What are the most famous cycling climbs in the UK in 2025?
Looking for the most famous cycling climbs UK has to offer in 2025? Whether you’re a seasoned climber chasing KOMs or a weekend rider seeking iconic routes, this year’s curated list of Britain’s most compelling ascents is both timely and inspiring. With updated rankings, new facilities, and valuable performance data rolling in as of September 2025, there's never been a better time to plan your next two-wheeled challenge.
We’ve rounded up six key publications and guides—each freshly updated—highlighting the latest must-know information about the UK's steepest, most scenic, and best-equipped climbs, helping you ride smarter and aim higher. From the brutal gradients of Bamford Clough to the sweeping beauty of Buttertubs Pass, let’s explore what makes each climb unique—and just possibly unforgettable.
Why these climbs matter now: The context in 2025
Post-pandemic outdoor activity is booming. The UK's cycling scene has surged with a +12% increase in cycle tourism reported in 2025 alone. But with more people riding comes a higher demand—not just for scenic routes but for smart rides with data, support services, and challenges that speak to both veterans and newcomers.
The climb classifications and guides listed below address several common pain points and desires among today’s riders:
- Verified Strava segments for performance comparison
- Specific gradients, distances, altitude gain stats
- Cyclist-friendly facilities like bike hubs and cafés
- Advice on traffic avoidance and safety tips
PJAMM Cycling’s top 10 hardest climbs UK (September 2025)
If brutal gradients are your thing, Simon Warren’s latest update on PJAMM Cycling is your bible. The 'United Kingdom 10 Hardest Cycling Climbs' ranking reveals the toughest ascents nationwide with jaw-dropping difficulty ratings based on gradient severity and psychological grind.
- Bamford Clough (England): Probably the steepest legal road in Britain, recently popularized by thrill-seekers chasing extremes.
- Afon Ddu (Wales): Raw hillside beauty masking one of the UK’s grittiest challenges through Snowdonia National Park.
- Hardknott Pass (England): Deemed nearly unrideable when wet—with gradients spiking over 30%
- Bealach na Ba (Scotland): Scotland’s signature monster; long, remote, utterly cinematic
This list captures the heart of British suffering—and that’s precisely what some riders are chasing in 2025. Many of these roads double as pilgrimage routes for elite cyclists training for high-altitude foreign races—or equally, ambitious amateurs looking to find their limit.
North York Moors' technical marvels: Cycling Weekly guide (Sep 2025)
The September edition of Cycling Weekly shines a spotlight on the reliable bite of Yorkshire’s North York Moors—a particularly relevant read if you love combining beautiful postcard hills with intense personal tests. Featuring fresh data including recent KOMs on Strava, this guide emphasizes climbs such as:
- Blakey Bank: A consistent average gradient of 11% (max 20%), lined by expansive views across sheep-grazed valleys.
- Carlton Bank: Topping out at a ridiculous 25%, this is where legs scream and gears crunch. Recent KOM was slashed by nearly a full minute as of September—can you do better?
- Boltby Bank: Short but savage; tactically excellent for interval work or high-wattage tests.
If pairing raw gradients with Instagram-worthy visuals describes your perfect ride day—this is your zone.
Check out Cyclosport saddles for extra comfort on steep climbs like Carlton Bank.
Buttertubs Pass: The heart of Britain (Epic Road Rides, Sep 2025)
You can’t talk about famous cycling climbs UK-style without tipping your helmet to Buttertubs Pass. Featured prominently again this year in Epic Road Rides’ “Best Cycling Climbs in Europe” list, this Yorkshire gem blends heritage with sheer beauty.
- Length: Approximately 4.4km from Hawes to Muker side
- Average Gradient: Around 7%, spiking beyond that on blind corners
- Conditions: Prone to strong crosswinds and occasional sheep traffic—stay alert!
This climb gained fame back in the Tour de France debut UK stage (2014), but it's not resting on history alone. Cyclists still come here daily for sweeping bends, descending drama, and silent summit moments interrupted only by bleating locals.
