Lyham Hill – Simon Warren Cycling Climbs of the North East

• SW Rating: 5/10
• Wheelygood Rating: Easy
• Length: 1.31 miles
• Avg. gradient: 6%
• Category: 4
• Strava Segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/19602115
• Route: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1002553

A staple of the Wooler Wheel sportives, this is a really nice climb up to one of the highest points in the area from which, on a good day, you can see right across to Lindisfarne (Holy Island).

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning which, somewhat unusually, carries a safety warning. As you approach the bottom of the climb, the road drops down and then turns sharp left as the road tips upwards. This left hander is normally strewn with gravel or, occasionally, whatever’s fallen from the back of the last piece of farm machinery to come by. It is, but all accounts, a horrible corner and one which will take your front wheel away if you pitch it in too quickly. I’d also be wary of taking too wide a line on the way in, because this might put you face to face with the piece of farm machinery which is currently coming down the hill.

Safety briefing out of the way, it’s time to get into the climb proper. And the good news is that the bottom section – the bottom half, really, is very steady. The first straight is in the 7% range and it bumps up towards 9% as you wind your way around the gentle S-bend. There’s still quite a lot of climb to go, so it’s a reasonable idea to think of keeping a lid on the effort here as you’ll need it for a bit further up. On the Wooler Wheel, this is where you’ll be overtaken by a lot of people who are determined they’ll make it up at full bore. So long as you can exhale a few spoken words in a row, you’ll be fine, but if you’re beyond that then it’s time to sit up and smell the country air. Most of the year at least.

The next point of interest is a short row of houses on the left hand side of the road. These mark the boundary between the steady and the steeper parts of the climb. There are a couple of relatively flat sections here and, if you’re out to enjoy yourself, I’d look to making the most of them. If, however, you’re caning it, then you can make time on those of us who aren’t in these sections!

And, as if by magic, as soon as you’re past the houses (and the extraordinarily nondescript crossroads), the slope will give you a wave and say ‘hi’ as 12% becomes the norm. And it goes on longer than you either think, or want. It’s not just that short pitch – this carries on through the second gentle S-bend and almost all the way to the significant left hander which you will see in front of you. Not much for it other than to push hard on the pedals and ignore that insistent tone telling you to stop, get off and push. You’re nearly there, so keep going if you can!

Another slight relief as you take that left hander before the road pitches up again. It’s not as steep as the previous section, but it’s steep enough that you’ll know about it. The road surface is … unusual … in parts. It’s as though there has been some subsidence on the left hand side of the road, but there is a very definite ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ line. I’d advise taking the ‘upper’ one if it’s safe to do so – it’ll make things easier a bit further up when road flattens across it’s width again, by which time you’ve only got about 10 more pedal strokes until you’ve completed the hard bit.

Once you’re round the right-hander, you’ve done the hard work. No, you’re not quite at the top in terms of the highest point of the road, but, essentially, you’re at the top of the climb. All you need to do now is keep going across a couple of rollers (you’ll even get a freewheel!) until you get to one with a gate into the field at the top and you’re there. On a clear day you can also tell, because it’s your first good view of the sea (and, possibly, Lindisfarne). If the weather has closed in then, to paraphrase the late Sir Terry Pratchett, you might as well be on the inside of a pingpong ball so you’ll need to use a combination of guesswork and the Simon Warren app. If you reach another tight right hander with a road coming in from the left, then you’ve gone too far!

Either way, it’s a good place to do as the Wooler Wheelers do and stuff a self-congratulatory jelly baby[ref]Other snacks are available and I’m sure some of them are even sugar free![/ref] into your face before descending towards sea level. And, if it’s a bit chilly out, then I’d do that sooner rather than later as it’s not the greatest of places to admire the view unless the weather it utterly perfect – if nothing else, the wind will take all your core temperature away, just in time for the descent to do the same, but more so…

If there are any other road climbs you’d like me to take on, the more ridiculous the better, then please send me a message on my FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/wheelygoodcycling/ or email me on wheelygoodmail@gmail.com and let me know…

Lyham Hill - Simon Warren Cycling Climbs of the North East