You see a dead end, I see an opportunity, you see a cul-de-sac, I see a potential summit finish. Don’t let that blue square with it’s bold red and white ‘T’ turn you away, see it as an advert to adventure, an invitation to explore. It may not be a through route but it will lead somewhere; and that somewhere may just be a magnificent, secluded part of Britain that most people would have simply passed by.
Our island is littered with such roads. Climbs to transmission masts, isolated farms, radar stations. One-way streets to high-altitude adventure and best of all, due to their nature they are almost all free of traffic. You may well have heard of such legendary climbs as the Cowlyd in Snowdonia, Abdon Burf in the Shropshire Hills and of course the mighty Great Dun Fell, the celebrated mountain top finish in the Pennines, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more such wonders out there to discover and on this ride I introduce you to three absolute beauties.
To bag these climbs I have come to the North West, home to some of the best roads to nowhere, set in some of England’s most beautiful scenery. With so much to choose from dead-end wise the temptation to plot a massive 160km ride was strong but I had to show restraint and from our long list of candidates picked three classics, Whinfell, Bullpot Lane and Leck Fell. These fit nicely into a loop but it does mean climbs such as Caton Moor, and one of my all-time favourites, the sublime Adamthwaite Bank, didn’t make the cut, but please go search these roads out at your leisure.
Esta historia es de la edición March 02, 2023 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición March 02, 2023 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
A Brompton for running riot in both town and country
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument