ASTERTON BANK

ASTERTON, SHROPSHIRE

On the western edge of the Long Mynd lies the infamous Asterton Bank; although it is also known by many other names, there are none that I can print here. Without being too hysterical, this climb is nothing more than a joyless straight line of pain. Start opposite the old red telephone box, roll past the numerous warning signs and across the cattle grid, and then bend slightly left. You’re now face-to-face with the vicious 25% corner, which takes you on to the cruel slopes that cling to the side of the sheer bank. The surface, just wide enough for a single car, is smooth at the edges but little more than gravel and moss in the centre. It never relents, never lets up, until you reach a bend in the shadow of a rocky outcrop; you’ve still a fair bit of climbing to reach the top, but it’s not as hard from here. You will be able to reacquaint your backside with the saddle for the final push to the summit on the approach to the gliding club.