100 Climbs Route: Day 14, Hawes to Watermillock

In August 2018, three Cycling UK members - Dominic Millar, Graham Salisbury and James Findlater – cycled a 3,300-mile, 29-day route around Britain to take on all 100 hills featured in Simon Warren’s book ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’. This route plots day 14 of the journey, 103 miles from Hawes to Watermillock, taking in the climbs of Fleet Moss, Buttertubs Pass, Oxnop Scar, The Stang, Tan Hill and Lamps Moss.

Day 14 is a one for unashamed hill hunters only, as you’ll be detouring and turning back on yourself to take on the challenges as they’re laid out in ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’.

The first part of the day is a tour of the toughest parts of the Yorkshire Dales, starting with an excursion south of Hawes to ride up Fleet Moss… and then back down, covering the same stretch of tarmac for the third time (if you include the journey here yesterday).

Then it’s off to pastures new. Enjoy the descent to Thwaite because that’s the climb of Buttertubs Pass in reverse. If you want to attempt the climb as per the book, you’ll have to immediately turn around and attempt the fearsomely steep, zigzagging pass from the northern side.

Not far round the corner, figuratively speaking, the route branches away from the River Swale to detour up Oxnop Scar, which starts with a 25% section but eventually eases off to reveal a twisting and swooping - and enjoyable - ride to the top.

Head back down the hill to rejoin the main road and carry on eastwards and then north to Langthwaite, where you’ll break away from the later route to climb The Stang. This is a wild, open challenge that takes you up across moorland to the exposed summit and border with County Durham.

We’re not going any further north-east today, mind, so return to Langthwaite and then ride north-west, through Whaw, to face Tan Hill: a long, long climb that makes up for what it lacks in obvious challenge with epic wilderness. The gradient is certainly not as hard as some, but with it’s inhospitable windswept surroundings, this isn’t one you want to do in poor weather.

There’s just one more climb today and it’s another situation where you’ll be able to do a good reconnaissance as you ride over it in ‘the wrong’ direction. Once you reach the village of Nateby, turn right round and head back up Lamps Moss to the barren summit from where you’ve just come.

With your legs shot for the day, it’s a long ride up along the edge of the North Pennines before arcing into Lake District to finish at Watermillock not far from the banks of Ullswater.

So it’s the Lakes tomorrow. That should be easy…