BANK ROAD

MATLOCK

Climbing away from the centre of Matlock, Bank Road is one of the steepest residential roads in England. The venue for multiple National Hill Climb Championships, it turns from the roundabout on the A615 and then ramps up abruptly – a straight line of smooth tarmac between town houses. Beginning around 1-in-6 and getting gradually steeper as it goes, this climb can wear you down like no other. Being an urban road there are numerous drains and parked cars to weave past, as well as markers to focus on, but there’s no respite from the relentless slope. The road kinks right towards the top and then left through a steep 1-in-5 section towards a triangular junction. The road opens up here to a large expanse of tarmac; bear right and keep to the far left-hand side where the slope is shallowest, to take as much momentum as possible into the final, gentler section that levels out next to a bus stop.