Hill and up around Snowdon, I have discovered an enjoyment of ascending these climbs and want to discover more!

Ideally, they'd be within an hour of Peterborough so I can just get in the car and go, but ones further afield would also be welcome! Please let me know your favourites!

[pete75]

Peak district - is probably the closest area to Peterborough with a lot of big long hills but a couple of hours drive away. The area SW of Grantham around Belvoir Castle and towards Melton, has a lot of steep but fairly short climbs -just look at the contours on an OS map. It's quite easy to plot a route averaging a thousand feet of climbing every 10 miles. If you go north of Grantham and plot a route which takes you up and down the Lincoln Cliff you'll do a fair bit of climbing.

[PH]

If you want someone to have planned good hilly routes for you, you'll get that, plus some good company and the best cafe stops by entering some AAA Audax events. None that near Peterborough, but well worth travelling a bit further for
http://www.aukweb.net/events/?From=15%2 ... n=midlands

[AJ101]

if you ever get a mtb then the south downs way is an amazing 2 or 3 day ride.

[Bicycler]

If you're after a project you could work your way through these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Greatest-Cy ... 0711231206
There's a sequel too http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-100-Gre ... 1N70DJQRQA
Obviously quite a few would be some distance from Peterborough though.

You're a bit out of my area but If you fancy a trip up to the Pennines, Bowland or Lake District I could give a good few suggestions for routes. We have lots of them there hills

[SimonCelsa]

This may be just a little over an hours drive from Peterboro but if ever in the Highlands try the circuit around Loch Ness, from Inverness to Fort Augustus on the A82, up a nice steady climb to Whitebridge & then back to Inverness via Foyers & Dores on the B862. All in around 100Km & a very worthwhile ride. Best do the A82 section early in the morning as it is not a very nice road when busy. I started from Inverness at 01:30 on a clear moonlit night & it was a fantastic experience.

Plenty more nice hilly rides in the area, all the best, Simon

[tim-b]

Hi
Borrow a copy of Great British Bike Rides by Dave Barter; he has a route in there that you could start from near to the A47/A43 junction called "Rutland and the lake". It's not massively hilly (4000' ascended) and there are some short, sharp climbs e.g. from Eyebrook Res up to Stoke Dry. He rates two climbs as difficult and several more moderate
It's a nice few hours, three reservoirs and plenty of tea rooms
There are plenty that are more challenging in the same book
Regards
tim-b

[Richard Fairhurst]

Beat me to it - I was going to suggest south Rutland. Ok, it's hardly the Lake District, but it's a whole bunch hillier than you think, and it's very rideable from Peterborough. What minimal hill-climbing ability I have can be attributed to growing up at the foot of Brooke Hill in Oakham!

[Mick F]

If you fancy a weekend away, come down to Cornwall.
There's an excellent set of hills all the way down the north coast from Bude to Land's End via Crankington Haven, Boscastle. Tintagel, Polzeath, (cross the ferry into Padstow), Newquay, Perranporth, St Agnes, Portreath, Hayle, St Ives, Zenor, Pendeen, and St Just.

Some absolute pigs of hills to get your teeth into, and the scenery is fantastic!

[Geoff.D]

Come over to the northern Cotswolds and start a ride from there. For example Avon Dassett - Edgehill - Moreton in Marsh - Chipping Campden - Broadway Tower and then back via Stow -Chipping Norton - Hook Norton -Warmington.

Plenty of climbing, good views from the ridges, cafe stops, avoidance of main roads, facility to adapt according to how you feel.

[Bigdummysteve]

If you fancy a weekend away, come down to Cornwall.
There's an excellent set of hills all the way down the north coast from Bude to Land's End via Crankington Haven, Boscastle. Tintagel, Polzeath, (cross the ferry into Padstow), Newquay, Perranporth, St Agnes, Portreath, Hayle, St Ives, Zenor, Pendeen, and St Just.

Some absolute pigs of hills to get your teeth into, and the scenery is fantastic!

Yes 'excellent hills in Cornwall,they have nearly broken many end to Enders. You are feeling invincible, after all you've beaten all this country has to throw at you,hills,wind,rain,midges and Preston. You are a cycling GOD! Cornwall brings you back down to earth with a soul destroying, seemingly never ending series of hills, it's the only place I've cursed downhills

Aside from Cornwall you could head across to the Cotswolds, there are some good climbs around there but defiantly follow Mick F's advise if it's Self-flagellation your after.

Ps on a lighter bike Cornwall is very very nice and probably a good ride when you can draw enough breath to focus.

[Bigdummysteve]

Come over to the northern Cotswolds and start a ride from there. For example Avon Dassett - Edgehill - Moreton in Marsh - Chipping Campden - Broadway Tower and then back via Stow -Chipping Norton - Hook Norton -Warmington.

Plenty of climbing, good views from the ridges, cafe stops, avoidance of main roads, facility to adapt according to how you feel.

That's a fair set of hills there, edgehill is a local ,favourite'

[TrevA]

The area SW of Grantham around Belvoir Castle and towards Melton, has a lot of steep but fairly short climbs -just look at the contours on an OS map. It's quite easy to plot a route averaging a thousand feet of climbing every 10 miles. If you go north of Grantham and plot a route which takes you up and down the Lincoln Cliff you'll do a fair bit of climbing.

+1.

The Belvoir ridge which goes SW from Grantham has plenty of short, steep hills and a few longer climbs too. The area to the south of the ridge is quite rolling, all the way down to Rutland Water and beyond. The are quite a few short, sharp hills to the west of Melton Mowbray.

If you want longer climbs, head up to the northern Peak District. Plenty around the Castleton, Buxton, Glossop area, including Winnats Pass, Cat and Fiddle, Axe Edge, Snake Pass, Woodhead Pass and Holme Moss.

Probably the ultimate hard route is the Fred Whitton Challenge route in the Lake District. this includes 12 big climbs that are both long and steep, inclding the Hardknott Pass, Wrynose and the Kirkstone Pass.

You could also consider north Wales - the area around Bala and up towards Snowdonia. Also, the Brecon Beacons in south Wales.

[pwa]

Go up the M1 to North Yorkshire for a weekend and explore the many routes around the Dales. Somewhere like Reith would make a good base, and you would have access to both steady climbs and lung busters, with lovely pubs and cafes for food. If you pick your routes carefully you won't have much traffic.

[Ben@Forest]

If you're after a project you could work your way through these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Greatest-Cy ... 0711231206
There's a sequel too http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-100-Gre ... 1N70DJQRQA

I started this in Jan 2013 (got the second book in April 2014). So far I've knocked off 24 of the first 100 and 12 of the second. I'm not in any way trying to do it quickly(!) but it's a good challenge and so far I have only made one specific trip by car to knock off hills a long way from home. Others I have done getting there by train, or if I was going to that location for work or on holiday so took the bike too. So far the furthest I've ridden to knock off a single hill is 104 miles.