Buttertubs is a good testing climb from Hawes to Muker taking you between the two Yorkshire dales of Wensleydale and Swaledale. It is quite long and steep and affords great views on both the way up and down. The climb from Hawes to Buttertubs features in the first stage of the 2014 Tour de France, and is the highest point (526 metres) of the race during its sojourn in Yorkshire. It is #49 in 100 climbs (ranked 8/10) It also features in the popular Etape du Dales.
Here’s something that captures the imagination of cyclinguphill.com – the sport of ‘Everesting’.
photo Will cyclist – Col du Tourmalet
‘Everesting’ involves choosing a hill and cycling up and down it enough times to gain enough vertical height gain to make a grand total of 8,848m.
8,848m is of course the total height of Mount Everest.
For example, if you fancied ‘Everesting’ Box Hill (130m height gain). You would have to go up and and 69 times in a day. Box hill climb is 2.5 km uphill and 2.5km downhill. Therefore each loop of 5km would mean a total ride of 345 km. But, obviously it would be no ordinary 345km ride.
There is even a website which records anyone who makes the first successful ‘Everesting.cc‘ of a particular climb.
Another 100 climbs states that Great Dun Fell is the greatest climb in England’ “Our Mont Ventoux’ it has no peers, there is no comparison.” The only surprising thing is that I hadn’t heard of the climb until quite recently. But, since finding out there was a Pyrannean style climb in England, it was definitely on my list of things to do. Since I was up in Kendal for Shap Fell hill climb, I thought it would be good to combine the two.
I’ve spent many years scouring OS maps, looking for the most difficult climbs, but you could quickly scan over Great Dun Fell (on OS 91), assuming it is nothing more than a farmyard track or glorified footpath. Ironically it has a pretty good road surface all the way to the top. The top half is closed to cars, but open to bicycles. It is definitely worth a visit and is a real epic climb.
The statistics of Great Dun Fell only tell half the story:
Length – 4.5 miles
Vertical ascent – 632 m
Average gradient – 9%
Max gradient – 20%
Height at top – 2,900 ft / 835 metres
Category of climb – 2
KOM time: 25:03 – 10.2mph
100 climbs 11/10 (number 187)
Great Dun Fell from Long Marton
If you want to add an extra 100 metres on to the climb, you can start on the valley floor from Bolton and head towards Long Marton before going north to the village of Knock. This makes a 7 mile climb of 757 metres, which gives a category 1 rating. The rise from the valley is pretty steady, a nice leg loosener before the climb starts proper. The good thing about approaching from Bolton and Long Marton is that you can see the radar station looming on the horizon for quite a distance. At least you know where you are heading. The radar station dominates the skyline throughout this valley.
Knock
It would be easy to cycle past the turn up to Great Dun Fell. There are no 20% signs. Just a sign saying dead end, a sign for Knock Christian Centre, and a sign telling you to beware of red squirrels.
The song that came unconsciously into my mind as I was cycling through Knock was the old Guns and Roses classic ‘Knock, Knock, Knocking on heaven’s door‘. The village of Knock obviously. But, ‘heaven’s door?’ – well the Christian centre, and perhaps the fact you are about to head up to the heavens. (or through hell)
In comparison to Alpine climbs, Great Dun Fell is shorter, and at a maximum heigh of 835 metres, it is well below some of the Alpine giants which stretch to over 2,000m. But, what Great Dun Fell my lack in absolute height, it makes up for in unrelenting steepness. When you are already tired, you will have to get out of the saddle as you battle up slopes of 20%. There’s no way just to sit in the saddle and pedal a nice high cadence on Great Dun Fell.
Shap Fell is the first hill climb of the season. It’s seems a bit strange to be doing a hill climb, just as everyone else is gearing up for a quick blast down the fastest dual-carriegeways in the land. But, to be fair to Shap Fell, it’s not the most torturous hill climb. You don’t need to be reaching for your lowest sprocket; you can even do it on the Big Ring if you really wanted. But, it is long. 9 miles from Kendal to the top of Shap Fell averaging 3%. It needs good steady pacing, not dissimilar to a ten mile time trial.
