Thursday 27 December 2012

A Few Oddities

There have been a couple of climbs in the book so far that have really stood out for their incongreguity among magnificent beasts such as Hardknott and the Rosedale Chimney - small affairs that must have had personal attachment to the author. The following two climbs tick that particular box and aren't going to get a huge write-up here...

Perhaps notable for the delay in the report to this ride, waaaaay back in early November Andy and I headed up to the Chilterns to check out the riding in Jeremy Clarkson-land. The UK had had a week of filthy weather in the run up to the weekend, so although the sun was shining the roads were covered in all of the wash from the fields and not exactly the ideal territory for two road bikes without mudguards. Even so, there was time to get in a good 50-odd mile loop in, including Dover's Hill, before chowing down a healthy quantity of pub grub.

The hill itself is nothing to write home about (hence the blog and not a letter). Steep-ish in places, and not particularly long I'd say that the 5/10 is overstepping the mark - but each to their own...





There was something of a delay in bagging climbs after that - Christmas parties, work and various things got in the way. So in the process of driving home for Christmas ("all together now...") we took a slight detour from the A1 to ride the easiest climb in the book: the 1/10 Terrace Hill. Sadly we arrived after dark, and didn't fancy hanging around in the rain so the pictures aren't that great. On the plus side, we did get three Melton Mowbray pork pies to go home with so it's swings and roundabouts.

Stunning view at the top of Terrace Hill
Equally stunning self-portait


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