ST KENELM’S PASS

CLENT, WORCESTERSHIRE

The globe is littered with great mountain passes; roads that traverse inhospitable terrain at challenging altitudes, forming vital links between communities, even countries – roads such as the Gotthard Pass, the Stelvio Pass, the Khyber Pass, and yes of course, St Kenelm’s Pass, crossing the not quite so savage peaks of the Clent Hills. ‘Pass’ is quite an audacious moniker for such a seemingly insignificant road, but a pass it is and I’ve marked the start at the crossroads in Clent. From here it kicks up hitting 10%, and then backs off before climbing hard once more. For the majority of its course the slope is easy to deal with, although there are the odd spikes in the gradient to keep you on your toes. Winding through the woodland and rolling, grassy banks you line up for the summit, and to mirror the start there’s another 10% ramp to tackle before you roll over to take in the views out over Birmingham.