Shap Fell from Kendal to shap
distance: 9.0 miles
height gain: 1245 ft, / 370 metres
Height altitude: 1,400 ft / 420 metres
average gradient: 3%
max gradient: 8%
Spot the hill climb specialist. Answers on a postcard. First correct answers wins a piece of carrot cake
I was keen to enter the Kent Valley RC event – partly for the first opportunity to wear the National Hill Climb Jersey, but also hoping for a tailwind to have a go at the course record, which has stood for quite a while (Gethin Butler, I believe). The wind Gods prevailed and there was a nice tailwind up the exposed Lake District slopes. Unfortunately, the gods of long term traffic works were not so compliant and resurfacing work meant we couldn’t do the full climb, but got diverted near the top – ‘down a farm lane, where there might be some hens crossing the road’.
David Murphy. 1st junior 21.17 – even more impressive was winning a 75 mile road race the day before
I had time to do a quick warm up and ride the modified course. I didn’t see any ducks crossing on the minor road, but there was a sheep wandering in a random direction as sheep are wont to do.
The modified course, would be just 7 miles, averaging 3%. It meant the hardest last section to the top of Shap Fell was missed out.
The end is nigh
Amongst the competitors, there was a good mixture of road bikes vs time trial bikes some with full disc wheel. With a tailwind forecast, I left the bongo bongo (aero) equipment at home, and took the good old fashioned road bike. Even with tailwind, there is a good case for using time trial bike, disc wheel and aerohelmet. But, I seem to have been riding TT bike since the first of Jan, I wanted to remind myself what is what like to ride a road bike. Plus after the race, I was planning to head up Great Dun Fell – and there was no way I was going to do that on a TT bike.
Smiling is only allowed on the startline during hill climbs
It was a perfect day for racing up Shap Fell, warm, tailwind and even the odd outbreak of sunshine – on a May Bank Holiday Monday to boot. I didn’t set off too fast; I assumed the times for a 7 mile hill climb would be close to a fast 10. I haven’t done the climb for a few years, and I’d forgotten the sections of flat and downhill. I spent a bit of time in an Obree tuck, trying to keep aerodynamic. But, just as you are flying along at 23mph plus, you hit a steep ramp of 5-7% and you have to get back into hill climbing mode. I caught a couple of riders and made a last big effort after turning off the A6 onto the minor road. Fortunately, the hens were all well behaved and I had a clear run for the line.
TT bike on the way down.
Results
Position
NAME
CLUB/RACING TEAM
CAT.
Time
1
Tejvan Pettinger
(Sri Chinmoy Cycling team)
17:45
2
Richard Bickley
(Border City Whs)
18:49
3
Mark Haydock
(North Lancs RC)
18:59
4
Paul Roby
(Coveryourcar.co.uk)
V40
19:03
5
Peter Greenwood
(Team Swift)
V60
19:08
6
Paul Fleming
(Preston Wheelers)
V45
19:57
7
Thomas Gibson
(Kent Valley RC)
20:04
8
David Wilkinson
(Kent Valley RC)
V55
20:20
9
Peter Thomas
(Kent Valley RC)
20:25
10
Paul Greenhalgh
(Manchester Wheelers)
V45
20:28
11
Randle Shenton
(Team Swift)
V55
20:41
12
David Trotter
(Lancaster CC)
20:44
13
John Paterson
(Classic Racing Team – SCU)
20:52
14
David Robinson
(VC Cumbria)
V50
20:53
15
Dougi Hall
(Border City Whs)
V50
20:56
16
Mark Brearton
(The Endurance Store – SCU)
V40
21:05
17
David Murphy
(Liverpool Mercury Dolan CC)
JUN
21:17
18
Philip Bradshaw
(Wigan Wheelers CC)
V45
21:22
19
William Belcher
(Clayton Velo)
V50
21:27
20
Roy Flanagan
(Rossendale RC)
V55
21:45
21
Derek Schofield
(Rossendale RC)
V60
21:46
22
Simon Jones
(Beacon Wheelers)
22:00
23
Stewart Mounsey
(Kent Valley RC)
V40
22:02
24
Stephen Gardner
(Lancaster CC)
V40
22:21
25
Elliot Dason-Barber
(Oxonian CC)
V40
22:33
26
Stuart Timmins
(North Lancs RC)
V55
22:42
27
David Pritchard
(Kennoway Road Club – SCU)
V55
22:50
28
Tim Bennett
Kent Valley Road Club
V45
23:11
29
Neil Wood
(Lancashire RC)
V45
23:38
30
Earle Logan
(Lune RCC)
23:57
31
Colin Reynolds
(Leigh Premier RC)
V40
27:14:00
32
Mike Westmorland
(Border City Wheelers)
V65
29:50:00
33
David Tinker
(Clayton Velo)
V55
30:33:00
If the revised course was 7 miles, that works out at an average speed of 23.7 mph (The Bristol South CC megahilly was an average speed of 21.9 mph)
For drama and excitement, the Ardennes classics (Amstel Gold, Fleche Wallone and Liege Bastogne Liege) couldn’t match the earlier Belgian classics, like the Tour of Flanders. For some reasons, the courses of Flèche Wallone and Liege Bastogne Liege encourage more conservative racing. Liege Bastogne Liege was also doubly disappointing if you were trying to pick out a Sky rider to support.
