# Box Hill Obsession



## Smurfy (7 Apr 2015)

Why so many cycling events? Surely there must be other interesting/challenging hills available?

http://road.cc/content/news/146605-...essive-cycling-events-surreys-iconic-box-hill


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## DaveReading (7 Apr 2015)

Yes, but few others immortalised in song.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yw2yKNLEPc


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## Arrowfoot (7 Apr 2015)

I heard that Uxbridge is going to be the new Box Hill. I am not at liberty to disclose the facts as it would be a hammer blow to a certain Party. The only other thing that I can reveal is that it has to do with migrants from the EU.


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## jdtate101 (7 Apr 2015)

I can't understand it either. Box Hill is a pimple of a hill, not steep nor overly long. I can only imagine it's the fact it's got a "hairpin" that makes it attractive, all those southerners getting alpine fantasy's. Plenty more proper hills in the uk....especially up north where people are far more welcoming of cyclists.


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## Cuchilo (7 Apr 2015)

Probably because all though its not a hard hill to climb its just enough for people not used to cycling to do and others not to sprint up .


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## MichaelO (7 Apr 2015)

I live within 10 miles of Box Hill, so have been up it enough times. I don't get the whole fascination, but it's crazy packed on a summer's day with cyclists! The view from just past the cafe is fantastic - but I tend to take it in on an extended 30/35 mile commute into central London occasionally, when I have the whole place to myself as the sun rises. Idyllic then!!

But there are better hills within a stones throw of it.


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## deptfordmarmoset (7 Apr 2015)

MichaelO said:


> But there are better hills within a stones throw of it.


Keep them secret, now, lest the immigrants come along and mess everything up.


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## Bollo (7 Apr 2015)

I did Box Hill for the first time last week or so ago on rb58's Winchester-Croydon forum ride. I was underwhelmed, especially after the meaty goodness of White Down. Views were nice, but I can live without the Surrey drivers.


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## Broadside (7 Apr 2015)

Bollo said:


> but I can live without the Surrey drivers.



I couldn't agree with that more. The Surrey Hills are great on a very early morning ride but once the cars come out it turns in to a stressy nightmare!


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## Pale Rider (7 Apr 2015)

Do I understand correctly Box Hill is often littered with gel and energy bar wrappers?

Very poor show, if so.


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## Cuchilo (7 Apr 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> Do I understand correctly Box Hill is often littered with gel and energy bar wrappers?
> 
> Very poor show, if so.


Ive never seen them .


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## Bollo (7 Apr 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> Do I understand correctly Box Hill is often littered with gel and energy bar wrappers?
> 
> Very poor show, if so.


Looked pretty tidy when I went up as well.


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## ianrauk (7 Apr 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> Do I understand correctly Box Hill is often littered with gel and energy bar wrappers?
> 
> Very poor show, if so.




Nope


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## Dogtrousers (7 Apr 2015)

It has a really nice road surface and a café at the top. But apart from that ... meh,

The North Downs in Kent are not far away and has loads of better hills. I don't know the Surrey area too well, but White Down is better and really near.


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## Bollo (7 Apr 2015)

In raw brutality terms, the South East of England isn't going to have Nairo Quintana asking for his mum, so a lot of it will be about the 'character' of the hill. I liked White Down because it was properly steep for a bit and has a pill box. Local to me, Old Winchester Hill is a decent enough drag and has some stunning views at the top. Watership Down up the scarp side has two short 20%+ kicks that are buggers, even if you hum 'bright eyes' to ease the pain. I love them both. Box Hill felt like eating at McDonalds; it does a job but you can be sure everybody else has eaten there at some point.


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## ianrauk (7 Apr 2015)

I would call Box Hill a pleasurable climb,


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## Dogtrousers (7 Apr 2015)

The other problem with Box Hill (from my point of view) is it's very popular and therefore that loads of cyclists whizz past me, making me feel very old and slow.


