JACKSON BRIDGE

JACKSON BRIDGE, HOLMFIRTH

Leaving the A616 and rising out of Jackson Bridge is a section of the Kirklees Way commonly known in hill climbing circles as Jackson Bridge. The course up to Tinker’s Monument is varied in its gradient but never easy. As it leaves the valley, the even surface climbs past some houses on your left and right away you’re on to the hardest stretch. A triple whammy of 20% bends – right, left, then right again – will all but bring you to a standstill. Once through this section, the slope lessens and you pass some cottages to reach a T-junction. As it winds it way up, the road becomes more and less steep in ebbs and flows. There’s a small dip before the final stretch that offers a short but welcome 20 metres of relief, and here you can take a moment’s rest and regain some speed. Although you won’t hold on to it for long; the harsh right-hander that follows robs you of any momentum and you’re left to grind your way up to the farm at the top.