Andrew, To your list of great sections I will add, Crackington - sets my heart pounding, Elwell - Sadly Pete had to drop it from the Allen but I loved it. Really long and a challenge to get across the field at the top and Hugerford from the Clee. Grotty entrance from the road, horrible ruts at the top and a disaster for an exit road. I think it's great though. One of the sections I look forwrd to most of all. I agree John Walker is great but only in the dark! In fact talking about then dark I will include Normans Hump on my list. Michael
When I ran a poll on here on 'Favourite Hills' during the Foot-and-Mouth' period the top three hills, in order, were: 1) Simms 2) Blue Hills 2 3) Clinnick Funnily enough, Simms also featured in the 'Least Favourite' top three as well!
Favourite sections or great sections? I've broken some of mine down under different headings: Atmosphere 1. Simms (on the Exeter) - nothing else comes close 2. Crooked Mustard - long wait, lots of knowledgeable locals, great hill. No longer a real stopper for Class 8 (although I seem to crawl over the step more slowly each year...) but you're a hero if you get to the top in a saloon 3. Bluehills 2 - amazing setting and that huge crowd Fun Factor 1. Port Lane (Exmoor Clouds) - it's got the lot - mud, ruts, huge rocks and it goes on forever 2.Jack/Jill (Kryle) - great if you get over the holes at the bottom and the rocky bits at the top 3. Buttermilk (Chase Clouds) - long, steep, muddy and rutted 4. Station Lane (Cotswold Clouds) - another mud-tastic blast Ultimate Stoppers 1. Pheasant Rise (Chase Clouds) - Class 7/8 only but the biggest adrenaline rush of the year. Through the trees at the bottom and then flat out up a steep muddy bank. So steep and slippery that it was never climbed and you had to be winched back down. Special mention to Dave Alderson who got so close to the top that he was winched out through the top 2. Loads of hills on the Camel that I can't remember the names of!
Ian - I was trying to combine atmosphere, fun factor and stoppability into one non-trial-dependant list although it's very interesting to see that my top three = your top three for atmosphere, albeit in a different order. I agree that nothing beats Simms on the Exeter for atmosphere but my experience on the 2002 Exe Valley totally altered my perception of it as a 'stopper' whereas I believe that the difficulty of Blue Hills 2 alters little during the event or the season. After all, we often tackle it in comparatively warm, dry, conditions. Go on, have a go at a combined list! Andrew PS - More 'Rules of engagement'! The Chase Clouds Trial is no more and their sections unfortunately cannot count as 'current'. PPS - I think you mean Station Road as used about three or four years ago. Station Lane is the old pre-war section that goes straight up from the start whereas Station Road turns immediately left. I'm not sure the fun factor extended to cleaning the mud off afterwards. I still have a picture to prove what I saw when we first arrived at the section that year - Dudley Sterry and Mick Workman with 'disc-wheeled' cars. The mud had completely covered the wheels and was scraped flush with the outside of the tyres.
Andrew - OK so I was trying to work some different hills into the list on slightly different criteria. Simms and Bluehills 2 will always feature at the top of the list because they are unique in their setting and history and more people have attempted/driven them than have attempted great hills on ACTC events. Other than those two I'd have to have Crooked Mustard and Port Lane in my Top 5. Still not sure what the 5th one is though! Litton Slack in consistently wet conditions is pretty good although I've only seen it like that twice - both times whilst marshalling. In the dry there's nothing to it at all. Bamford doesn't have much atmosphere - you can't see anything from the bottom, it's not brilliant for spectating and you have to wait ages before you attempt to bounce over the concrete slabs! Beggar's Roost used to be a huge hill for spectators and stopability but it rarely gets mentioned these days. Can't remember High Bray. Jack and Jill have a fantastic setting but are probably on the least 'great' list of most saloon drivers so my fifth would probably be Hungerford. PS You're right I did mean the Station Road mud-fest not Station Lane. Probably not used enough to be in the Top 5 and the only spectator was the guy chopping wood with a huge axe next to his smokey old caravan that everyone slid into on their way out of the section! PPS Shame about the Chase Clouds - a truly 'great event' (but that's a different and even more contentious debate!)
