All the cycling data and info you'll need to climb Weston Hill (SW #2)

There’s not much to be found on the internet about this climb, but it is #2 on Simon Warren’s 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs list.  At 1.6 kilometers it is on the GCC’s shorter side, but it averages double digit grades at 10.4%.  Other than a mild grade for the first 100 meters after leaving the start at the roundabout at Lansdown Lane and High Street, the grade never dips below 7% until the final 100 meters to the finish.  There is a particularly steep 250 meters beginning at kilometer 1.1 that averages 16%.  One of Weston Hill’s claims to fame is that it hosted the British National Hill Climb Championships in 1983, the year Darryl Webster won the first of his four consecutive championships.  

This route begins in northwest Bath (population 88,859; also known as Upper Weston area of Bath) by riding north on a very busy road from a densely populated residential area.  After passing Perry Storage at precisely 1 kilometers, we are in a rural area surrounded variously by trees, bushes and open fields, although vehicular traffic remains moderate to heavy and there is no shoulder.

The climb is called Weston Hill, but it is entirely on Lansdown Lane and also referred to as Lansdown Hill, which was the site of a battle in the English Civil War in 1643.  Even if the climb itself has less to write home about than others on the top 100 list, as is often the case in England, the location is still home to a long and rich history.

This is a short but double digit climb in Southern England.  As one climber of Weston Hill put it: “I didn't think that much of the hill...it didn't seem THAT exciting -- it was a bit nondescript with neither lovely scenery, quiet roads or particularly steep rises -- I would have chosen to do the hill through the City for something a bit ‘different’...but a hill done is a hill done” (100 Hills for George).

Start at the roundabout in Upper Weston.

Ride north up Lansdown Lane.  

Out of town by 1 kilometer, but still moderate to heavy traffic.

Footpath to soccer field at the end of the climb.

Steepest ½ kilometer begins at 900m (14%)

That’s a wrap!  #2 in the bag . . . (GCC Climb #2, that is. 😊)