Skinningrove Bank – Simon Warren Cycling Climbs of the North East
- SW Rating: 5/10
- Wheelygood Rating: Hard
- Length: 0.62 miles
- Avg. gradient: 10%
- Category: 4
- Strava Segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/19593433
- Route: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1122291
- Parking: Cat Nab car park in Saltburn
This feels like another Yorkshire coast special: straight up the side of the hill from the seaside to the top of the Moors with nothing really in the middle. However, it isn’t. Quite. It comes under Redcar and Cleveland which means it’s just around the corner…
Before the climbs begins, you look directly out to sea and, on a nice day, you couldn’t wish for anything nicer. Blue sky, the odd frothy top to a wave and the small of salt in the air. Turn right, however, and all of this vanishes abruptly. When I mentioned straight up the side of the hill, well, that’s exactly what I meant. The road turns and then goes straight up the side of the hill. It’s cheaper than building hairpins, I suppose. If you think it feels vicious, that’s because it is, hitting well over 20% until you reach the small shack on the right by which time the gradient will have, roughly, halved.
This shack also gives you a good view of where you’re headed and, no, that’s not a joke. I’d recommend doing your best to relax in this, short, section, which isn’t quite as daft as it sounds: the relative lack of gradient will mean that it does feel easy – at least in comparison to the section you’ve just ridden.
Once clear of the shack, you’ll continue to to get a slightly lessened gradient for, ooh, about 20m and then it’ll ramp back up again. Fortunately this isn’t to the same levels as earlier, but it’s enough to put a serious dent in your progress all the way to the crest that you could see earlier on. It’s worth putting the effort in to get yourself over this crest, because (a) you’ll get a proper rest on the false flat and (b) you’ve done the worst of it now. In other words, if you can make it to here, then you’ll make it to the top.
Exactly as you’d expect, the road tips up again not too long after this, but it’s a lot more manageable, just touching double figures for the next hundred metres, or so. It does save a bit of a spike for the last section before the next crest, though, so don’t worry if that speed starts to drop off again. Yes, it is getting steeper again: not quite to that 20%, but close.
Having crested this, er, crest, it’s one final straight drag up to the junction which represents the top of the climb. It’s not far and nor is it steep, but, given what you’ve just ridden, it is likely to be quite hard work!
Once at the junction, stop, collect yourself and bask in the knowledge of that you’ve bested another pretty tough Yorkshire climb!
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…