I agree with you that all the hills listed are very good. The one hill I would like to add to the list is one that will stop class 8 without tyre pressure limits or a restart, class 1 can also climb to the top. Last year the section was very tame due to weather and a completely different start line. The hill is approached along a half mile drive along a forest track were you come across a queue of about 40 cars and 90 minute wait, from the start you turn 120 degrees hard left into deep ruts, which eliminates all of the lower classes then after a short climb a tight right hander and another climb up a rocky gully were the next casualties are found smoking there tyres, if you are still moving as the hill gets higher you are faced with a wall of death left turn where many a famous class 8 competitor has come to grief, now you are halfway up and the loud pedal needs to buried [not to deeply in a BMW] as you climb up through the tree line accent because near the top the ruts are as deep as Burledge were most of class 7 come to a halt, and if you manage to make it to see the top all the failures are there to greet you. Any ideas on this hill??????
David H's mystery hill sounds to me like "Lane End", late running hill on the Kyrle. I'm not sure about the wall of death left hander mind, maybe that's more to do with turning circles. I think its difficult to identify "the best" hills, because the good ones tend to change their character from year to year. But to my mind there is great pleasure to be derived from driving Fingle Bridge. Not difficult, I drive the hill on road pressures to protect the tyres from punctures, and see if this time we can pull 3rd. A rough list, in no real order would be:- Fingle Bridge Crooked Mustard Clinnick Sandale "All the Hills on the Clee" (except the two on the estate!)
Good spot Simon. As good as Crooked Mustard and Clinnick sound, thay don't look so good from only half way up. Lane End will stop all classes without re-start or limits and is climbed by each class, any other hills anybody can think off which can match that criteria.
Andrew, To your list of great sections I will add, Crackington - sets my heart pounding, Elwell - Sadly Pete had to drop it from the Allen but I loved it. Really long and a challenge to get across the field at the top and Hugerford from the Clee. Grotty entrance from the road, horrible ruts at the top and a disaster for an exit road. I think it's great though. One of the sections I look forwrd to most of all. I agree John Walker is great but only in the dark! In fact talking about then dark I will include Normans Hump on my list. Michael
ReplyDeleteWhen I ran a poll on here on 'Favourite Hills' during the Foot-and-Mouth' period the top three hills, in order, were: 1) Simms 2) Blue Hills 2 3) Clinnick Funnily enough, Simms also featured in the 'Least Favourite' top three as well!
ReplyDeleteFavourite sections or great sections? I've broken some of mine down under different headings: Atmosphere 1. Simms (on the Exeter) - nothing else comes close 2. Crooked Mustard - long wait, lots of knowledgeable locals, great hill. No longer a real stopper for Class 8 (although I seem to crawl over the step more slowly each year...) but you're a hero if you get to the top in a saloon 3. Bluehills 2 - amazing setting and that huge crowd Fun Factor 1. Port Lane (Exmoor Clouds) - it's got the lot - mud, ruts, huge rocks and it goes on forever 2.Jack/Jill (Kryle) - great if you get over the holes at the bottom and the rocky bits at the top 3. Buttermilk (Chase Clouds) - long, steep, muddy and rutted 4. Station Lane (Cotswold Clouds) - another mud-tastic blast Ultimate Stoppers 1. Pheasant Rise (Chase Clouds) - Class 7/8 only but the biggest adrenaline rush of the year. Through the trees at the bottom and then flat out up a steep muddy bank. So steep and slippery that it was never climbed and you had to be winched back down. Special mention to Dave Alderson who got so close to the top that he was winched out through the top 2. Loads of hills on the Camel that I can't remember the names of!
