• Birks Wood Drive
• Length: 0.44 miles
• Avg gradient: 10.4%
• Peak gradient: 16.9%
• Difficulty: 2/5
• Likelihood of encountering unpleasant motor-vehicles: 2/5
• Elevation gain: 241ft
• Strava

A sneaky suburban climb.

In an area rich with challenging climbs (Jawbone Hill, Wheel Lane and Burnt Hill Lane, for example) this is slightly lower profile. Nestled on a quiet suburban street, it packs enough of a punch to warrant its inclusion in previous Magnificent 7 hill climb competitions.

Turning off the unpleasant Langsett Road onto Birch House Avenue, you’re immediately into a double-figure gradient for a dead straight 0.1 miles. This first quarter of the ride is fairly representative of the hill’s feel as a whole, so just plod on.

There’s a little relent as the road bends right and the gradient briefly drops to around 6% before picking right up again as you turn left on to Birks Wood Drive itself. You’re now on the steepest section of the climb, on the sweeping right hand bend, hitting a peak of almost 17%.

A short distance on, the houses drop away, revealing a pleasant view of Oughtibridge and the valley below. Appreciate it quickly before a line of trees hides it once more and you approach the final bend. The Strava segment says it’s only 10% but it looks steeper, not least as you’ll be taking the inside lane. Once you’re around the bend, though, it’s only a few more metres until the apex, and the option of dropping back into Oughtibridge to tackle a few of the other great climbs in the area.