Ireland's steepest hill

72hundred

oobydooby wrote: »

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&geocode=FfKIKQMdfUag_w%3BFbBzKQMd0kWg_w&mra=ls&sll=53.103825,-6.23062&sspn=0.185919,0.53009&ie=UTF8&ll=53.066698,-6.289501&spn=0.02326,0.066261&t=h&z=14

You know you're in trouble when the webpage comes up as "Unknown Road to Unknown Road"!!!

blorg

oobydooby wrote: »

Here's one I recently had to dismount to get up. I didn't know the road and had slowed almost to a stop at the base of it. I reckon I could power up it but I haven't returned since. It's just around the corner from Lough Dan bringing you from Sally gap into Laragh without going by Glenmacneas.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&geocode=FfKIKQMdfUag_w%3BFbBzKQMd0kWg_w&mra=ls&sll=53.103825,-6.23062&sspn=0.185919,0.53009&ie=UTF8&ll=53.066698,-6.289501&spn=0.02326,0.066261&t=h&z=14

That's the one with "slow, slow, slower" painted on the descent, right? It's steep all right but not too bad if you know it's coming- not in the same league as Old Long Hill or Kippure certainly. TBH it is long enough that I don't know "powering up" is the best strategy- I make it 218m to 290m (+73m) over almost 1km exactly. 7.4% average but it certainly goes well above 10% in places. (The road up to Lough Dan there has a few steep bits in it too, although it is not quite as long.)

ryan_sherlock

I like a bit of the hill climbs so I'll throw in my 2c.

The Devils Elbow is a good one, super short but steep twisty climbing.

If you include offroading, from the base of Djouce Forest Park to the top of Djouce is pretty tough - a good 40 minute climb. Or for the extreme lot, bone shaker from the Gala Shop to the tip top. (Niall Davis in 18-19 minutes?)

On the road though, nothing beats the Mamore Gap - it held the National Hill Climb champs this year and to add to it all, there was a huge headwind and it was raining I wrote a report about my experience here.

A hill I climb a lot is from the bottom bridge to the middle bridge on the way up to Cruagh (Edmondstown Road). My best time somewhere around 3:50 - it's not particularly steep or hard, I just like it because the road surface is okay and it's a steady 8%.

Chips Lovell

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

A hill I climb a lot is from the bottom bridge to the middle bridge on the way up to Cruagh (Edmondstown Road). My best time somewhere around 3:50 - it's not particularly steep or hard, I just like it because the road surface is okay and it's a steady 8%.

+1 I like that one a lot. Nice testing one and isn't too far from town either.

bcmf

Going from Ardcath to Bellewstown.Very short and very steep.Will get measurements later and put them up.Prob not the steepest but I reckon it will come in at a savage gradient.

LDB

On the road though, nothing beats the Mamore Gap - it held the National Hill Climb champs this year and to add to it all, there was a huge headwind and it was raining I wrote a report about my experience here.

Ryan - would be interested to see the route. could you send it on google maps or something? looks like fun in a painful kinda way! Cool pic of you going up.

RobFowl

bcmf wrote: »

Going from Ardcath to Bellewstown.Very short and very steep.Will get measurements later and put them up.Prob not the steepest but I reckon it will come in at a savage gradient.

This is the one i've come closest to walking on in the past few years. Starts off not too bad but savage near the top !

idlebones

The Sight of Mark Cavendish, fresh from winning four stages of the tour de france this year, turn his bike around and quiting the race at the foot of St Patricks hill in Cork this year in the Tour of Ireland gives that hill my vote. Ok, so he's a sprinter, but he did manage the Alp D'heuz in July!

blorg

The Alpe d'Huez is a piece of piss, I did it 6am in the morning before breakfast last Tuesday St. Patrick's Hill 4 times is quite a different matter.

ryan_sherlock

LDB - a have it on google maps here.

bcmf

RobFowl wrote: »

This is the one i've come closest to walking on in the past few years. Starts off not too bad but savage near the top !

