I thought it would be a good idea to list some of my favourite local climbs, hardest first. None are particularly Grand Tour-worthy (the hardest is a Category 4 or 3 according to Strava, depending on the exact segment), but they’re certainly hard enough for me. Three of them (Busty Bank, Col du Burnopfield and Gateshead Road to Byermoor) top out on the same ridge around Burnopfield and Byermoor, just approached from different sides.
1. Silverhills
Strava Segment: Silverhills hill climb course
2.74 km (1.70 mi), 211 m (693 ft), 7.7% average. Traffic: busy.
This is a tough one, and on a busy road to boot. One of the Strava segments pegs it as a Cat 3 climb. It seems to go on forever (at least at my speed), and just when you think you’re done, it eases into a false flat.
After the climb, you’re rewarded with a view over to Newcastle, followed by a steep descent with some speed bumps to navigate towards the bottom into Sunniside.
2. Busty Bank
Strava Segment: Busty Bank
1.59 km (0.99 mi), 130 m (427 ft), 8.2% average. Traffic: busy.
I really like this climb, in a masochistic sort of way. It’s steep, around a mile long, and the average gradient masks a brutal ramp at the bottom that tops 16%!
I’m never going to beat Wout van Aert’s KOM,1 but trying to beat my PB on this climb is a good challenge.
3. Col du Burnopfield
Strava Segment: Col du Burnopfield
2.19 km (1.36 mi), 121 m (398 ft), 5.5% average. Traffic: quiet.
This is on a nice, quiet back road. The gradient hits the mid-teens about a third of the way in, but it’s a bit gentler afterwards.
After the first two climbs, it feels especially nice to be away from the traffic. To get there, though, you might need to ride on the busy A694, so this is a “first thing on a Sunday morning” kind of climb.2
4. Birkland Lane
Strava Segment: Birkland Lane (full climb)
4.16 km (2.59 mi), 161 m (528 ft), 3.9% average. Traffic: fairly quiet.
Another quieter one - not quite as peaceful as Number 3, but generally not a busy road. It’s long rather than steep, and can be a little exposed to the wind at times. It features on a lot of my favourite routes.
I even raced a goldfinch along here one morning, which was a lovely addition to the ride.3
5. Gateshead Road to Byermoor
Strava Segment: Up to Byermoor
4.01 km (2.49 mi), 157 m (515 ft), 3.9% average. Traffic: busy.
Back to the traffic, and this one has quite a few sets of lights en route. Another one for an early weekend morning.
Great views when you get to Byermoor, though, and a fab descent once you’ve peaked.
6. Market Lane to the top of Lambton Avenue
Strava Segment: Market Lane to Lambton Avenue top
1.52 km (0.95 mi), 91 m (299 ft), 6.0% average, with the final 0.56 km (0.35 mi) at 10.9%. Traffic: moderate to fairly quiet.
Very steep. You’re in for an absolute kicker at the end, just as your legs are screaming!
It’s not the most picturesque, as you start at a roundabout just off the A1 near the Metrocentre and climb along a residential street rather than between fields.
7. Sheriff Hill
Strava Segment: Old Durham Road (Sheriff Hill)
2.56 km (1.59 mi), 111 m (364 ft), 4.3% average. Traffic: busy.
Steep in parts, long, busy. Oh, and several false flats.
But it’s a favourite of those who cycle from Newcastle to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for a reason.4
8. Kibblesworth Climb
Strava Segment: Kibblesworth full climb
3.19 km (1.98 mi), 121 m (397 ft), 3.8% average. Traffic: quiet.
Back to the countryside with a climb up through Kibblesworth, starting just off Greenford Lane (near the Ravensworth Arms pub).
Once you’re out of Kibblesworth, it gets steeper and then joins Birkland Lane at the top.
(It’s also a lovely descent if you’re coming from Birkland Lane).
9. Wylam to Crawcrook
Strava Segment: Crawcrook Lane Climb
1.79 km (1.11 mi), 65 m (215 ft), 3.6% average. Traffic: moderate.
After a nice trip through the lovely village of Wylam in the Tyne Valley,5 you climb out to Crawcrook along a winding road that’s fairly busy but manageable. There are a few false flats and a short, steep kick in the first third.
Watch out when you cross the train tracks in Wylam.
10. Winlaton Mill to Thornley Lane
Strava Segment: Winlaton to Thornley Lane Climb
1.48 km (0.92 mi), 58 m (189 ft), 3.9% average. Traffic: busy.
This is on the A694 and is part of the route that gets me to Number 3. It’s a busy road, but the climb itself is quite nice, passing a now-closed pub (The Red Kite) and finishing a fair bit before you descend into Rowlands Gill.
Over to you
That’s my top ten. Is there a climb you love to hate? Reply and let me know - I’m always on the lookout for new routes (and new ways to suffer).