Ireland's steepest hill

mcgratheoin

g0g wrote: »

Thinking of taking a day off sometime soon for a spin and would love to get up to the mast on Mt Leinster. I did an event down there a couple of years ago that climbed the lower slopes there a couple of times (from different sides), but never to the mast. I'd love to do the "full" climb including both the lower segment and mast section. Which side is the best/toughest to give it a go from? Can anyone recommend a place to park (very!) nearby as I couldn't be arsed (and I completely lack the fitness!) cycling down there and back! I think there's parking at the bottom of the mast ascent, but I'd like to do the full thing! Thanks

It depends on what you're looking for really. Both Borris and Bunclody are within 10m of each other in terms of altitude so if you park in either town then you'll have the same overall altitude gain. From Borris the first 5 or 6 k to Killedmond is fairly flat and then it starts climbing relentlessly for about 8km with no let up. It's about 14k in all to the top. From Bunclody it's much more gradual to the base of the mast road, there's a 3k climb out of Bunclody, then about another 3 k of flat/rolling roads where there's no overall altitude gain. From there it's ramps/false flats to the car park before the real pain starts. Personally i think the relentless nature of the Borris side makes it tougher than coming from Bunclody. Why not do both and tell us?

g0g

mcgratheoin wrote: »

Why not do both and tell us?

Thanks for the detail - exactly what I was looking for! Google Maps suggests the roundtrip would be 56km and nearly 1,600m of climbing so I suspect I'll pass! :pac: Hopefully I'll make it up from one side anyway and get weather like today!

Am I right in saying there are less possibilities for wrong turns from the Bunclody side? I'm pretty sure I'd recognise the climb once that starts, but getting there might be the challenge!

VR46

g0g wrote: »

Yeah it's a good tough hill, but I found last year that there's another one on the road slightly North of that which is equally tough too. From memory my last time up Slaughter Hill the surface wasn't great - don't think it would be the most enjoyable descent.

Many nasty climbs out that way all with brutal surfaces.

Red Lane - I wouldn't descend that unless you have a death wish
Altidore - 12% for the last km
Kilmurry - 2km 10%

And here's The Wall with the top of Djouce hill added on

TheBlaaMan

g0g wrote: »

Thanks for the detail - exactly what I was looking for! Google Maps suggests the roundtrip would be 56km and nearly 1,600m of climbing so I suspect I'll pass! :pac: Hopefully I'll make it up from one side anyway and get weather like today!

Am I right in saying there are less possibilities for wrong turns from the Bunclody side? I'm pretty sure I'd recognise the climb once that starts, but getting there might be the challenge!

Once you get the right road leaving Bunclody, you can't really go wrong you have a left turn about halfway to Nine Stones but you'll see where you have to go. Climbing from Borris to the mast is a tougher climb, but either way, the bit from Nine Stones to the mast is really tough - and I've only done it by motorbike! You will struggle to keep your front wheel on the ground at times especially in the two turns about 1km in. A great achievement when you make it...... I doubt there is a tougher climb in Ireland when you take in the initial climb from Borris, but there's is a list somewhere on here which proves it is statistically so.....

Sinbad_NI

Not sure if this is on yet or not.

Climb from up the side of the mountain at Kilbroney Forest in Rostrevor Co. Down. Up to the car park / picnic area.
Road is 1 way for the first part which makes it easier when you're pushing!!

https://www.strava.com/segments/4929098

dastardly00

Sinbad_NI wrote: »

Not sure if this is on yet or not.

Climb from up the side of the mountain at Kilbroney Forest in Rostrevor Co. Down. Up to the car park / picnic area.
Road is 1 way for the first part which makes it easier when you're pushing!!

https://www.strava.com/segments/4929098

What's with the enormously high average speeds up the climb??

mcgratheoin

dastardly00 wrote: »

What's with the enormously high average speeds up the climb??

It's a mountain bike park with an uplift service. They're not legit KOM times.

Mehaffey1

Sinbad_NI wrote: »

Not sure if this is on yet or not.