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## ianrauk (7 Apr 2015)

There's always someone faster as there is always someone slower


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## Dogtrousers (7 Apr 2015)

Not if you go somewhere where there is no-one else around. Often as not I'm the youngest and fastest up Bayley's Hill!


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## Norry1 (7 Apr 2015)

I've done Box Hill twice on RideLondons. It isn't hard, but the switchback bends are quite Alpine and it featured in the Olympics etc so I enjoyed it. There are many better hills as such but a lot of it is about the history.


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## benb (7 Apr 2015)

It's popular because it's not particularly hard, but enough to give the legs a stretch, and has a good cafe at the top and wonderful views.

It's also a bit of a case of it's popular because it is.


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## raleighnut (7 Apr 2015)

DaveReading said:


> Yes, but few others immortalised in song.
> 
> 
> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yw2yKNLEPc



Its a shame that the bike shown is not a 'Lightning' like this 52


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## MichaelO (7 Apr 2015)

Leith Hill Octopus is where it's at.


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## glenn forger (7 Apr 2015)

Cuchilo said:


> Ive never seen them .



ale rider posting made-up rubbish to demonise cyclists? Blow me down.


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## Pale Rider (8 Apr 2015)

glenn forger said:


> ale rider posting made-up rubbish to demonise cyclists? Blow me down.



I know it's hard, but, for once, try to look at the post, not the poster.

The topic is cycling litter on Box Hill.

http://www.dorkingandleatherheadadv...s-negatively/story-22794874-detail/story.html


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## slowmotion (8 Apr 2015)

I've never been anywhere near Box Hill and have no idea how I would fare on it. From what little I have read, I'm pretty sure I would be fed up with a constant invasion of cyclists if I was a resident. I wouldn't want a few hundred horsemen to gather outside my door every weekend in Hammersmith either.


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## Rustybucket (8 Apr 2015)

MichaelO said:


> Leith Hill Octopus is where it's at.



Im looking to take this on in the summer!!


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## Sittingduck (8 Apr 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> Do I understand correctly Box Hill is often littered with gel and energy bar wrappers?
> 
> Very poor show, if so.



Hardly seen any litter there and have ridden it a few times 

Edit: just checked and it appears I have done it 92 times in the past 3 years...! Can't be all that bad


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## vickster (8 Apr 2015)

Sittingduck said:


> Hardly seen any litter there and have ridden it a few times
> 
> Edit: just checked and it appears I have done it 92 times in the past 3 years...! Can't be all that bad


Must have the KOM by now on all the segments...even the pros didn't ride it that many times


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## Tim Hall (8 Apr 2015)

Box Hill. The only hill which immortalises a Cycle Chat member:


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## goody (8 Apr 2015)

vickster said:


> Must have the KOM by now on all the segments...even the pros didn't ride it that many times



Maybe he is JP!

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/mystery-cyclist-beats-the-pros-strava-times-24227


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## Racing roadkill (8 Apr 2015)

I don't find Leith / Box hill, remotely interesting, or particularly challenging. The new super popularity, is due to the legacy of the 2012 Olympic race (they did the climb 9 times, so that would be a challenge). Now every fat, ex-golfing accountant, in Christendom wants to ride that route. If there's a market, the sportive organisers are going to try and tap into it. I was talking to a couple of people who live round that way, last week. They want that area renamed "the fat accountant sea".


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## benb (8 Apr 2015)

slowmotion said:


> I've never been anywhere near Box Hill and have no idea how I would fare on it. From what little I have read, I'm pretty sure I would be fed up with a constant invasion of cyclists if I was a resident. I wouldn't want a few hundred horsemen to gather outside my door every weekend in Hammersmith either.



You must have missed the term "public" in "public highway"
Residents do not own the roads in their area.


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## ianrauk (8 Apr 2015)

slowmotion said:


> I've never been anywhere near Box Hill and have no idea how I would fare on it. From what little I have read, I'm pretty sure I would be fed up with a constant invasion of cyclists if I was a resident. I wouldn't want a few hundred horsemen to gather outside my door every weekend in Hammersmith either.




I am stunned you would even think that.


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## nickyboy (8 Apr 2015)

Racing roadkill said:


> I don't find Leith / Box hill, remotely interesting, or particularly challenging. The new super popularity, is due to the legacy of the 2012 Olympic race (they did the climb 9 times, so that would be a challenge). Now every fat, ex-golfing accountant, in Christendom wants to ride that route. If there's a market, the sportive organisers are going to try and tap into it. I was talking to a couple of people who live round that way, last week. They want that area renamed "the fat accountant sea".


As a "muscularly built" ex-accountant I probably fit that description.

Same issue around here. Some famous climbs that sportives always target but there are loads of better ones that never feature. I guess it's the same reason; people come for a day out and want to go home having ridden the famous climb(s). That there are better climbs isn't really important to them. Nothing wrong with that.


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## ianrauk (8 Apr 2015)

People on a cycling forum getting upset that there are lots of other cyclists wanting to cycle on the roads. What ever next?


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## slowmotion (8 Apr 2015)

ianrauk said:


> People on a cycling forum getting upset that there are lots of other cyclists wanting to cycle on the roads. What ever next?


 I'm not getting upset. I don't think there's any harm in trying to seeing other people's point of view though. It doesn't have to to be a matter of tribalism.


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## ianrauk (8 Apr 2015)

slowmotion said:


> I'm not getting upset. I don't think there's any harm in trying to seeing other people's point of view though. It doesn't have to to be a matter of tribalism.




Nothing to do with tribalism at all.
More cyclists - less car drivers = good thing.


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## Sittingduck (8 Apr 2015)

goody said:


> Maybe he is JP!
> 
> http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/mystery-cyclist-beats-the-pros-strava-times-24227



Remeber when he took the KOM there was a rumour circulating that JP is actually Contador, lol


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## Pale Rider (8 Apr 2015)

Did anyone ever discover why a former England football manager got a good hiding while parked in his car in the early hours at the foot of Box Hill?


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## Cuchilo (8 Apr 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> Did anyone ever discover why a former England football manager got a good hiding while parked in his car in the early hours at the foot of Box Hill?


Dropping a sweet wrapper out of the window ?


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## Pale Rider (8 Apr 2015)

Cuchilo said:


> Dropping a sweet wrapper out of the window ?



Serious matter, as you know, so he couldn't complain.

But I think it was a bit more exciting than that.


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## vickster (8 Apr 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> Serious matter, as you know, so he couldn't complain.
> 
> But I think it was a bit more exciting than that.


Came on to one of those tough bikers who hang out in the carpark? Cottaging in the lavs?


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## Pale Rider (8 Apr 2015)

vickster said:


> Came on to one of those tough bikers who hang out in the carpark? Cottaging in the lavs?



Possibility.

As I recall, it was a baseball bat attack while he was sitting in his Range Rover.

He said publicly he had become lost - on a journey from London he had done dozens of times - stopped for a rest, and the attack must have been a random act of thuggery.

Also a possibility, but conspiracy theory speculation is not an invention of the internet, so there was plenty of it at the time.


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## jack smith (8 Apr 2015)

Ive never cycled down south but a sportive im doing includes box hill, i cant imagine there being may hills worth doing down that way anyway lol, thankfully i live 40 mile away from the two highest roads in england  So dont need much more tbh as i ride it most weeks.

Perfect road surface, sharp corners on the decent, and hardly any traffic! You do need to watch out a sheep dosent walk out when your doing 45-50 on the downhill though! Us northerners have it great.


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## KneesUp (8 Apr 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> Possibility.
> 
> As I recall, it was a baseball bat attack while he was sitting in his Range Rover.
> 
> ...



It was Reigate Hill, and he'd driven from Spain and stopped for a sleep. The assailants said in court that they were after money for drugs. 



The Guardian said:


> Before taking over at St James' Park, Keegan survived what he describes as the most terrifying moment of his life. In April 1991 he was attacked while sleeping in his Range Rover by the M25 at Reigate Hill in Surrey. 'It was my first day back living in the country after seven years away on the Costa del Sol. I thought they were going to kill me.
> 
> 'I had a lot of bad luck all the way home. I'd driven 1,600 miles and hardly slept. My intention was to sleep on the ferry crossing and then I got this Spurs fan,' he says with a laugh. 'He kept asking what I think about Tottenham and I ended up talking all the way across. I got in my car at Dover but fell asleep at the wheel and someone tooted me. I parked up and put a pillow against my head that Jean had given me. That saved my life.'
> 
> Did the three attackers - who later said in court that they needed money for a drugs debt - know who he was? 'No, it was dark. They threw a massive stone that hit my head but fortunately also hit the pillow as well. Then they hit me with a baseball bat, took my wallet and I tried to get out. Jean and the kids had flown, but I needed to get the car home as well.' Did it put him off settling back in England? 'No. But for a few days I did think, "Wow, what have I come back to?"'


http://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/may/27/newsstory.sport11


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## Cuchilo (8 Apr 2015)

Oh how fun ! They have put holes in the road to stop the northerners crossing .


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## Cuchilo (8 Apr 2015)

KneesUp said:


> It was Reigate Hill, and he'd driven from Spain and stopped for a sleep. The assailants said in court that they were after money for drugs.
> 
> 
> http://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/may/27/newsstory.sport11


Yeah but don't let facts get in the way of things . It was just starting to get good with the cottaging and the bikers etc .


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## jack smith (8 Apr 2015)

@Cuchilo LOL! Youve still got a way to go after that grid through middleton in teesdale and barnard castle until you head remotley south, id call this hill our last line of defence from southern cyclists!


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## nickyboy (8 Apr 2015)

jack smith said:


> @Cuchilo LOL! Youve still got a way to go after that grid through middleton in teesdale and barnard castle until you head remotley south, id call this hill our last line of defence from southern cyclists!



with their cloven hooves


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## Simontm (8 Apr 2015)

Within the next few weeks, I will begin to tackle hills Box and Leith for Ride London training as I have not cycled up either of them since I was a teenager - walked the dog up them practically every other weekend into my 20s! 

Anyone a tad more knowledgeable know what is a good time to get there to avoid pelatons, sportifs etc?


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## Sittingduck (8 Apr 2015)

Simontm said:


> Anyone a tad more knowledgeable know what is a good time to get there to avoid pelatons, sportifs etc?



On a weekday evening, it's lovely. Forget Saturday or Sunday daytimes though...


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## vickster (8 Apr 2015)

During the week I would think. I've only been up a couple of times, never seen a pelaton...just other cyclists going past!


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## Simontm (8 Apr 2015)

I say Pelatons because I always see a few near the Surrey hills when out and about at the weekend.


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## Cuchilo (8 Apr 2015)

Sunday morning at around 8 - 9 is ok after that it gets a bit busy but still ok .


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## Pale Rider (8 Apr 2015)

Aim for the busiest times and do some serious wheel sucking.


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## ianrauk (8 Apr 2015)

It can get busy at weekends with a good few cyclists but I have never seen 'Peleton's.


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## Sittingduck (8 Apr 2015)

I try to suck a fast wheel up there every Saturday morning but get shelled out of the back of the group half way up the first zig zag section! If you can get there 6pm> weekday you will more or less have it to yourself.


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## Simontm (8 Apr 2015)

Thanks peeps. Sunday's seem to be best on my timings. Just need to remember not to drink on the Saturday


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## Cuchilo (8 Apr 2015)

Simontm said:


> Thanks peeps. Sunday's seem to be best on my timings. Just need to remember not to drink on the Saturday


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## w00hoo_kent (8 Apr 2015)

I did my Ride London test run late on a Sunday last year and Box Hill was the busiest bit but still not really busy to any degree. Would have been riding it between 5 and 6 in the early evening at a guess. Also, for me, the easiest compared to Newlands and Leith which I'd already ridden by the time I reached it.


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## vickster (8 Apr 2015)

Sunday is the worst day to do it unless it's peeing with rain. I can never remember if Saturday or Sunday is more the motorbike day, and cyclists more the other

And it's not so hard that you have to abstain on Saturday! I'd avoid between 10 and 4 on either myself


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## ianrauk (8 Apr 2015)

Sunday is usually motorbike day. But they are never any bother.


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## Simontm (8 Apr 2015)

When I was a young driver, I used to borrow my dad's high-performance car and head down the Mickies on the way to walk the dog because the police were only out to catch the bikers. That was why they originally put in the speed bumps wasn't it?


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## Simontm (8 Apr 2015)

vickster said:


> Sunday is the worst day to do it unless it's peeing with rain. I can never remember if Saturday or Sunday is more the motorbike day, and cyclists more the other
> 
> And it's not so hard that you have to abstain on Saturday! I'd avoid between 10 and 4 on either myself


It's more the getting up! Reckon it will take me under an hour to get there from TD so leaving at 7 should be fine.


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## vickster (8 Apr 2015)

ianrauk said:


> Sunday is usually motorbike day. But they are never any bother.


I'm sure. I just don't like motorbikes around me


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## KneesUp (8 Apr 2015)

I like this thread because it puts the 'hilliness' of where I live into perspective. I was a bit grumpy this morning because I still don't feel very fit - my rides are still hard work - and then I looked up Box Hill on Wikipedia and I see that the 'zig zag road' climbs 120 metres in 1.6 miles. And for comparison I looked at the route that would be the most obvious extension to my commute, and it climbs 119 metres in 1.66 miles - but it's not called a 'hill' or a 'rise' or anything, it's just a road - one of many, and not an especially hilly or steep one. And now I don't feel so bad about putting off riding it with my 10kg commuting luggage on my 14kg bike, and I feel better about my fitness knowing that even my flattest commuting route is 60% of Box "Hill"


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## w00hoo_kent (8 Apr 2015)

The South East doesn't do big hills, not a lot we can do about that. The Downs has some that are steep, but they don't tend to be long. That's just how it is. There's still plenty I don't want to do often/at all though. (Vigo).


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## KneesUp (8 Apr 2015)

w00hoo_kent said:


> The South East doesn't do big hills, not a lot we can do about that. The Downs has some that are steep, but they don't tend to be long. That's just how it is. There's still plenty I don't want to do often/at all though. (Vigo).


Oh yes, you can't fight the geology -it's just nice that it's not just me that thinks the hills I would encounter by extending my commute are reasonably serious ones


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## iwantanewbike (8 Apr 2015)

From the article: 'When asked if they saw the number of events being held on the hill to be "excessive", the meeting unanimously voted "yes".'

When you phrase a question like that to a bunch of NIMBYs, of course the answer is going to be "yes"!


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## Cuchilo (8 Apr 2015)

ianrauk said:


> Sunday is usually motorbike day. But they are never any bother.


Unless they beat you up in your car with a baseball bat for cottaging .


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## NorvernRob (9 Apr 2015)

KneesUp said:


> I like this thread because it puts the 'hilliness' of where I live into perspective. I was a bit grumpy this morning because I still don't feel very fit - my rides are still hard work - and then I looked up Box Hill on Wikipedia and I see that the 'zig zag road' climbs 120 metres in 1.6 miles. And for comparison I looked at the route that would be the most obvious extension to my commute, and it climbs 119 metres in 1.66 miles - but it's not called a 'hill' or a 'rise' or anything, it's just a road - one of many, and not an especially hilly or steep one. And now I don't feel so bad about putting off riding it with my 10kg commuting luggage on my 14kg bike, and I feel better about my fitness knowing that even my flattest commuting route is 60% of Box "Hill"



Lol I didn't realise Box Hill was so puny. If I turn right out of my front door I climb that amount in under 2 miles, and that's just on the way to meet up to start a ride. 

