Driving Home

[STUNO]

I live on a fairly steep street. The house across the street has a nearly vertical driveway about 100 yards long.But what about really difficult climbs!

N.Z. has what is claimed to be the steepest street in the world. Baldwin St in Dunedin. The steepest part is a gradient of 1 : 2.86. Our family Corolla 1.3 auto would not even try past the lower part.

Search you tube to find some videos.

Can anyone do better! a bit of weekend thinking!

[Parky]

Baldwin Street is mental. Nearest equivalent I have ever seen in the UK is Highfield Road in Collier Row, Romford which my ancient Chevette (NUF 546W, now deceased) could only climb in first gear. It was pretty shagged though

[carlo]

Think Vale Street in Totterdown, Bristol is one of the steepest in England.

 

[155V6]

There's a few in High Wycombe which I wouldn't fancy driving up on an icy day.

[pogweasel]

Porlock & Countisbury hills on the A39 are 'entertaining'

OK, so 1:4 doesn't sound much, but they just go on for-ev-er, not great in ancient chod with crappy brakes (especially in torrential rain), believe me. Brown trousers.

 

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_t ... +hill&aq=f

[outlaw118]

Porlock is feckin' scary.I did it in the old Astray Summer 2006 . She was 125k miles old at the time, was expecting a wheeze or two.Nope.Trouble came from Bro's 3 year old Renno GrandEspazz V6. I was following this Gallic chunk of "merde" up, (it had 2 adults, 2 kids on board) when it started smoking more than a beagle on piece work, getting slower and slower, coating the front of my car with oily crap. Thanks.Stopped near the top, breather pipe had come off and had coated everything with oil. Lovely.If I recall, we got back home the next Saturday, it was on ebay on Sunday, sold wednesday, and retired to live with a scoutmaster in wales(!) by Friday next. He then spunked the money on a Tourneo, which got written off within 4 days, but thats another story entirely.

[pompei]

There's a steep hill in Lincoln called Steep Hill. Obvious really.

[STUNO]

Interesting replies..I watched the vid of Porlock Hill from a double decker, thats a good driver!!!! also reminded myself of driving over Hardknott pass in the lake district and not being able to see the road in front due to the steepness. Do I go left, right or straight ahead

[mouseflakes]

Think Vale Street in Totterdown, Bristol is one of the steepest in England.

 

My '67 Renault 10 used to fly up there - even got into second! God I loved that car. *sigh*

 

[FredTransit]

I don'tthink I would park a luton there, it might fall over!

[j-j]

Think Vale Street in Totterdown, Bristol is one of the steepest in England.

 

Excellent shite Mundano estate there.

 

Can't beat that here but we have Gardner street:

[Pillock]

The road markings on Vale Street look pretty normal; I guess there's just some unwritten rule where everyone parks nose-in on the same side to avoid those peksy mornings where you find your car in an old dear's living room at the bottom of a hill.

[55bloke]

Are we just talking residential streets here? Or, steep hills in general? If so, there's always Rosedale Chimney Bank in North Yorkshire, a real clutch buster, and of course Sutton Bank, which wouldn't be so bad were it not for the countless HGVs who ignore the "Not suitable for HGVs" notice and promptly get stuck on the hairpin half way up and have to try and reverse back down!

[Richard]

There are some major hills in North Yorkshire.

[mk1_4dr]

There are some major hills in North Yorkshire.

Rosedale chimney toppings betwix Rosedale abbey and Hutton-le-hole is a bit of a slog. About 400metres long but with 2 proper hairpin turns, ive been both up and down, fully loaded in the snow and fog and dark, it one of my main routes over the moors.Theres a road somewhere round here ( I think its between here and batley), and theres a road climbing out of a valley and the escRot wouldn't make it up, I ended up grinding to a halt about 2/3rds of the way up. I pretty mush toasted the clutch by starting the car, loads of revs then dumping the clutch. Unfortunately, being gentle with it wasn't working.... I now really want to go to Bristol, to Vale Street. Bit far really though, to look at a hill.

[55bloke]

There are some major hills in North Yorkshire.

Rosedale chimney toppings betwix Rosedale abbey and Hutton-le-hole is a bit of a slog. About 400metres long but with 2 proper hairpin turns, ive been both up and down, fully loaded in the snow and fog and dark, it one of my main routes over the moors.

I used to use it pretty frequently when I lived round there, and was once VERY impressed to see a cycle race slogging up it! Some serious muscle needed for that! The hill up the other side of the valley, out of Rosedale towards Goathland is a good one too! Do you live in that neck of the woods?

[Andrew353w]

Being born in north Devon I know Porlock Hill-that's STEEP! Worse, but less well known, is the road the Clovelly Harbour. It's not generally known that there's a road to the bottom of this picturesque village,and it's 1 in 2.5 for most of its length. I drove it once; 1st gear all the way down and up and I constantly had the feeling the car was going to fall over itself.That is one STEEP road!

[mk1_4dr]

Do you live in that neck of the woods?

Kinda, Im from Wakefield, but Mrs 4dr grew up in Bogglehole and Robin Hoods bay (which incedently is another monster hill!!) so we traipse over the morrs on a fairly regular basis. We usually go, A64 - off down the side of Yukspeed upto Castle Howard> Helmsley> Kirbymoorside>Hutton-le-hole> Rosedale> Glaisdale> Egton> Grosmont> Sleights> Ruswarp> Robin Hoods BayBeautiful part of the world, one day, one day....D

[mouseflakes]

also reminded myself of driving over Hardknott pass in the lake district and not being able to see the road in front due to the steepness. Do I go left, right or straight ahead

I love Hardknott and Wrynose passes. Amongst the old cack I've taken over them are two R16s, R12, R4, R10 (see page 1), Toyota Crown, Peugeot 505 Family and a 1972 Audi 100.When we took the Audi over Honister pass a minor blizzard started about a third of the way up and by half way up it was impossible to continue as the wheels where just spinning in the snow. Had to gingerly back out of it and take the long way round instead.

[55bloke]

Do you live in that neck of the woods?

Kinda, Im from Wakefield, but Mrs 4dr grew up in Bogglehole and Robin Hoods bay (which incedently is another monster hill!!) so we traipse over the morrs on a fairly regular basis. We usually go, A64 - off down the side of Yukspeed upto Castle Howard> Helmsley> Kirbymoorside>Hutton-le-hole> Rosedale> Glaisdale> Egton> Grosmont> Sleights> Ruswarp> Robin Hoods BayBeautiful part of the world, one day, one day....D

Ah yes, I know that route VERY well! Lived in Kirbymoorside for 20 odd years (some of them very odd) Now in Sheffield, that's the route I use when I go back, once I come off the A1. Had friends in RHB too, so know the wonderfully named Boggle Hole. It is, as you say, a beautiful part of the world.

[mk1_4dr]

Just cause its been a while since Ive seen these pics,

 

The monument at Castle Howard

 

 

The carpark at the top of Rosedale Chimneys, looking into the valley

 

Somewhere in the middle of the moors, between Rosedale and Glaisdale

 

And finally a couple of old spots from Grosmont Station

[55bloke]

Nice pics- all views I know very well.

[Richard]

The road away from Grosmont station is actually one of the ones I was thinking of, and there's another really steep one leading to Levisham station if memory serves.

[55bloke]

That there is. And the station is in the valley bottom, miles from the village up at the top. In the days when the railway was part of the Natiional Network, it must've been a bugger to have to get off the train and then face that slog up the hill to get home.