Southeast comfort + gradient: Leith Hill & Mow Cop (HIGH5 Nutrition, Sep 2025)
The latest update from HIGH5 Sports Nutrition’s blog “Top UK Climbs” not only dives into elevation stats but emphasizes usability—with stops!
- Mow Cop (Cheshire): Final segment reaches upward of 23%, featured annually in events like Cheshire Cat sportive.
- Leith Hill (Surrey): The London area’s highest climb has received an overhaul—complete with mountain-top café + bike repair hub now open since September 1st.
- Holme Moss (West Yorkshire): Another stage-rocking beast and visual icon from previous races like Tour de Yorkshire.
If you’re mixing train-accessible climbs with authenticity and recovery-friendly descent zones, southeast hotspots like Leith Hill provide excellent ROI without sacrificing elevation training quality.
The hidden beasts & new findings: Simon Warren speaks (Sep 2025)
This one’s for riders who think they’ve seen it all. According to a recent interview posted by Much Better Adventures, Simon Warren—Britain’s canonized climbing nomad—raved about newly recognized routes such as:
- Bamford Clough (Sheffield area): A gnarly cobbled horror at over 33% gradient... technically legal if your bike complies!
This focus on “new-old” routes emerging from regional guides shows there are still pockets within Britain where raw ascent meets underappreciated history. If you crave solitude + challenge? These secret gems are calling you out individually by name… or gear-set.
You can also pair challenging rides like these with mental recovery activities between sessions. Read more on staying stress-free as a performance cyclist over at the Cyclonix Wellness section here: Cycling Stress Relief Tips UK – Updated for September
User profiles & common use cases seen on UK roads this fall (Sep '25)
- The KOM Chasers: Riders actively using Strava segments across Carlton Bank to break recent records set this month.
- The Cafe-Bike Loopers: Roadies planning Leith Hill + Box Hill + pub returning patterns every Sunday using new infrastructure hubs as waypoints.
- The Mega Route Makers: Planning coast-to-coast routes incorporating Hardknott Pass + Fleet Moss across multiple-day sufferfests—trend increasing via user groups like UK Long Haul Riders FB community.
The takeaway trends you shouldn’t ignore in September ‘25
- The cafe bike hubs movement igniting across climbs starting with Leith Hill supports both local communities AND longer rides—it’s here to stay.
- KOM/QOM leaders refresh is happening weekly across Yorkshire Moors now; suggesting fierce local competition driven by optimized gear + taper weekends before attempts.
- Sustained push by local councils means more marked rural climbs with cyclist-specific signage emerging pre-2027 goal: total climb network map visibility via GPS tools.
What makes the famous cycling climbs UK so sought-after in 2025?
Spotting a trend: Why are cyclists obsessing over UK climbs this autumn?
Every September, something shifts in the UK cycling scene. There’s a certain buzz, a low-frequency rumble you can almost hear under the whir of chains and clicking of gears. That’s the sound of hill climb season kicking off. In 2025, searches for famous cycling climbs UK have exploded — not just for their brutal gradients or postcard-worthy views, but for what they represent: challenge, community, and a calendar packed with iconic events.
Whether you’re chasing a personal best on Hardknott Pass, planning a lads-only cycling weekend in the Lake District, or simply feeding your competitive streak by joining your local time trial, you’re not alone. The surge in interest isn’t just anecdotal — it’s clear in the data and confirmed by thousands of riders sharing routes and photos every week.
The peak behind the craze: What people really search for
When users type 'famous cycling climbs UK' into their browser in 2025, they aren’t just curious. They’re actively preparing — for sportives like the Fred Whitton Challenge, grueling time trial hill climbs, or that dream holiday spent ascending legendary roads.
This season’s top climbing queries include:
- “best cycling climbs UK 2025”
- “hardest cycling climbs UK”
- “UK hill climb events near me”
- “cycling holidays with mountain routes”
- “gradient profiles Hardknott Pass”
- “Fred Whitton elevation gain”
The most frequent co-occurring terms:
- Gradient, especially max gradients (36.5% anyone?)