Still watching the peleton fragment on the Mur du Huy (during the Flèche Wallone) is a great sight; it may not last very long, but it is a great spectacle. The Mur de Huy has definitely been added to the list of climbs to do.
I am riding up the Mur du Huy-rider. Photo: flowizm
Interestingly, the profile of the Mur de Huy is surprisingly close to Pea Royd Lane – this years venue for the National Hill Climb. (Of course, the Mur du Huy is raced up after the small matter of 200km in the legs, but you know what I mean..)
The interesting thing about the Mur du Huy is that all the commentary says the trick is to time your acceleration to perfection. You have to ‘go’ at the last possible moment. The history of Fleche Wallone is full of seeing riders create a winning margin, only to slow down to a crawl as another rider comes past at the last moment. This is what makes it so compelling viewing. You never know who is going to come around the corner at the last moment.
In this article on the Mur de Huy, professional rider Marco Pinotti (69kg) says put out 440watts for the climb over 4 mins. But, says he can’t ever win there because it needs a rider who can put out a bigger wattage in a short space of time.
Mur du Huy women’s race of 2012
It’s food for thought for Pea Royd Lane because I always thought with hill climbs – you had to go as hard as possible right from the start and try and hang on.
Sky hot and cold
Team Sky always generate a lot of hubris.Overachiever, underachievers, there’s always plenty of opinions out on the world wide web. But, they have put up a reasonably showing in this seasons early classics – even if they haven’t yet landed a big victory. It was a shame strongman Ian Stannard crashed out shortly after winning an early season minor classic. Still Geraint Thomas and Stannard are both promising prospects for future. But, with the classics, good potential is not enough, you have to have the combination of luck, judgement and being in the right place at the right time. It’s also good to see Ben Swift come back to winning ways after a quite 2013.
Wiggins has blown hot and cold all through his career, but he is getting close to having one of the most comprehensive ‘all rounder palmeres’ in the history of cycling. There are not many track world and Olympic champions to also win the Tour de France; if he could grab a monument like Paris-Roubaix before he retires, it will be a palmeres that very few will ever be able to match.
Also, the resurgence of Bradley Wiggins could present Team Sky with that old chestnut of team leadership melodrama. There’s no question, that at the moment, Chris Froome will be the named team leader, and Bradley Wiggins has all but said he can’t go for another Grand tour win, but this year, stage 5 of the T de F is said to be a cobbled affair. What happens if Froome crashes or looses a couple of minutes on the cobbles? Would Wiggins (almost a cobbled specialist) wait? Or will Wiggins, perhaps suffer a communication malfunction as soon as the cobbles appear?
But, given the apparent lack of strength in depth at Sky, Froome may well need Wiggins as a super-domestic. Perhaps the TdF will be the chance for Wiggins to play the role of Gregario du Luxe. Who knows which way it will go.
Staying upright is half the battle
In other circumstances, it might be funny to see a cyclist fall off on the last corner. But, I couldn’t laugh at poor old Dan Martin – falling off in Liege Bastogne Liege with the finish line in sight. It’s just too close to the bone.
I haven’t ridden all the climbs in the UK, but it will be hard to beat Hardnott Pass for difficulty, drama and the beauty of the surroundings. I always think of Hardknott and Wrynose pass as the King and Queen hill climbs of England. In terms of overall length and height gain, it is not particularly spectacular. But, the great attraction (or should I say feature) of Hardknott is its unrelenting steepness. Sometimes 1/3 signs overrate the gradient of the actual climb. But, with Hardknott pass, the 1/3 is really merited. No matter which line you take, you can’t avoid considerable sections of 30%. This is really steep; it’s so steep you can have a strange feeling that you might fall over backwards when climbing. No matter how fit or not you are, getting up Hardknott pass gives a sense of achievement, which is hard to replicate on longer, but shallower climbs.