Grindleford Hill/Surprise Climb/Froggatt etc (basically anything out of the Derwent Valley back towards Sheffield) are all double the length and elevation of Box Hill, and I'd class them as steady climbs home rather than difficult - there are loads more difficult hills than those in the Peaks.

Then again it is the Peak District so you'd expect it, it's just strange to imagine riding somewhere flat when you live somewhere so hilly and 50ft per mile is considered flat!


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## rebelpeter (9 Apr 2015)

DaveReading said:


> Yes, but few others immortalised in song.
> 
> 
> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yw2yKNLEPc



I had one of these and the black knight


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## KneesUp (9 Apr 2015)

NorvernRob said:


> Lol I didn't realise Box Hill was so puny. If I turn right out of my front door I climb that amount in under 2 miles, and that's just on the way to meet up to start a ride.
> 
> Grindleford Hill/Surprise Climb/Froggatt etc (basically anything out of the Derwent Valley back towards Sheffield) are all double the length and elevation of Box Hill, and I'd class them as steady climbs home rather than difficult - there are loads more difficult hills than those in the Peaks.
> 
> Then again it is the Peak District so you'd expect it, it's just strange to imagine riding somewhere flat when you live somewhere so hilly and 50ft per mile is considered flat!


"Hunters Bar to The Hammer and Pincers" doesn't sound as dramatic as "Box Hill" but it's about the same


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## PK99 (9 Apr 2015)

Simontm said:


> Within the next few weeks, I will begin to tackle hills Box and Leith for Ride London training as I have not cycled up either of them since I was a teenager - walked the dog up them practically every other weekend into my 20s!
> 
> Anyone a tad more knowledgeable know what is a good time to get there to avoid pelatons, sportifs etc?



Midweek!


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## Sittingduck (9 Apr 2015)

To keep the tough Northerners happy, here's a picture of Fred


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## KneesUp (9 Apr 2015)

Sittingduck said:


> To keep the tough Northerners happy, here's a picture of Fred



Fred on the problems of non-standardised bolts: "an yeh'd ave wohl factre waitin fer fella t'mek a bolt; yer knouh" Of course Mr Dibnah has the distinction of being from the correct side of the Pennies (I'm an immigrant) although Bolton is a bit odd.

Anyway - to further my 'blimey, you Southerners eh!' schtick - it's the Sheffield half marathon on Sunday. One section climbs 725ft in 3.25 miles.

You Southerners and your 'hills' eh!


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## benb (10 Apr 2015)

KneesUp said:


> Anyway - to further my 'blimey, you Southerners eh!' schtick - it's the Sheffield half marathon on Sunday. One section climbs 725ft in 3.25 miles.
> 
> You Southerners and your 'hills' eh!



It's not our fault there aren't many hills down here.


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## KneesUp (10 Apr 2015)

benb said:


> It's not our fault there aren't many hills down here.


It's not our fault the thrust of the economic policy of the government for the past 30 years has been to benefit the financial markets in London.

But at least we have nice countryside


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## benb (10 Apr 2015)

KneesUp said:


> It's not our fault the thrust of the economic policy of the government for the past 30 years has been to benefit the financial markets in London.
> 
> But at least we have nice countryside



And nice beer. Although advances in keg transportation and bottling mean we get to enjoy some of it. (I very much enjoy Thwaites Wainwright at the moment)


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## ayceejay (10 Apr 2015)

If I remember rightly, and I haven't ridden Box Hill for a while, the attraction is that it is a similar grade all the way up meaning that you get the gear right and your frame of mind right and it is a nice climb. Some of the other local hills, Leith Hill for instance, are more of a challenge requiring changing gear and pace as the grade changes.