- Challenge, usually linked with events or long-term fitness goals
- Sportive, often alongside location-specific searches like “Peak District sportive”
- The Tumble, linked to pro events and rider Geraint Thomas’ history there
The British hill climb obsession: More than just steep roads
The UK's climbing culture is unique — partially due to its terrain, rich in short yet savagely steep ascents, and partially due to heritage. Events like the Widecombe Hill Climb or infamously painful ascents such as Bamford Clough or Hardknott Pass aren't just roads; they’re rites of passage.
This autumn, many cyclists are also preparing for hill climb-specific events that involve individual time trials up brutally short but sharp inclines. Terms like 'time trial hill climb' and 'scenic suffering' have popped up across forums and social feeds. Riders are hungry for pain — but the kind they celebrate after crossing a white chalk finish line scratched onto tarmac.
A new generation of cyclists is discovering Britain’s toughest ascents
The post-pandemic boom has bred a new wave of cycling enthusiasts who aren’t content with coffee shop spins — they want adventure, altitude, and adrenaline. For many of these riders, discovering the best cycling routes in Scotland and Northumberland has become a quest full of meaning, deeply tied to fitness milestones and life goals.
But it’s not only about personal goals. Events like the Tour of Britain continue to influence what riders search for and where they want to pedal next. With Geraint Thomas shining once again on climbs like The Tumble during final-stage showdowns in Wales, these heroic ascents have climbed Google Charts right alongside his watts-per-kilo stats.
Dive deeper into preparation: What cyclists need beyond courage
You can’t wing a ride up Hardknott Pass any more than you can freelance your way through an Alpine stage. Riders are increasingly looking for help regarding equipment adaptations (lighter gearing is hot), nutritional strategies (feedstations matter), and even saddle comfort.
If you’ve ever climbed Llanberis Pass with sore sit bones at mile ten, then you know what we’re talking about. This explains why queries leading directly to the best-performing bike saddles by Cyclonix have spiked too — especially among those training for back-to-back sportives or multi-day rides in hilly regions.
The holy trinity: Gradient, elevation gain and morale-killing ramps
A cyclist's trifecta of suffering is found reading about three things before even booking accommodation:
- Total distance
- Elevation gain
- Pente maximale (max gradient)
This is where storytelling meets science. Take this example: someone researching Hartside Pass won't just want its length (5 miles) or average gradient (5%). They’ll want photos from previous Fred Whitton riders soaking wet halfway through it — because data alone doesn’t paint the full picture.
'Lining up at Bramley Head and hearing the sound of cleats clicking on tarmac just before sunrise is emotional... knowing that nine miles ahead lie some of Yorkshire's most unforgiving gradients.' – A local rider featured in Cycling Weekly’s coverage of North York Moors routes.
If this resonated with you, wandering through guides like this one from Cycling Weekly covering the North York Moors classics will become part of your prep ritual.
Don’t overlook logistics: Post-search behavior matters too
Cyclists don’t stop at finding “top cycling climbs in Britain.” Data shows that once users find profiles or top-10 ranking lists, they dive deeper into adjacent searches:
- Where to stay near Lake District sportive starts?
- Is Dragon Ride still taking entries?
- What gears do I need for Bamford Clough?
- Bike maintenance tips pre-hill race?
- View from top of The Struggle during sunset?
This confirms what we suspected: modern cyclists treat these routes as mini-pilgrimages. They prep extensively, buy new equipment based on terrain specs, and book travel well in advance.
A landscape painted in sweat: From Dartmoor to the Scottish Borders
If there's one takeaway from all this curiosity around famous cycling climbs in the UK right now, it's that British geography gives cyclists an endlessly rich playground. Between merciless gradients in Dartmoor monoliths and long scenic rollers up north near Aviemore, variety is not lacking.
The best part? The scenery bites back just enough to make every triumph hard-earned. And yes — whether you're chasing KOM segments on Strava or prepping for next April’s Fred Whitton registration moment — just remember you're part of something bigger than watt output charts. You're part of the climb itself.
.selector