Denis F:
Rob K:
PORLOCK HILL (A39), EXMOOR, NORTH DEVONBTW Rob, just to be pedantic
it’s in Somerset
So it is 
Only just tho…
I can top most of you, having done a tip on a 1:3 hill in a 7.5 tonner 
mojo:
Went UP Sutton Bank today, been down it a few times but never up.
Scary, especially that last bit after the sharp left., all the money was falling out of my pockets,
Its got to be one of the steepest A roads, 25%, is that 1 in 4 in old money/.
A sign at side of road said 178 HGV breakdowns in 12months.
I went up a couple of weeks ago in the R500 artic, empty, and managed to get into 5th by the top of the hill.
Despite the fact that there is a caravan ban on sutton bank, there isn’t a lorry ban, the only signs I saw said ‘unsuitable for HGVs’. Despite this, North Yorkshire police phoned our traffic office on Wednesday last week wanting to know why I was going up sutton bank. At the time I was going from Gateshead to Pickering, I know the road and wouldn’t have gone up it had the roads been wet or if i’d been loaded.
Be interesting to know if you, or others, get a similar phone call? If they don’t want trucks to use it, they should put a lorry ban or weight limit on the road.
allikat:
Been over the Porlock in a MAN 17 tonner, and that was gairy enough. I had to shunt round one of the hairpins! Heavens only know how you got an artic round.
Most artics back in the UK have a far tighter turning circle than rigids from my experience 
Pat Hasler:
allikat:
Been over the Porlock in a MAN 17 tonner, and that was gairy enough. I had to shunt round one of the hairpins! Heavens only know how you got an artic round.Most artics back in the UK have a far tighter turning circle than rigids from my experience
Don’t spoil it Pat 
Whoooops Sorry
I used to do Robs hill in the Dales and many more when I worked for United Carriers.
We had a regular contract delivering Nu Swift fire extinguishers and Kenco coffee to all the farms and tourist traps.
My poor little TK bedford used to squirm at the sight of those hills and bends.
My run started in Bedale, over to Hawes and Ingleton then back down through Gargrave Skipton, and Blubberhouses. I then had to run back down through Leeds to Gelderd Road or over to Ripponden
In the old days before powerful motors, more than 6 gears, exhaust brakes, retarders etc. going up or down anything steeper than 1 in 10 was a real act of faith and courage. Hairy moments I’ve had;
-
Going down the final bank on the A632 from Chesterfield to Matlock with an Atki Mk1 180 Gardner and 20 ton of steel. Saw the drop and parked at the top to pluck up courage. Handbrake wouldn’t hold it so propped the wheel against the kerb while I went to ring the old bill. Had to go down, nowhere to turn, but asked them to stop the traffic on the main road at the botttom as soon as they see me come round the ‘S’ half way down. Staggered cross roads there, might just get across if no traffic. Set off down, crawler gear, dabbing brakes to prevent overrev, right knee trembling in sheer terror. Made it round the ‘S’ past the broken wall (
) then started down the last stretch, only to see the traffic flying past at the bottom - the numpty coppers were parked off to one side waiting to see the fun 
. -
On the A623 from Baslow to Chapel en le Frith, just as you enter the village of Middleton Stoney there is a very steep hill forks off to the left. My delivery of 16 ton of asphalt blocks was up the top. Parked at the bottom and walked it first. Nothing for it but to make the effort but it was very, very steep. I had an LAD cabbed Dodge with a Perkins 354 and six speed with axle splitter. Knew there was no chance of changing down on the bank so set off at full revs in crawler. Half way up it was obvious it wasn’t going to make it and just before she stalled I dipped the clutch and pressed with all my might on the brake whilst hauling back on the old fashioned handbrake. My body and leg was locked rigid between the seat back and the pedal whilst the handlever was nearly bending - and still it started to grind backwards, inch by inch. I screamed at a bloke in his front garden and he ripped his dry stone wall to bits and stuffed the chunks under all my wheels. Only then did I relax the pressure - gently - and wonder what the hell was to be done. The hill was so steep that I had difficulty in opening and holding the door enough to climb out. Sat down sweating and trembling to drink the cup of tea offered, then walked down to a council yard at the bottom for suggestions. They called out a BM shovel from the quarry at the top of the hill who had to reverse down to me. He hooked his chain on and I forced myself back into the cab. ‘What gear shall I use?’ I asked. ‘Neutral’ came the reply. He took up the slack on the chain and waited while the residents shifted all the stone chocks except those behind the four in line trailer wheels. Then at his hooted signal I released the brakes and sat back. He took off like smoke and even changed up a couple of times, very nonchalant. Gave him a grateful drink at the top and then got tipped, all handball, helped to calm me down. Then I had to go back down, empty this time but still totally terrifying, in crawler again. Phew!