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## Sittingduck (10 Apr 2015)

Correct - it's pretty much 4 - 5% steady all the way up. Couple of nice hairpins and great views, combined with it's proximity to the capital are what make it so popular.


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## KneesUp (10 Apr 2015)

I feel like I'm flogging a horse I've just discovered here but, Box Hill really is like 'just a road' around here, and it still amuses me. I really did imagine Box Hill as some monster climb until I looked it up.

This is 'the roundabout near work to the pub'






And this is Box Hill (although it looks like I plotted slightly too far and included 6ft of descent)


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## fossyant (10 Apr 2015)

KneesUp said:


> I feel like I'm flogging a horse I've just discovered here but, Box Hill really is like 'just a road' around here, and it still amuses me. I really did imagine Box Hill as some monster climb until I looked it up.
> 
> This is 'the roundabout near work to the pub'
> 
> ...



I've had bigger pimples as a teenager.


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## nickyboy (10 Apr 2015)

Having just about managed to cycle up Pym's Chair this afternoon (and a couple of others about as hard; Charity Lane and Meg Lane for painfest afficionados) I am dreaming of hills like Box Hill


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## slycle (10 Apr 2015)

I'm not sure why so many are exclaiming with glee that they've discovered Box Hill isn't a mountain. Nobody here is claiming it's a particularly difficult climb, quite the opposite. It's a scenic ride up a famous hill that people of all fitness levels can challenge themselves on - if you push yourself as hard as you can you'll certainly know about it at the top. It's got a nice cafe stop, which also serves as a good meet up point for further adventures out to the steeper climbs in the area.


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## J1888 (10 Apr 2015)

'Box Hill Obsession' the new fragrance by Calvin SteepInKlein


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## Smurfy (11 Apr 2015)

jack smith said:


> thankfully i live 40 mile away from the two highest roads in england


The radar station?


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## Simontm (17 Apr 2015)

So did Box Hill this morning. A mighty 8 mph average according to strava as everyone else overtook me  All seemingly with Northern accents ! 

So it seems my strategy is to simple chuck it into granny gear and just strum away until I get to the top - think this is will be my routine for all the hills


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## vickster (17 Apr 2015)

That's about 50% faster than I've ever managed  I think Leith hill is a rather sterner test...get riding over the south downs for hill practice. Over to Eastbourne is quite a good test of hill climbing (in the SE at any rate before all the Northerners jump up and down)


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## Pale Rider (17 Apr 2015)

Simontm said:


> So it seems my strategy is to simple chuck it into granny gear and just strum away until I get to the top - think this is will be my routine for all the hills



That's what I do on hills.

It's less demotivating when there's no other cyclists about to go past.


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## Tim Hall (17 Apr 2015)

For a less crowded but hillier experience might I suggest Ranmore Common from the north side? If starting at Ryka's car park, head over the A24, past Box Hill and West Humble Station, then left left onto Ranmore Common Road. Out of the saddle as you take the corner, out of breath by the time you get to the top. On towards the church, then right at the T, followed by a left into the car park. If you do it on a Sunday (or Thursday and Friday apparently) the lovely Sheryl will be there with her van. And over the hedge is a giant mouse.


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## Sittingduck (17 Apr 2015)

As above, try Ranmore from the Westhumble side. Much more testing than Box and you'll certainly know about it by the time you reach the hairpin lefthander up the top section.

https://www.strava.com/segments/629773


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## Simontm (17 Apr 2015)

Thanks guys. Have to map a route out that gets me home again as I cycled the fifteen miles to Box Hill this morning. 

