April 2020 – Sheffield Cycling Climbs

Highcliffe Road
Length: 0.39 miles
Avg gradient: 13% Peak gradient: 20.6%
Difficulty: 4/5
Likelihood of encountering unpleasant motor-vehicles: 5/5
Elevation gain: 274 ft
Strava

To cut to the chase, this is not a pleasant climb. There’s always parked cars reducing the carriageway width, it’s not picturesque and you’re going to encounter at least one obnoxious motorist on your way up. However, getting to the top is a great achievement.

I’ll be honest , I’ve only ridden up this hill twice: once at 9.30am on New Years Day, the other during the coronavirus lockdown. Both of those times I knew that it would be quiet enough to do without too much trouble. At any normal time however, you are going to get an impatient driver up your backside or attempt an uphill close pass. Be warned.

The climb begins as the road crosses the Porter Brook (much the same as Woodcliffe) and begins a steep S-bend. If you’re not on a road bike, you could avoid the carriageway and instead ride alongside the steps in the park. Be aware however, that’s actually steeper than the road itself. The Strava segment’s recording is a bit skew-whiff here but it probably averages about 10-12% on this bit, up to the junction with Greystones Road.

After that, the road can get clogged with parked cars, so there is nowhere for vehicles behind you to pass safely before the blind bend ahead. Be prepared to annoy some people as you slowly grind up this tree-lined section, which briefly pops above 20%.

On the approach to the Highcliffe Drive junction the gradient does begin to reduce slightly but still remains in double figures. You can, at last, see the end of the climb though. You’ll find that all the vehicles are now parked on the opposite side of the road, creating a bit of a slalom for the line of traffic coming downhill. This is the one time it might be acceptable to ride on the pavement, if only to avoid the dirty stares from people waiting in their cars. Shortly after this you’ll be at the top of the hill, so well done for that but there are so many nicer hills to climb in the city. Go and find one of them instead.

Length: 1.1 miles
Avg gradient: 10% Peak gradient: 15.2%
Difficulty: 4/5
Likelihood of encountering unpleasant motor-vehicles: 1/5
Elevation gain: 598 ft
Strava

There is pretty much nothing that I can say about Curbar Edge that hasn’t already been said in greater detail and with more authority elsewhere, not least Simon Warren’s 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs and James Allen’s 50 Classic Cycle Climbs but as it is what I’d consider a headline hill, it would be remiss of me to not include it here.

I’d driven up to Curbar Gap many times before, heading for family walks along the edge, so I was familiar with the hill, its two sweeping bends and the towering gritstone rocks that give the hill its character. It’s an even more impressive climb when you’re on a bike.

You start in the village of Curbar itself, next to All Saint’s Church, and it’s from here that you head up the innocuous looking Curbar Lane. As you pass The Old Vicarage on your right, the gradient is immediately into double figures, reaching 14.5% as the road bends to the right. This is the steepest section of the whole climb, which is a good thought to keep in mind as you progress up the hill, eventually passing a red telephone box at a crossroads.

The climb now drops to a more pleasant 6-7% for a straight section, lined with rather nice looking houses with big gardens. You’ve pretty much reached the halfway mark when you pass the national speed limit sign, which sees the gradient return to around 10-11% and, more impressively, the countryside open up and the appearance of Curbar Edge, loom ominously above you.

The steepness remains fairly consistent around the first sweeping bend and then reaches 11.5% as you head towards the second, sharper corner. The views from here more than make up for the additional challenge though. Just try not to focus on the ridge of Curbar Gap which, at this point, still seems very high up and very far away.

Grind on around the next bend and, once you’ve passed a gate into a field on your right, I always feel like you’re pretty much there. You still have to cycle 0.3 miles and climb 130 ft but it’s broadly straight with a gradient of less than 10% and the views alone will keep your legs powered until you reach the car park at the peak.

Curbar Edge is a beautiful climb worth travelling for.