Kidds Hill for practice

Interesting day today.

It happened. The sideways landing of me on the bike. Bizarrely happened, but that was how I was told it would happen. Had stopped, meeting up with Stewart, put left leg down then shifted weight and was leaning to the right and gravity took over! I was fine, but knocked the bike about a bit, so may need a quick check over.

Quite a nice day for a ride today, and we were heading the same kind of way as the SBC crew as I had decided I would like a crack at Kidds Hill (don't think it has an apostrophe before the grammar freaks start going on and I can't be bothered at present to go check it out, I know, terrible lazy journaliism but that's how things are nowadays, just print and be damned) which is listed at #19 in the 100 hills to climb in UK. That's not saying it's the 19th hardest, just the person who wrote the guide placed it there.

Riding up that way took us to Nutley first, which we had done the other week and seemed to get up without any real bother. The surprise was when we carried on from there towards Wych Cross as to how much more up there was to get to the top of the Ashdown Forest. You wouldn't really notice it in a car, but it was a bit more noticeable on a bike.

Anyway, we got the up done and had been talking about hills and how sometimes it was better not to know what was coming, so I didn't tell Stewart we were going up Kidds.

From Wych Cross, past Ashdown Park Hotel (used in Colditz and previously owned by Barclays) and went down and down, then turned right into Kidds Hill (aka Holly Hill apparently).

It went down a bit more and then started going up. It's only 0.9 miles long, average gradient of 8% with a maximum of 17% and is known as 'The Wall'. It's known as 'The Wall' because after the first little climb, it goes round a bend and probably the last 0.6 miles of the climb is there before you as a straight road just going up with the steepest part to come. It does only go up 125 metres, slightly les than the Beacon and I think actually, despite the psychological issue of seeing it all laid out for you, it's a more steady ride. Not that I was fast, I think I rank 4500 something on the list of those who have been up there, maybe next time will be quicker. Ha! Next time??

Picture is Stewart cresting the top.