Winter’s Gibbet – Simon Warren #61
- S/W Rating: 5/10
- Wheelygood Rating: Easy
- Length: 2.08 miles
- Avg. gradient: 5%
- Category: 4
- Strava Segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/6677593
- Route: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1142106
- Parking: There is space to park around the village green in Elsdon
Scene of the 2004 National Hillclimb Championships, I think it’s fair to day that Winter’s Gibbet is one of the better known climbs in the North East – so much so that it’s normally referred to by the simpler form of just ‘The Gibbet’.
It is a climb of Many Parts – there’s a steep lower section, a mid-range middle section and a shallow, flowing, upper which means it’s a blend of all types of climb, although not in sufficient volume to make it particularly hard. I should mention here, though, that, for whatever reason, I don’t particularly enjoy riding up the Gibbet. No idea why – there’s nothing here I haven’t done in spades elsewhere, but, somehow, it just doesn’t feel quite right, or natural to me. It’s a very personal feeling – quite a few of the Club (Tyneside Vagabonds CC) regard it with far more fondness than I do.
As is normal with these things, we begin at the bottom. In this case, it’s in the village of Elsdon, deep into North Northumberland. Once clear of the village, you’ll cross over a small bridge and catch your first glimpse of the climb. Another hundred metres later and you’ll turn right around a farm and be confronted with the steepest ramp of the whole caboodle. It’s into the 20% range and feels like a wall, but you’ll get there. And, then, after a false flat, it hits you again with another steep ramp, although this one is noticeably shorter. So far, so steep.
You then get some recovery1 before the road sweeps left, and up into a long, drawn out ramp. Don’t be fooled by the right hander and the flatter looking bit around the corner – it’s no easier than the section you’re on now. Yes, it’s slightly lesser in terms of gradient, but it is always that little bit more into the wind. And it’s this section which does for me – every time. It’s not steep, nor long, nor that hard, but it sucks the life out of my legs. It’s as much as I can do to just keep rolling the pedals around until I reach the next corner, at which point the road gets steeper, bends again and then relents.
You’re now on the upper slopes, but don’t think you can blaze a trail just yet. Yes, you’re now getting some downhill action, usually with the wind between your buttocks, but that ramp dead ahead is steeper than it looks. If you’re a National level racer, then you can, no doubt, engage the warp engines on this, but, for the rest of us mortals, there’s a certain amount of winching to be done on this 10% pull. And, no, it’s exactly as much fun as it sounds.
Crest the hill and now you’re into the steadier territory. Build up some momentum, and a decent rhythm and you’ll be well away now – assuming you’ve got anything left in your legs. It takes a little while, but the top does, eventually, start to feel like it’s getting that little bit closer. I’m not sure whether it’s a help, or hindrance, that you can see the actual gibbet at the top of the climb, although it is a handy marker point for where your effort will conclude.
And then, as if by magic, following one last shallow ramp, you’ll reach the corner which marks the summit. If you’re feeling OK, then crack on and enjoy the tailwind all the way to the end of the road – but please be aware that, at the time of writing, the road surface heading East was appalling … and then some. If you’re not feeling OK, then there’s a handy lay-by on the left in which you can curl up into a tiny ball until the dizziness goes away…
Chapeau – you’ve just made it to the top of one of the premier climbs of Northumberland!
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…
Unless, of course, you’re on a Club Run, or a Hillclimb, in which case you’ll get no rest whatsoever, because the general mood up here is to give it a punt… ↩
