Park Rash is a very steep climb in the Yorkshire Dales – north of the village of Kettlewell towards Coverdale, it climbs over 230 meters in a short distance. At it steepest it has a couple of 25% hairpins. I’ve ridden up Park Rash quite a few times, though I have also done several rides to the foot of Park Rash and then turned back and gone home.
- Location: Kettlewell, North Yorkshire.
- Length: 2.3 km
- Height gain: 230 metres
- Max gradient: 25%
- Average gradient: 11%
- Time: 8.31 / 9.5mph
- Everesting? – 39* 4.6 km = 179 km
- 100 Greatest Cycling hills #45
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Park Rash
As you leave Kettlewell, there is a little ‘taster’ of things to come, there is a steep road which you take, turning left (Cam Gill Road).
It is around 22%; but this is not actually Park Rash, you descend back to the small stream (Cam Gill Beck).
![Park Rash](https://cyclinguphill.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/park-rash-1000-640x427.jpg)
Then you will see Park Rash looming in the distance. The start is the hardest, as you have a section of 25% gradient to negotiate. If you can take the hairpins at the widest – certainly avoid going on the inside, where it is steepest.
![Park Rash apex](https://cyclinguphill.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/apex.jpg)
![park-rash-corner-river](https://cyclinguphill.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/park-rash-corner-river.jpg)
After the first two turns, the climb diminishes in gradient. But, it is consistently around 10% for at least a kilometer.
![Park Rash](https://cyclinguphill.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/up-640x456.jpg)
As you get nearer the summit there are moments of easing gradient, which give you chance to recover a little.
Other photos of Park Rash
![park-rash-top](https://cyclinguphill.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/park-rash-top.jpg)
Stopping to take a photo on the way down.
Coverdale to Park Rash
Blogs about riding Park Rash
- Park Rash from Middleham –
- Buckden and the foot of Park Rash – mid winter ride where I turned round at the bottom
After Hardknott & Wrynose I thought this the hardest climb. In the sixties my lowest gear was 44 ring x 26, only cyclotourist had the big range of what we called ‘granny gears’
My 3-speed Pashley is the iron for this.