BLACK HILL ROAD

ARTHINGTON, OTLEY

Black Hill Road begins to rise the moment it leaves the junction with the A659. It’s gentle at first, but glance up and you’ll see the warning of a 20% gradient ahead. Climbing upwards – dead straight – the now stiff incline approaches a 90 degree right-hand bend, after which you’ll see the road rear up and vanish into some woods. The abrupt change in gradient hits you hard, but it’s not yet the 20% advertised. In fact, I’d say the only place it hits that maximum is at the apex of the next left-hand bend, which marks the end of the hardest stretch. Here the tarmac switches from a reddish colour back to the standard grey. For the next 500 metres, the climb continues to rise steeply, and there are numerous slight brows before the road eventually disappears over the horizon. After this peak, the rest of the climbing is very gentle up to the point where it fizzles out completely, just past Bank Top Lane.