Climb from up the side of the mountain at Kilbroney Forest in Rostrevor Co. Down. Up to the car park / picnic area.
Road is 1 way for the first part which makes it easier when you're pushing!!

https://www.strava.com/segments/4929098

Did this one day after deciding to try and get back on the bike. Cycled to it alone from Portadown and only had to walk the last 75m, took along time getting home!

magicbastarder

mcgratheoin wrote: »

It's a mountain bike park with an uplift service. They're not legit KOM times.

odd that the lift matches the path? you wouldn't expect that the lift would have that hard kink in it. plus, the times don't show consistency, which you'd expect from a lift.

mcgratheoin

magicbastarder wrote: »

odd that the lift matches the path? you wouldn't expect that the lift would have that hard kink in it. plus, the times don't show consistency, which you'd expect from a lift.

Uplift service doesn't mean "lift" in Ireland - it means a van/truck/tractor with a trailer for the bikes that takes people up the road.

Sinbad_NI

Mehaffey1 wrote: »

Did this one day after deciding to try and get back on the bike. Cycled to it alone from Portadown and only had to walk the last 75m, took along time getting home!

Fair play. Good work.

Mehaffey1

Sinbad_NI wrote: »

Fair play. Good work.

Wasn't in a good shape on the Newry Canal towpath that's for sure.

Going to visit Dunedin in New Zealand which allegedly has the steepest street in the world, will try and get a good picture.

g0g

Did we ever figure out how this one ranks? Gave it a go this morning and it nearly broke me!

seve65

Scrappy600 wrote: »

http://www.strava.com/segments/652156

It's a very short segment at 2.5k and it only hits 33% once very very briefly but it's like cycling up a wall in places. Segment average shows only 6% average but the opening section is fairly flat and that affects it. The climbing in the last two thirds is all 12-18 or so. I can't get up without stopping. Just run out of gears legs and lungs. New carbon bike arrives in a few weeks and I'll be attacking it again!

19th

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ElqKjY8GMgqLqbtfFJYW0lnKTf3_LgZ5r0zxwAm6wS0/edit#gid=0

Carawaystick

Sinbad_NI wrote: »

Not sure if this is on yet or not.

Climb from up the side of the mountain at Kilbroney Forest in Rostrevor Co. Down. Up to the car park / picnic area.
Road is 1 way for the first part which makes it easier when you're pushing!!

https://www.strava.com/segments/4929098

125m ascent in 0.6 km :eek:

CogSinister

Anybody done this recently? Yesterday I got as far as the hairpins near the top but the corners are just rubble and gravel, very little tarmac, not possible on a road bike. The rain the day before was Biblical so maybe a fair bit was washed away.

ADW1

A few short steep hills down in West Cork
Strava segments (unable to post links)

Wall of Trag 0.4km 17% Average

Unexpected Climb 0.5km 13% Average (over 30% in places)

terrydel

quietobserver wrote: »

Mamore Gap in Donegal hill, steep whatever its a killer

Near Carran in Co. Clare near cassidys pub (near the dolmen in all the burren photos) theres a hill 21% grass up the middle and straight run up it. Tis not easy

Is that on the way to Slieve League cliffs?
Was in Donegal for a week recently and got out for the one cycle, went over from Ardara in the direction of the cliffs and thru some gap there, which is savage!

cython

terrydel wrote: »

Is that on the way to Slieve League cliffs?
Was in Donegal for a week recently and got out for the one cycle, went over from Ardara in the direction of the cliffs and thru some gap there, which is savage!

Nope, Mamore Gap is away north of Buncrana. To put it in perspective, my OH is from Ardara and when she was at home and wanted to give Mamore a go (training for the RAI this year and she expected to have to tackle it for the team) she had to drive over an hour to either Burnfoot out Buncrana to get within reasonable cycling distance of it!