Hardknott pass is not particularly accessible, hidden away in the Esk valley in the West of the Lake District, but it is definitely worth a visit and climbing both sides. Originally Hardknott was a Roman fort used to keep the pesky locals at bay.
It is worth bearing in mind:
The descents are pretty tricky too – check your brake blocks before riding.
Unfortunately, the road surface was pretty shocking on the East face, when I went in 2013.
Also, it is so steep, cars and larger vehicles can really struggle (you wouldn’t believe the inappropriate vehicles people try to drive up the 30% hairpins.) Before climbing, it is worth looking around to see if there is traffic jam in front or behind you. It is best if you can climb unimpeded by traffic.
Hardknott Pass West to East (from Eskdale)
looking down hardknott towards Eskdale. The hairpins were slippy. Wheelspin can be a real problem.
Distance: 1.6 miles
Avg Grade – 12%
Lowest Elev 126ft
Highest Elev 1,159ft
Height gain 1,033ft / 290 metres
Max gradient 33%
As you leave the River Esk, there is a gentle ascent before you hit the first 20% slopes. This is just a foretaste of what is to come, but it is really hard for about 500m, before the 20% gradient eases off, giving you some time for recovery as it averages a mere 8% for a km. But, you willwant to keep your bike in a low gear as you prepare for the final section. After this relative respite, you will need to get ready for the final section of twisting 30% hairpins. It’s unbelievably tough to pull yourself around these corners. If you don’t have the right gears, you will be getting off and walking. You can help yourself a little by going wide on the corners, this slightly lowers the gradient – but not much. You will need to do a lot of pulling on your arms. It’s not just your legs that will be burning. Hopefully, you won’t get stuck behind a tractor. Cars and large vehicles can also struggle and come to an almost complete stop. You will be climbing to the smell of burning clutch. As the top approaches, the gradient mercifully eases off slightly. When you feel the gradient reducing, you know you’re going to make it – there is a great sense of relief!
Hardknott. Photo S Fleming from Fred Whitton 2009.
At the top, it’s worth stopping to have a look behind you – it’s hard to believe what you have just climbed.
A training ride over Cragg Vale, Ripponden Bank and several other climbs which seem to proliferate around the Hebden Bridge area. Some of the climbs like Oxenhope Moor, Cragg Vale and Ripponden Bank feature in the TDF stage 2. Shame they didn’t put Luddenden Moor in there.
After Friday’s Buxton MTT, my legs were still a bit tired, but it was Easter Sunday, good weather and I was keen to check out some climbs in South Yorkshire, used in the upcoming TDF stage 2. I rarely go in this area, but it is great if you’re looking for hills to cycle up. Despite frequently getting lost and not always knowing where I was going, it was a good ride.
Oxenhope moor
Over Bingley Moor, I went through Cullingworth to Oxenhope where I joined the TDF stage 2. There is a good steady climb from Oxenhope up to ‘Cock Hill’ on to the moors. At the top, it is quite high at 1,400ft, (400m) It is a fairly steady gradient, not too bad with the wind behind you. I was stopped at two sets of temporary traffic lights, as the council work furiously to get the road ready for the ‘big race’
From the top of Oxenhope moor, there is a great sweeping descent into Hebden Bridge. Not too steep, just nice and long. It will make a good climb the other way, with quite a significant height gain of over 280 metres. At Hebden Bridge, I had a vague idea to look for Mytholm Steps, but my OS map didn’t go that far. I ended up going miles past, ending up in Todmorden. I stopped to ask a kind elderly gentlemen, (he had a badge to say he was a veteran of the Normandy landings). He’d lived in Todmorden all his life, and told me I’d come 7 miles too far West. It would have been interesting to stop and talk to him more. But, I moved onto find some climbs.
Todmorden in the distance on Pexwood climb – the climb to a private house and a dead end
I saw this Pexwood lane, looking suitably interesting – winding it’s way up the edge of a moor. It was a great climb, with double switch backs – quite steep until it rather abruptly stopped at a ‘Private rood’ sign. I might have plodded on and tried my luck, but the road also deteriorated into an unmade surface. I turned around and went back to Mytholmroyd for the Cragg Vale climb.