ReplyDeleteIan - I was trying to combine atmosphere, fun factor and stoppability into one non-trial-dependant list although it's very interesting to see that my top three = your top three for atmosphere, albeit in a different order. I agree that nothing beats Simms on the Exeter for atmosphere but my experience on the 2002 Exe Valley totally altered my perception of it as a 'stopper' whereas I believe that the difficulty of Blue Hills 2 alters little during the event or the season. After all, we often tackle it in comparatively warm, dry, conditions. Go on, have a go at a combined list! Andrew PS - More 'Rules of engagement'! The Chase Clouds Trial is no more and their sections unfortunately cannot count as 'current'. PPS - I think you mean Station Road as used about three or four years ago. Station Lane is the old pre-war section that goes straight up from the start whereas Station Road turns immediately left. I'm not sure the fun factor extended to cleaning the mud off afterwards. I still have a picture to prove what I saw when we first arrived at the section that year - Dudley Sterry and Mick Workman with 'disc-wheeled' cars. The mud had completely covered the wheels and was scraped flush with the outside of the tyres.
ReplyDeleteAndrew - OK so I was trying to work some different hills into the list on slightly different criteria. Simms and Bluehills 2 will always feature at the top of the list because they are unique in their setting and history and more people have attempted/driven them than have attempted great hills on ACTC events. Other than those two I'd have to have Crooked Mustard and Port Lane in my Top 5. Still not sure what the 5th one is though! Litton Slack in consistently wet conditions is pretty good although I've only seen it like that twice - both times whilst marshalling. In the dry there's nothing to it at all. Bamford doesn't have much atmosphere - you can't see anything from the bottom, it's not brilliant for spectating and you have to wait ages before you attempt to bounce over the concrete slabs! Beggar's Roost used to be a huge hill for spectators and stopability but it rarely gets mentioned these days. Can't remember High Bray. Jack and Jill have a fantastic setting but are probably on the least 'great' list of most saloon drivers so my fifth would probably be Hungerford. PS You're right I did mean the Station Road mud-fest not Station Lane. Probably not used enough to be in the Top 5 and the only spectator was the guy chopping wood with a huge axe next to his smokey old caravan that everyone slid into on their way out of the section! PPS Shame about the Chase Clouds - a truly 'great event' (but that's a different and even more contentious debate!)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that all the hills listed are very good. The one hill I would like to add to the list is one that will stop class 8 without tyre pressure limits or a restart, class 1 can also climb to the top. Last year the section was very tame due to weather and a completely different start line. The hill is approached along a half mile drive along a forest track were you come across a queue of about 40 cars and 90 minute wait, from the start you turn 120 degrees hard left into deep ruts, which eliminates all of the lower classes then after a short climb a tight right hander and another climb up a rocky gully were the next casualties are found smoking there tyres, if you are still moving as the hill gets higher you are faced with a wall of death left turn where many a famous class 8 competitor has come to grief, now you are halfway up and the loud pedal needs to buried [not to deeply in a BMW] as you climb up through the tree line accent because near the top the ruts are as deep as Burledge were most of class 7 come to a halt, and if you manage to make it to see the top all the failures are there to greet you. Any ideas on this hill??????
ReplyDeleteDavid H's mystery hill sounds to me like "Lane End", late running hill on the Kyrle. I'm not sure about the wall of death left hander mind, maybe that's more to do with turning circles. I think its difficult to identify "the best" hills, because the good ones tend to change their character from year to year. But to my mind there is great pleasure to be derived from driving Fingle Bridge. Not difficult, I drive the hill on road pressures to protect the tyres from punctures, and see if this time we can pull 3rd. A rough list, in no real order would be:- Fingle Bridge Crooked Mustard Clinnick Sandale "All the Hills on the Clee" (except the two on the estate!)
ReplyDeleteGood spot Simon. As good as Crooked Mustard and Clinnick sound, thay don't look so good from only half way up. Lane End will stop all classes without re-start or limits and is climbed by each class, any other hills anybody can think off which can match that criteria.
ReplyDelete