OK someone with a better understanding of Maths might be able to work out the grad for this.
I got the height from my sGarmin sat nav and the distance from my car.

In total the Hill is 1.3miles long.At the bottom I got a reading of 61mtrs (ie 61mtrs above sea level) and at the top 150mtrs
BUT
from O miles to 0.6 miles it goes from 61mtrs to 92mtrs
AND
from 0.6 miles to 1.3 miles it goes from 92mtrs to 150mtrs

Lumen

bcmf wrote: »

from O miles to 0.6 miles it goes from 61mtrs to 92mtrs

3.2% grade.

bcmf wrote: »

from 0.6 miles to 1.3 miles it goes from 92mtrs to 150mtrs

5.15% grade.

"The climb up Alpe d'Huez is 13.8 km at an average gradient of 7.9%"

LDB

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

LDB - a have it on google maps here.

Thanks for that.

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

3.2% grade. ... 5.15% grade. ... "The climb up Alpe d'Huez is 13.8 km at an average gradient of 7.9%"

I still maintain it is a piece of piss, did it before breakfast last Tuesday on one cereal bar, remained aerobic all the way Racing it would of course be a different matter. On a slightly more serious note though, there are climbs in Ireland that while short are a hell of a lot steeper than the sort of thing they put in the tour.

penfold83

I've been around Cork a bit in the recent past and while St. Patrick's Hill is most certainly steep, there is a hill in Cobh which is definitely steeper. I know it as Library Hill, it leads away from the very centre of the town up towards the cathedral direction. Not sure if it's the same one mentioned earlier as The Deck of Cards?

It's cobbled as well.....!

snack_ie

Where is the Devil's Elbow?

Is that the short sharp one - which say you go up and over the fairybeds and then down through Glencree, past Cloon forest and before you reach Enniskerry you swing a left that heads over to Johny Foxes pub?
Cause there is a real pincher there which switches back on itself too? Not sure what its called? Is this the Devils Elbow?

blorg

snack_ie wrote: »

Where is the Devil's Elbow?

Is that the short sharp one - which say you go up and over the fairybeds and then down through Glencree, past Cloon forest and before you reach Enniskerry you swing a left that heads over to Johny Foxes pub?
Cause there is a real pincher there which switches back on itself too? Not sure what its called? Is this the Devils Elbow?

Yes, that's the one AFAIK.

Zorba

bcmf wrote: »

Going from Ardcath to Bellewstown.Very short and very steep.Will get measurements later and put them up.Prob not the steepest but I reckon it will come in at a savage gradient.

Which hill is it ? There's lots of steep hill around that area, is it the carns your on about maybe ?

there's also the hill from the duleek to julianstown road up to bellewstown (brings u up into the middle of the racecourse) which is an absolute bitch !

bcmf

Zorba wrote: »

Which hill is it ? There's lots of steep hill around that area, is it the carns your on about maybe ?

there's also the hill from the duleek to julianstown road up to bellewstown (brings u up into the middle of the racecourse) which is an absolute bitch !

Coming from Ardcath (away from Garristown in direction of Navan if ya know what I mean) take the 2nd Right Hand turn (1st leads to the bottom of the far side of snowtown,the hill that was mentioned by op).Then take the 1st Right Hand turn that road will lead you to the hill I am on aboutand onto the racecourse.
The hill at the pub on the corner is fairly steep as well.V short but v Steep.
Suppose when you think about it the racecourse is fairly high up so Hills everywhere.

thebouldwhacker

Paddys Hill is so steep that the first few times i tried to cycle up it the front of the bike kept lifting and I fell off backwards:o The only way I managed it was to go side to side:mad:
That hill really is the hardest hill to go up, however going down is fairly nerveracking too. I was going out with a girl who used to live at the top (fairly fit during that relationship:D) cycling down it at 6:30am on a frosty/snowy morning would wake you up quicker than pure caffine administerd intravenously:eek::eek:
Its the hill they used for the reb bull soap box race but they only started half way up cos the gradient is to severe for the last 40%...
I'd highly recommend ye all give it a go at some stage, the view from up there is pretty cool too...