Last, but not the full repertoire,
3. On a steepish hill in Devon with the same Dodge and a full load of plasterboard I realised that I no longer had brakes and was getting faster and faster approaching the last sharp bend before a village. Only thing to do was keep steering left into the solid bank-backed stone wall on the left. It kept bouncing back and swayed alarmingly, but wouldn’t stop. I yanked left more violently now and prayed the thing would turn over and eventually it came to a halt, embedded, and the front wheels looking like Jack Elam’s (old western character actor) eyes. I nodded dumbly still in white faced shock to the furniture driver and his mate who stopped briefly alongside to ask ’ you allright mate?', but did not linger or offer a lift.
I walked down to the village copper’s house to report and expected some tea & sympathy. No way. The copper picked up his crash hat, walked straight past without a word, jumped on his bike and disappeared. I found the village tea shop and spent the next hour calming down before walking back up to the wagon, where the plod demanded ‘where the hell have you been?’ His first words to me that morning. There aren’t enough zeds and bees here to accurately convey the gist of my reply
Allowed myself a little preen that the plasterboard was still in place - now that’s roping and sheeting 
.
All these and more set me up for future forays up and down Shap, Stainmore, Bridge, Porlock, Cenis, Blanc and others; but none was more terrifying.
Blimey, that’s done me in for the day. I feel as if I’ve been through the whole lot all over again. Calm down dear
Salut, David.
Qhunter:
Somewhere in the southern Dales there is a 1in3 signposted. Its years since I went to the area but recall it being somewhere around the Grassington/Kettlewell area, and no, I never tackled it in anything bigger than a car.Anyone know where I’m on about?
Borrowed from euclid.colorado.edu/~rmg/roads/records.html which in turn has “borrowed” from the Guinness Book of Records 1997:
The steepest motorable road in the British Isles is the unclassified Chimney Bank at Rosedale Abbey, N Yorks, which is signposted
1 in 3''. The county surveyor states that it isnot quite’’ a 33% gradient.
An unclassified road at Ffordd Penllech, Harlech, UK, officially described as not suitable for motor vehicles, is 1 in 2.91 at its steepest point.
Steve Barnard adds: Incidentally, the steep road in Harlech has a standard gradient sign at the top saying one in two and a half. Having walked up it quite recently, I’d debate the quoted 1:2.91 - it’s steeper than that. It’s worth noting that for railways a gradient quoted as one in 50 has a sine of 1/50, whereas road gradients are quoted as the tangent - so a 1 in 50 on a road isn’t quite as steep as a 1 in 50 on a railway. At shallow grades it doesn’t make a lot of difference, but if the 1:2.91 is measuredrailway-wise'' (the easiest way to do it on the ground), then it's tan(arcsin(1/2.91))=1/2.73roadwise.‘’
mojo:
Went UP Sutton Bank today, been down it a few times but never up.Scary, especially that last bit after the sharp left., all the money was falling out of my pockets,
Its got to be one of the steepest A roads, 25%, is that 1 in 4 in old money/.
A sign at side of road said 178 HGV breakdowns in 12months.
I lived at the bottom of Sutton Bank for about three years (look up the fields to the right when the road straightens out before getting to the little white farmhouse on the side of the road and we were in the large house on the hill (a golf course there I think now!!)) My boss used to make me driver the horsebox up while she followed in my car and then she would take over again at the top, she also then used to call me from the phone box at the top so I could go and pick the lorry up on the way home again!!! Never had a problem with it, just had to make sure you selected the right gear from the start going either way.
