Ivinghoe Beacon / Clipper Down from Ivinghoe

Ivinghoe Beacon is a good climb. To get the best out of it you need to approach from Ivinghoe Aston, rather than along the B489 (and I will submit that version). However, you do get the best view of the Beacon when approaching on this route. It's like Box Hill in the sense that it's not as steep as you expect, and you can get up it in your big ring. The challenge is in the speed, rather than in conquering steepness. Local riders measure themselves on the "grid to grid" section of the climb, between the cattle grids: anybody can ride up the beacon, but not so many can do the grid-to-grid section in less than 4 minutes. Go and ride it, bearing all this in mind.

I was quite disappointed by this climb. The name is quite famous, with the hills being used as a film set for a number of big movies. However, the climb is not very steep, and there isn’t much to see from the road. The first road is quite busy, but after the turn it’s quieter.