wicked:D:D

Zorba

bcmf wrote: »

Coming from Ardcath (away from Garristown in direction of Navan if ya know what I mean) take the 2nd Right Hand turn (1st leads to the bottom of the far side of snowtown,the hill that was mentioned by op).Then take the 1st Right Hand turn that road will lead you to the hill I am on aboutand onto the racecourse.
The hill at the pub on the corner is fairly steep as well.V short but v Steep.
Suppose when you think about it the racecourse is fairly high up so Hills everywhere.

So it's the hill the leads directly onto the racecourse ?

bcmf

Zorba wrote: »

So it's the hill the leads directly onto the racecourse ?

Yeah.
In reverse.......Racecourse on your RIGHT HAND side both pubs on your left hand side go straight to the bottom then turn around.

1 NOTE OF CAUTION:There seems to be a large amount of big motherf***er trucks that use that hill must be a qaurry or or something very close by.Going down watch for patches of mud and of passing trucks.Some will slow down others dont give a toss

snubbleste

There is a very steep hill on Inis Meáin between Baile an Mhuir and Baile an Lisin, so steep that you must lean forward when walking up it at the risk of falling backwards, never mind cycle.

Zorba

bcmf wrote: »

Yeah.
In reverse.......Racecourse on your RIGHT HAND side both pubs on your left hand side go straight to the bottom then turn around.

1 NOTE OF CAUTION:There seems to be a large amount of big motherf***er trucks that use that hill must be a qaurry or or something very close by.Going down watch for patches of mud and of passing trucks.Some will slow down others dont give a toss

Ah yeah that's the Carns hill or something it's called, at the top of that if u take a left there's another good hill but that's where the quarry is hence all them dirty trucks. When u get to the racecourse, it's on your left pubs on your right take a left at the crossroads and go down the hill then turn around, that bastard makes the carns hill seem easy !

bcmf

I am beginning to think thatmaybe I got me numbers ie alt wrong cause it seems a bit too steep for a 5%!!!!! Zorba you been up it? Do ya think its a 5%?

Zorba

bcmf wrote: »

I am beginning to think thatmaybe I got me numbers ie alt wrong cause it seems a bit too steep for a 5%!!!!! Zorba you been up it? Do ya think its a 5%?

It's more than 10 % for sure, i'm no expert but it's at least 10 %

Wishbone Ash

There is a street in the Waterside area of Derry City which must be in the top 10. I don't know it's name and I don't cycle but in a car it's 1st gear with the foot to the floor to maintain a steady fairly slow pace!

blorg

OK, well I was down in Cork this weekend and so I gave St Patrick's Hill a go on my fixie, 46-17 gearing. It was damn tough, took until the second attempt to get up in one go without unclipping.

The marked bit on the attached elevation chart is from MacCurtain Street (start of the one-way section) up to the top. Average gradient was 14%, max 28.7%.



Was it more difficult than Alpe d'Huez? In a way, yes, unquestionably. It is surprisingly short and would have been easier with gears though.

Caroline_ie

blorg wrote: »

OK, well I was down in Cork this weekend and so I gave St Patrick's Hill a go on my fixie, 46-17 gearing. It was damn tough, took until the second attempt to get up in one go without unclipping.

Was it more difficult than Alpe d'Huez? In a way, yes, unquestionably. It is surprisingly short and would have been easier with gears though.

I am sure the spiritual power of the 'Lance ball(s)' helped you ...

blorg

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I am sure the spiritual power of the 'Lance ball(s)' helped you ...

It did indeed, note I had the correct number of Lance ball this time