Birdlip Hill z Brockworth

Still my nemesis. Love it and hate it. The second kick up on this climb is the tough part. Save some in your legs for it. Then as you round the top bend to the left, it'll leave you with a near empty tank. It can be busy with cars so always have a rear light on, especially through the wooded section as it can get a little dark later in the day.

One day of the hardest climbs in the region due to its length and prolonged double digit gradients. Not especially scenic, although there are some rather nice views back over the Severn valley. Traffic is fairly busy, but only light vehicles. At the time of writing roadworks on the A417 may be temporarily increasing the traffic, but may reduce it longer term. Based on this I would say it’s definitely one to tick off, and ride occasionally, but other climbs nearby are nicer.

Others have described it well already. It is a classic climb to do in the locality on a decent wide road with reasonable surface. For the true summit at 296m do the awkward right turn as you enter Birdlip village at 19％. There is usually enough traffic for you to have to put on a painful spurt to make it across the junction quickly! Some nice views on the way up. Actually, I believe Simon Warren gives it 4/10, which makes me think he must've been on something that day.

I don't know what it is about this climb but it kicks my arse every single time. Simon Warren only gives it 7/10 but I think he's got this one wrong. It's quiet enough with some traffic but it holds 15％+ so long that it take puts me in the red every time. The final kicker of some 19％ always has be running on fumes. It's a great climb.

I love this hill. There is a small and regular amount of traffic, but this tolerable as bulk of vehicles and all of the heavy trucks use the "new" bypass. The first few hundred metres very gradually steepen to no more than 3 or 4％ as the well surfaced road winds through flattish fields. At around 1 km though the road steepens where it begins to carve into the side of the hill, and the average gradient of the tree lined lined carriageway doubles. Throw in to that the three or four sections of mid and high teens percentages, and this becomes a shortish but testing climb. I was glad to see the lip of the road as it quickly flattened at the top at the Royal George Hotel. It's also work carrying on through Birdlip village and making the last left turn before the junction with the A417. At the end of that road is a viewpoint with magnificent views across to Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.