Wishbone Ash

terrydel wrote: »

Is that on the way to Slieve League cliffs?
Was in Donegal for a week recently and got out for the one cycle, went over from Ardara in the direction of the cliffs and thru some gap there, which is savage!

cython wrote: »

Nope, Mamore Gap is away north of Buncrana. To put it in perspective, my OH is from Ardara and when she was at home and wanted to give Mamore a go (training for the RAI this year and she expected to have to tackle it for the team) she had to drive over an hour to either Burnfoot out Buncrana to get within reasonable cycling distance of it!

terrydel - I'd say you went through Glengesh Pass which is near Ardara.

The Gap of Mamore is on the other side of the county - near the village of Clonmany on the Innisowen peninsula.

seve65

seve65 wrote: »

19th

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ElqKjY8GMgqLqbtfFJYW0lnKTf3_LgZ5r0zxwAm6wS0/edit#gid=0

How is the difficulty calculated?

3 rock is rated more difficult than Kippure for instance which to me seems wrong.

Brian?

ronoc wrote: »

How is the difficulty calculated?

3 rock is rated more difficult than Kippure for instance which to me seems wrong.

Length x average gradient I think.

gambeta_fc

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

terrydel - I'd say you went through Glengesh Pass which is near Ardara.

The Gap of Mamore is on the other side of the county - near the village of Clonmany on the Innisowen peninsula.

Yeah, definitely sounds like Glengesh. It's a good climb but Mamore is a different ball game!

How is the difficulty calculated?

Must have a look into this myself too, did Torr Head in Antrim at the weekend and would be interested to know where it would sit in the list.

OleRodrigo

gambeta_fc wrote: »

Yeah, definitely sounds like Glengesh. It's a good climb but Mamore is a different ball game!

Must have a look into this myself too, did Torr Head in Antrim at the weekend and would be interested to know where it would sit in the list.

I thought Cooks Hill on the Inishowen was similar but tougher than Torr Head, if only because it seemed to go on for longer, or because it is surrounded by lots of steep ramps.

gambeta_fc

OleRodrigo wrote: »

I thought Cooks Hill on the Inishowen was similar but tougher than Torr Head, if only because it seemed to go on for longer, or because it is surrounded by lots of steep ramps.

I've only ever done it from the Greencastle side which I thought was fairly steady. I think it would be tougher coming from Culdaff direction, more of a rollercoaster up and down in the lead up to soften the legs. Can be a bare spot though along the coast, wind conditions can turn what's manageable one day into a lung buster when it's against you.

seve65

ronoc wrote: »

How is the difficulty calculated?

3 rock is rated more difficult than Kippure for instance which to me seems wrong.

Gradient to the power of 2.5 * the distance * an arbitrary weighting factor based on opinion/hearsay !

I could bump the weighting on Kippure to 1.2 or 1.3 but still wont get it up that high. And if you look at the average speeds up Kippure they are faster. I haven't been up Three Rock btw.

OleRodrigo

gambeta_fc wrote: »

I've only ever done it from the Greencastle side which I thought was fairly steady. I think it would be tougher coming from Culdaff direction, more of a rollercoaster up and down in the lead up to soften the legs. Can be a bare spot though along the coast, wind conditions can turn what's manageable one day into a lung buster when it's against you.

I supose theres also minor things too, like whether both of the waterbottles are full or empty ( and if you're carrying a few extra kilos ) to consider.

seve65

seve65 wrote: »

Gradient to the power of 2.5 * the distance * an arbitrary weighting factor based on opinion/hearsay !

I could bump the weighting on Kippure to 1.2 or 1.3 but still wont get it up that high. And if you look at the average speeds up Kippure they are faster. I haven't been up Three Rock btw.

My "I felt bunched scale" isn't that reliable.:)

Thud

how many of these are road bike accessible? I see Ryan Sherlock did Mt Leinster on a MTB

Wishbone Ash

Thud wrote: »

how many of these are road bike accessible? I see Ryan Sherlock did Mt Leinster on a MTB

They are all paved although surface differs from smooth to rough/grass in centre/loose gravel types.

Mount Leinster is fine on a road bike.