NOUGHT BANK ROAD

PATELEY BRIDGE, HARROGATE

There are four great climbs that leave Pateley Bridge, most notably Greenhow Hill. Nought Bank Road isn’t as long as Greenhow Hill and it doesn’t reach the same altitude, but it’s steeper, a lot steeper. A short way out of Pateley Bridge and over Fosse Gill, the road bends right then immediately left into a corner so steep you’ll be forced to the wrong side of the road, so take care. The slope then relaxes a little before plunging you back into snaking bend after snaking bend, each turn getting tougher and tougher whilst incrementally directing you round to the right, towards Yorke’s Folly. The push to the summit is a stunning stretch of road framed by exposed rocks, but what appears for all the world to be the top is nothing more than a long, leveled, left-hand bend. It’s still steep, so carry on. Soon enough the road bisects a stone wall then draws up to a slight right-hand bend where it eventually levels out.