Steepest hill around Dublin?

leaderfox · 16-04-2013 8:38pm #1

Hi there!
Can you tell me please what is the steepest hill around Dublin, Wicklow mountains? Maximum I've found is 15% not far from Firhouse. Where can I find steeper? Is there any?
Thank you for your answers.

Lumen · 16-04-2013 8:43pm

These are nasty.

Kilmashogue
http://app.strava.com/segments/631099

Wall
http://app.strava.com/segments/648338

Wishbone Ash · 16-04-2013 8:49pm

Right at Church in Howth (Balkill Rd?)

http://app.strava.com/segments/1782510

Knockmaroon Hill

http://app.strava.com/segments/1147927

ROK ON · 16-04-2013 9:31pm

Mods - please close this thread.
No good can come of this.

;-)

Captain Havoc · 16-04-2013 9:34pm

Lumen wrote: »

These are nasty.

Kilmashogue
http://app.strava.com/segments/631099

Wall
http://app.strava.com/segments/648338

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Right at Church in Howth (Balkill Rd?)

http://app.strava.com/segments/1782510

Knockmaroon Hill

http://app.strava.com/segments/1147927

I notice they haven't been Sherlocked yet.

route66 · 16-04-2013 10:45pm

Lumen wrote: »

These are nasty.

Kilmashogue
http://app.strava.com/segments/631099

Wall
http://app.strava.com/segments/648338

Don't bother with the Wall, you need the full wall (an extra bit at the end): link

Some other ones you have to try:

Devils Elbow: link
Laragh Climb: link
Kilgarron hill: link
Shay Elliott: link
Slieve Mann: link
Lovers Leap: link

Yes, Mods - please close this thread. It will end in pain!

MediaMan · 16-04-2013 10:50pm

Three Rock - Top Section
http://app.strava.com/segments/634443

letape · 16-04-2013 11:03pm

Slaughter Hill @ Newtownmountkennedy is a good test. 2.99km + 210 meters

(Don't have the strava link)

MediaMan · 16-04-2013 11:05pm

Somewhat further away, looks like we have a HC climb, just shy of 20% gradient, in Kerry...
http://app.strava.com/segments/634443

However the two times reported on that route are from a ForeRunner and a phone, so maybe there wasn't much cycling involved...

Craig06 · 16-04-2013 11:23pm

I forgot Knockmaroon hill was there a week back and was exhausted by the time I got to it and completely ran out of gears at the stupid steep bit.

check_six · 17-04-2013 10:59am

letape wrote: »

Slaughter Hill @ Newtownmountkennedy is a good test. 2.99km + 210 meters

(Don't have the strava link)

Can someone show me where this is on a map. I did this climb on a sportive years and years ago (nearly 20 years ago now). It was my first ever sportive, I was on a cheap steel mtb with knobbly tyres, and I'd never faced anything like this climb before.

There was a big group with me, and one by one they got off and walked, and I just kept grinding away. I was really struggling, but I told myself that I wouldn't stop till every other punter had given up. Eventually they all cracked, but I was able to manage a bit more and hit the crest of the hill without getting off the bike. I was wrecked, but delighted with myself for persevering. What really made it stick in my mind was getting a big "How's it going?" from a certain Mr. S. Roche on the descent when himself and a bunch of proper cyclists went lashing past me. I was wondering how my group had managed to make it to the hill ahead of them. Unsurprisingly, I was not able to tag onto his group on the descent!

Not long after the descent my gear grinding exploits on the hill came back and bit me as a bunch of links in my chain froze up. Luckily some motorbike guy had a chain breaker and was able to unjam the links.

I've been trying to find that blasted hill since to give it another go, to see if it was as tough as I remember.

g0g · 17-04-2013 11:14am

To add to the above....

Red Lane (behind Glenview Hotel near Kilmacanogue) - not Dublin I realise!
There's a very short hill behind Stepaside that's steep enough
The Luggala (?) climb to Sally Gap has one very steep section on it
From Bohernabreena up towards the Featherbeds there are a few good climbs, one of which is fropm the bottom of the valley and steep enough over a long stretch

g0g · 17-04-2013 11:18am

check_six wrote: »

Can someone show me where this is on a map. I did this climb on a sportive years and years ago (nearly 20 years ago now). It was my first ever sportive, I was on a cheap steel mtb with knobbly tyres, and I'd never faced anything like this climb before.

There was a big group with me, and one by one they got off and walked, and I just kept grinding away. I was really struggling, but I told myself that I wouldn't stop till every other punter had given up. Eventually they all cracked, but I was able to manage a bit more and hit the crest of the hill without getting off the bike. I was wrecked, but delighted with myself for persevering. What really made it stick in my mind was getting a big "How's it going?" from a certain Mr. S. Roche on the descent when himself and a bunch of proper cyclists went lashing past me. I was wondering how my group had managed to make it to the hill ahead of them. Unsurprisingly, I was not able to tag onto his group on the descent!

Not long after the descent my gear grinding exploits on the hill came back and bit me as a bunch of links in my chain froze up. Luckily some motorbike guy had a chain breaker and was able to unjam the links.

I've been trying to find that blasted hill since to give it another go, to see if it was as tough as I remember.

Here you go!

daragh_ · 17-04-2013 11:27am

Last bit at the top of Kippure. Not that steep but hard if you came all the way up from Powerscourt.

check_six · 17-04-2013 11:46am

g0g wrote: »

Here you go!

Yikes, that looks even tougher than I remember, and it's only a line on a screen!

pprendeville · 17-04-2013 12:53pm

Can't wait for summer hols to sample these along with the NCD hills thread week or 2 ago.