I did accidentally* go over Coombe Lane heading for Green Dene, Effingham, Cobham not that long ago, making imaginary voodoo dolls of those happy cyclists coming the other way as this blithering, sweaty idiot wondered what the eck he was doing 
*accidentally as in "well I need to head North at some point and this looks nice"


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## benb (17 Apr 2015)

Yeah, Ranmore is a bit of a pig.


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## Smurfy (17 Apr 2015)

Tim Hall said:


> And over the hedge is a giant mouse.


Bit of a tease to post that with no picture!


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## Dogtrousers (28 Apr 2015)

Inspired by this thread I rode up Ranmore Common and Box Hill. I'd forgotten just how attractive Box Hill is. Because the hill itself is very steep even if the road isn't, you get great views. And there's a nice café at the top and more spiffing views. Ranmore is pretty similar - relatively gentle gradient plus a hairpin so you can briefly pretend that you are going up the Alpe d'Huez. It's enclosed woodland with ramsons and bluebells at the roadside.





Ranmore is the one on the left


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## PK99 (28 Apr 2015)

Dogtrousers said:


> Inspired by this thread I rode up Ranmore Common and Box Hill. I'd forgotten just how attractive Box Hill is. Because the hill itself is very steep even if the road isn't, you get great views. And there's a nice café at the top and more spiffing views. Ranmore is pretty similar - relatively gentle gradient plus a hairpin so you can briefly pretend that you are going up the Alpe d'Huez. It's enclosed woodland with ramsons and bluebells at the roadside.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



One of my regular circuits is over the Downs, up to Headly Little Switzerland, Ranmore, Box Hill, Bike Beans @ Ashtead for coffee and home (SW19) 40 miles/2170 feet - sometimes with an extension over Leith hill


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## MichaelO (25 May 2015)

Took in Box Hill on my way home from doing a Coldharbour/Coombe Lane/Crocknorth loop yesterday morning - never seen so many cyclists - clearly 10-11am on a Sunday is popular!! Mini pelotons of 15-20 cyclists every few hundred yards!


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## ColinJ (25 May 2015)

KneesUp said:


> Anyway - to further my 'blimey, you Southerners eh!' schtick - it's the Sheffield half marathon on Sunday. One section climbs 725ft in 3.25 miles.
> 
> You Southerners and your 'hills' eh!


Pah - you South Yorkshirers and YOUR hills, eh ... Here's one of the routes out of the local valley to get away from the traffic on the A646 - 670 ft climbed in 1.15 miles. By no means the hardest of the local climbs!  






Ooh, the sun has just come out and I have been slacking so I think I will go along and ride up that! See y'all later ...


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## Simontm (25 May 2015)

Dogtrousers said:


> .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's not Ranmore...

Tell me, have you seen strange lights in the sky?
An urgent need to get somewhere?
Five notes playing in your head?

Whatever you do, stay away from the mash!


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## Pumpkin the robot (13 Jun 2015)

ColinJ said:


> Pah - you South Yorkshirers and YOUR hills, eh ... Here's one of the routes out of the local valley to get away from the traffic on the A646 - 670 ft climbed in 1.15 miles. By no means the hardest of the local climbs!
> 
> View attachment 89842
> 
> ...



On the forum ride I did with you, it was the Southerner getting up the hills first 

I am riding back down South next month, I will do Boxhill again, as it has been about 17 years since I last did it!


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## Pumpkin the robot (14 Jun 2015)

I will be up Holme Moss tomorrow for some hill repeats.


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## Cuchilo (14 Jun 2015)

I have family in York so I think I'm going to have to pay them a visit soon and see these hills you northerners are talking about . I'll borrow my Mums shopper


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## TheJDog (15 Jun 2015)

I did Box Hill yesterday but my GPS trace looks like a toddler was running around at the bottom then doing some crazy cross countrying up to the top.


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## vickster (15 Jun 2015)

@jefmcg, another cycling buddy and I went both down and up it. I have to say going down was as challenging as going up as it was so flipping cold and a bit wet


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