Cragg Vale proudly claims to be the longest continual ascent in England. 968 feet of climbing in 5.5 miles. There is nothing steep, it is a classic long drag or as Magnus Backstedt would say ‘A big ring climb’ Though I didn’t use my big ring, despite an encouraging tailwind. But, it was possible to keep a nice steady speed, even at the steepest section halfway through.
Even at its steepest, it never seems to go over 7%, so you can do the whole climb seated down. It’s a good ‘easy’ taster of long Alpine climbs. You can get into a good rhythm and enjoy the scenery. Someone has put helpful km markers, telling you have long you have left. Though for some reason, who ever put these helpful markers on the road, decided the top of the climb was after -0.5 km of downhill. It did seem to kind of diminish the ‘longest continual ascent in England’ tag.
Cragg Vale half way up
The climb was very popular, I both ascended and descended Cragg Vale and saw a lot of cyclists going up and down. I’m sure the Tour de France has encouraged more to try the climb – it is definitely worth a visit for any cyclist. At the top of Cragg Vale a strong wind was blowing, which made the descent to Ripponden almost as slow as the climb.
Hill climb intervals are probably my favourite type of training. I generally do some kind of hill climb intervals from February to the end of the hill climb season in October. At this time of the year (spring), my 5 minute power is well down because I spend most of the winter focusing on endurance. Even I feel like a break from hill climb intervals in Nov, Dec and Jan. Because I’m starting from a relatively low base, it means that even a few hill climb intervals can see a big improvement in power output.
During the early part of the hill climb season, I’m getting used to riding at or above race pace. A typical session might involve:
Warm up for 15 minutes
3 * 1 minute intervals at 95% – this is about 400 watts. They are not completely ‘eyeballs out’ I like to break myself in a bit more gently.
7 * 4 – 5 minutes. To make it more interesting, I do intervals up real hills. The hill climb may last between 3 and a half minutes and 5 minutes, depending on where I’m training. I do the first one really hard, but not 100% as if I was doing a hill climb.
I’m most interested in maintaining high power towards the end of interval and towards the end of the interval session. A good indicator of form is how I go during the 6th or 7th interval. In that sense the intervals get harder as you progress towards the end because the muscles are tired and you are carrying around more lactic acid.
If my FTP is 290, I might be doing these intervals at 350 watts. – Or 20% harder than an effort during an hour’s constant time trial.
In between these intervals I ride at a recovery pace. Gently spinning to try and get rid of the lactic acid.
In a typical interval session, it might take 2 and half hours and take 50 miles.
At this time of the year, I might just do one a week. In peak hill climb training season, perhaps two. Generally, I need an easy day before and after to get the most from them. To be honest, if I really do a proper hill climb interval session, you don’t feel like doing anything other than a recovery ride the next day.
After the interval session, I recommend some stretching especially of hamstrings.
Aim of hill climb intervals
Increase climbing ability
By racing above your normal race pace, you hope to stress the muscles and heart to pull up your capacity. The main aim for time trialling is to increase your Functional Threshold power (FTP) – roughly the effort / power you can maintain for an effort of an hour. Intervals can do this
One way to train for an hour time trial is to train for an hour and see how fast you can do it. Intervals are deliberately training for a shorter time so you can ride at a level higher than what you can maintain for a long time.
Train different muscle fibres. In road races and even short distance time trials (25 miles), you will be using all three muscle fibres – slow twitch, fast twitch and super-fast twitch. Hill climb intervals are a way to train all three. You don’t get this training effect, just by riding hard for an hour.
Get used to dealing with lactic acid.
My main early season target is several hilly time trials. These interval sessions replicate hilly time trials quite well. The only difference is that I’m not racing in between hills – only when going up the hills.
Riding the hill climb intervals
Now I have a power meter I do spend a bit of time looking at the power meter to try and gauge effort and smooth over the effort during a climb. This generally involves, holding back a little at the bottom, but then making an even bigger effort towards the end of the interval to maintain the power. I think a power meter is useful in the sense it shows what you are actually putting out. I didn’t realise how easy it is for power to peter out, when the slope eases off at the top.
This is the kind of thing you only have time for when you’re lying on your back with an injury. Well, I’m not quite lying on my back, but there’s only so much internet browsing you can do, before you lose the will to live. So this is a recap of results from 2013 and a look forward to 2014.
