OXENHOPE MOOR

OXENHOPE

This climb starts in the centre of Oxenhope, rising away from a mini-roundabout at the junction of the A6033 and Station Road. The road arcs left out of town for a few hundred metres, but get ready to break for a sharp right-hand turn that leads on to open land. As the slope increases in severity, there’s an Alpine-esque right-hand bend that sweeps gradually upwards. From here, the gradient is consistently inconsistent, always taxing but continually changing. I simply could not find a comfortable gear to tackle the course across the beautiful moorland. Past the Wagon and Horses pub you continue to wind left and right and soon a small collection of conifers comes into view. This marks the beginning of the end of the climb and as you snake round them the gradient ebbs away. Passing a car park on the left you come to a finish as the road plateaus in the wonderful, almost pristine emptiness.