Must admit it was great when they closed it for several weeks cos I could ride the horses up and down it - it didn’t half get them fit!!!
allikat:
Only just tho…
I can top most of you, having done a tip on a 1:3 hill in a 7.5 tonner
as long as it wasn’t a tip like the one today on Countisbury hill
( going down the other side of Porlock Hill)
A milk tanker tipped over blocking the road !!
Good reading Spardo .
I have just come across this thread whilst searching the 'net for Sutton Bank HGV. We are going to Duncombe Park later in the year with our 1964 8 Wheel Foden (with double drive) and 30ft living van in tow. We have 3ton over the rear axles and a total weight of around 10t and the living van is about 5ton all on air brakes. How bad is it? Is it a case of select the right gear at the bottom and all will be well, or is it worth finding an alternative route? If so can anyone recommend one?
Thanks!
Jon
SMUDGER:
Polesteeple hill in Biggin Hill Kent is officially registered as the steepest hill in the uk.
Unsure as to the exact gradient but halfway up there is a hairpin bend and cars have to use 1st gear and do a hill start!!Not used it myself but cant argue with official records.
That is a steep one but got weight limit of 7.5t if i remeber right. Stock hill also in Biggin hill is a steep one as well, used to live their many years ago now, ■■■■■■ when it snowed as you could never get out of the valley.
Hiya i’ve been up with a pal(i was riding shot gun) in a guy big J(180 Gardner and AEC 6 speed box)
with 20 tons of salt for the top of the bank. it was a bit of a slow job but we got there.
I’d think with your Foden you’ll get up easly.if it has the 12 speed with super low.
i think a problem is some of this newer lorry we have, there’s to much power plus the auto can chance
at the wrong time.I’am from the Leek/ Buxton area so steep hills are a everyday thing.
John
Thanks. Yea we have a 150 Gardner with 12 speed and flat out in 1st Low is about 3mph so hopefully if we can chose the right gear early enough and stick with our decission we should be ok!
Qhunter:
Somewhere in the southern Dales there is a 1in3 signposted. Its years since I went to the area but recall it being somewhere around the Grassington/Kettlewell area, and no, I never tackled it in anything bigger than a car.Anyone know where I’m on about?
That would be Park Rash, from Kettlewell to Carlton.
Used to do that on a pedal bike with the cycling club I was in, up to the top and back down to the pub in Kettlewell, last one back paid for the beers!
Rob K:
Piece of cake.Try this, in a MacFarlanes Topliner artic :
PORLOCK HILL (A39), EXMOOR, NORTH DEVON
The village of Porlock used to be known as the village at the end of the world due to the steepness of the hills out of it: horsebound vehicles could not get past it. Even today caravans have to be dropped off here, or the new toll road taken.
The original Porlock hill is one of the toughest climbs in Exmoor. A classic. Best avoided in high summer -or do it early on in the morning.
The first three hairpins are the steepest, but it’s still hard going all the way up: 350 metres ascent in 3.4km is an average of 10%: early on it is a 1 in 4.
Coaches and Caravans are not allowed on this road
The toll road can be taken for a more leisurely approach, but bikes are expected to pay 50 pence for the privelege. The toll is on the last hairpin -you can avoid it by taking a bridleway.
All the southbound climbs out of Porlock are just as bad; making for an entertaining little circuit.–
Caravans are ADVISED to use the Toll but are not forbidden from using the hill - my beemer would cruise up there with the wobble box on the back, my wobble box is only 1650kg fully loaded, but I’ve dragged my horse box and horse (1900kg) up kendle hills without dropping from 60mph 
Although any thing bigger than a car is banned Hardknott Pass is a great drive.At times your car is leaning 2 ways at once up or down plus sideways as you go round the steepest bits. At 1 in 3 in places it has a few stopping places but you need a good handbrake
Quinny:
However,I’m sure the steepest climb in the UK,is the very small road on Bealach Na Ba in Scotland.(Link below.) I seem to remember reading about this as a kid in my old mans AA book of the road.
Ken.
Been over Bealach a few times in the car; my mother lives a couple of miles away. Scary in the car if you don’t like heights, but there used to be a regular school bus run over it!