Before the hill climb season, a few things stood out.
Buxton Mt TT 1st and getting close to Stuart Dangerfield’s course record.
Taking 9 minutes off my personal best for 50 miles. At the start of the year it was 1.49. In July I reduced it to 1.45 (up in Yorkshire). Then on the super-fast B50/6, it reduced to 1.41. (and it may have been a 1.39, but for a wrong turning)
I also set a pb for 100 miles in the national 100, up in Lake District. It was a good honest course, and 5th sounds pretty good, even if some of the fast guys were chasing faster courses down south for the BBAR.
I also enjoyed doing the National 50 down in Wales, where I finished 9th. I think this is the first year, I’ve done 3 Nationals in the same year. I hope to do more next year.
I also set a pb at 10 miles, though it was a case of shaving off a few seconds (19.02) on the superfast V718- course, at the end of the M65.
For the hill climb season, obviously winning the national title, was probably the most significant achievement in 9 years of racing. But, the season leading up to hill climb was also good fun. Setting course records on Snake Pass, Cat & Fiddle, Leith Hill, Porlock, Mow Cop, Guise Edge and finally on the Stang. 12/13 1st places was good. But, it was hill climb number 13, which was really the one that counted. I wouldn’t say it’s the national or nothing because that diminishes the open events. But, I’m glad not to end up with the title of ‘person who won the most open hill climbs, without winning national title.’
Mileage
I did a total of 10,570 miles during 2013. The biggest month was June – 1,263. The shortest distance was Feb – 412. There were 717 miles done in races.
I don’t want to calculate how many miles I did driving to races. I should just be grateful to my parents’ B&B up in Yorkshire.
Targets for 2014
The stand out target for 2014 is to retain the National hill climb title on Pea Royd Lane. I think it is possible, though perhaps a little more difficult than the Stang. Setting course records on Leith Hill (3.33) and Guise Edge (3.23) is encouraging in that I reckon the winning time in 2014 will be around that mark. I would love to have another go at Horseshoe Pass, I was 13 seconds off the course record – that would be a special one to get.
The other big target for 2014 will be to have a go (injuries permitting) at the BBAR competition. This is a long standing competition which involves getting the best time and average speed at 50 miles, 100 miles, 12 hour. I enjoyed the 50 and 100 miles this year, and am really looking forward to (finally) having a go at a 12 hour. I will also try to do the National 50, National 100 and National 25. I think it’s quite possible to improve on last year’s positions. I was definitely getting faster towards the end of the season.
Apart from that I will be doing any hilly races I can get to. Circuit of the Dales and Buxton hilly CC are top of the list. Also, I’m already salivating at the prospect of the Dursley Hardriders WTTA 28 mile time trial. According to sales pitch of organiser “Last year just three riders averaged better than 20 mph on a course including four severe climbs. Riders were typically 7-8mph slower than their pb for 25 mile times. This year the finish of the course includes a final climb up the awesome Stouts Hill! So that’s five climbs, three of which have been used as Dursley RC club hill climbs. One thing’s for sure, this CTT event will again have the “slowest” winning time of the year”
Apart from racing, I have very few goals, though I will continue to tick off any hard hill climbs in the 100 hill climb books, I have a trip to Great Dun Fell (Knock, Lake District) lined up. and I’ve even toyed with another trip down to Box Hill.
A look at hill climbs through the eyes of a photographer.
‘Hill Climb Agony’. Photo by Bernard Thompson.
The National Championship at Winnats Pass. Spectators throng the side of the road.
The Catford CC Hill Climb. The Catford CC hill climb can make a claim to be the world’ oldest cycle race. The first race was held at Westerham Hill on August 20th 1887. In those days, it was considered an achievement to get to the top without falling off. Riders rode a mixture of ‘safety bicycles’ and penny farthings – all on solid tyres. Of 24 starters, only 12 made it to the top. That’s how the sport of hill climbing began. You could say it was a lot harder in them days.
Pre – race Warming up
It’s a strange sport sometimes. Drive up the M1, to a beautiful part of the Peak District. Spend 1 hour warming up on a turbo and rollers in the carpark. Then kill yourself up a 5 minute hill. But, those five minutes can give such an exhilaration, you keep coming back for more…
On Buttertubs looking back towards Hawes. 