Idunnowho · 17-04-2013 1:11pm

This is a nasty little fcuker (recently resurfaced in parts)
http://app.strava.com/segments/1831267

or keep on pushing for another few minutes on its longer big brother
http://app.strava.com/segments/1329636

leaderfox · 17-04-2013 1:18pm

Hey guys!
Thank you all for your replies.
Will try as many as I find.

leaderfox · 17-04-2013 1:21pm

Idunnowho wrote: »

This is a nasty little fcuker (recently resurfaced in parts)
http://app.strava.com/segments/1831267

or keep on pushing for another few minutes on its longer big brother
http://app.strava.com/segments/1329636

Yeah I know them both,
thanks.

Gasco · 17-04-2013 1:31pm

g0g wrote: »

To add to the above....

Red Lane (behind Glenview Hotel near Kilmacanogue) - not Dublin I realise!
There's a very short hill behind Stepaside that's steep enough
The Luggala (?) climb to Sally Gap has one very steep section on it
From Bohernabreena up towards the Featherbeds there are a few good climbs, one of which is fropm the bottom of the valley and steep enough over a long stretch

Red Lane is a killer, short but very sharp. A little further down is the Altidore climb - http://app.strava.com/segments/1001854 - nasty.

Closer to Dublin, this one always catches me out - http://app.strava.com/segments/1614781

Enjoy!!

leaderfox · 17-04-2013 1:35pm

Ok guys.
All of you are using Strava thing. Is that Garmin? Or is it just an app on your mobile?

Chiparus · 17-04-2013 1:38pm

App,

kuro_man · 18-04-2013 11:38am

http://www.strava.com/segments/n81-corbally-640081

snollup · 18-04-2013 11:58am

letape wrote: »

Slaughter Hill @ Newtownmountkennedy is a good test. 2.99km + 210 meters

(Don't have the strava link)

Shudder!!!

Barcafan11 · 18-04-2013 6:51pm

If it short climbs your after there are 3 in Lucan that I know of. All 3 are along the Strawberry Beds/Lower Road.

1 - Stanford Hill. Go over the Liffey bridge in Lucan and take a left. This will bring you up towards Clonee

2 - Tinkers Hill. Go over the Liffey Bridge in Lucan and take a right. Go past the CPI along the Liffey, and you will come to it. You wont get a straight run at it unless you are coming at it from the other side because its a left hairpin turn up the hill. This will bring you by Luttrellstown Castle & Clonsilla.

3 - Somerton Lane this is probably the longest and steepest of the 3. Continue on past Tinkers hill for a few km, and it will be on your left again heading up to Porterstown/Clonsilla.

bazermc · 22-04-2013 10:20am

According to my Garmin yesterday going up Devils Elbow from Enniskerry to Johny foxes part of the climb is as high as 30% is that right that it could be that high?

It the grad % on Garmin reasonably accurate?

Cyclepath · 22-04-2013 10:28am

Craig06 wrote: »

I forgot Knockmaroon hill was there a week back and was exhausted by the time I got to it and completely ran out of gears at the stupid steep bit.

I ran out of pedals on that bit. Completely sheared my crank, but then I am a fat fecker...

MediaMan · 22-04-2013 1:40pm

bazermc wrote: »

According to my Garmin yesterday going up Devils Elbow from Enniskerry to Johny foxes part of the climb is as high as 30% is that right that it could be that high?

It the grad % on Garmin reasonably accurate?

That bit at the start of the ascent on the bend just after the bridge is very steep, but I don't think it's anything like 30%. The elevation readings on the Edge 500 are accurate over distance, assuming the weather is stable (it works on air pressure). However over very short distances (a few meters) it's not accurate, due to the sampling interval I think. I've seen elevations on short hill segments look like a set of steps for this reason.

This also throws off Strava's power calculation, making it very spiky. This was confirmed by Strava support. They recommend switching to map-based elevation data in these cases, which does tend to smooth it a bit.

With Garmin Connect you can also switch to use map elevation data. Seems to be a bit of a lottery as to what difference it makes to the original for both Strava and Garmin.

Surveyor11 · 22-04-2013 2:05pm

Barcafan11 wrote: »

2 - Tinkers Hill. Go over the Liffey Bridge in Lucan and take a right. Go past the CPI along the Liffey, and you will come to it. You wont get a straight run at it unless you are coming at it from the other side because its a left hairpin turn up the hill. This will bring you by Luttrellstown Castle & Clonsilla.

3 - Somerton Lane this is probably the longest and steepest of the 3. Continue on past Tinkers hill for a few km, and it will be on your left again heading up to Porterstown/Clonsilla.

I do these on my daily commute, usually Tinkers. You've also got Rugged Lane in between - a bit more gradual, but kicks up towards the top as well. Somerton is probably the hardest of these IMHO - it kicks up near the top which is a killer.

slap/dash · 21-08-2013 1:17pm

Surveyor11 wrote: »

I do these on my daily commute, usually Tinkers. You've also got Rugged Lane in between - a bit more gradual, but kicks up towards the top as well. Somerton is probably the hardest of these IMHO - it kicks up near the top which is a killer.

just did tinkers today which felt a bit harder but i think i was a first thing in the morning with a backpack.

id agree that somerton is the worst of the short hills in that locale, much worse than chapelizod, rugged lane, tinkers or that one on the north side of lucan village heading towards lexlip

diomed · 21-08-2013 3:15pm

There is about 30 metres near the Sugarloaf in Kilmacanogue that I thought was incredibly steep. I took a wrong turning in the car once and found myself coming down this very steep hill. I was afraid the car would tumble down.

I think it is Bramble Bank, near Ballybawn Cottages on Rocky Valley [R760] , Kilmacanogue. It is near the junction leading up the Sugarloaf road [R755]. I was wondering at the time was it possible to get up it on a bike.

Steepest hill around Dublin?

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