Hollingbourne Hill

 Date climbed  6th April 2013
 Elevation gain  371 feet
 Length  0.8 mile
 Duration  8 minutes

Hollingbourne Hill is a long (by Kent standards), ever-steepening slog. It starts just as you pass Hollingbourne Manor on your left. It’s already quite steep as you ride through the village and past The Dirty Habit pub on your right. As you exit the village it gets steeper.

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The high banks on either side of the road offer no views to inform you how high you are and there is never any sign of where the top of the hill is. It just keeps climbing remorselessly towards the next bend up ahead. And it keeps getting steeper! After about six and a half minutes you finally see the gradient easing up ahead; the road takes on a convex profile, indicating that it’s becoming less steep. You’re nearly there. The worst bit is over. You can change up a couple of cogs now and ease off the gas as you approach the summit.

Hollingbourne Hill

 

 

Addendum

Two and a half years later, I entered the Hollingbourne Hill Climb event

East Hall Hill

 Date climbed  11th July 2013
 Elevation gain  254 feet
 Length  0.6 mile
 Duration  5 minutes

This is one of the hills that rises from the Vale of Kent up to the Greensand Ridge. This one could well be the steepest of them all.P8020456

It’s one of those hills where you can never really see what lies ahead as there is always a bend blocking the view, and every time the road turns, it gets steeper. After progressively getting steeper it ends up with a very steep section that goes on for longer than you want it to. I’d say it’s as steep as the worse bit of Barn Hill, but it goes on for much longer.

ehh

Stonestile Lane

 Date climbed  16th June 2013
 Elevation gain  336 feet
 Length  0.7 mile
 Duration  7.5 minutes

About a mile north of Hastings. The first part of this hill is steep enough that I had to be out of the saddle. There was no possibility of sitting down. It’s quite a slog and reminded me of Cob Lane. That means it’s good enough to be on this list. Luckily that bit doesn’t last long and once you get it over with it eases slightly – still no chance of getting out of first gear but at least you can get your breath back and maybe sit down. It continues climbing like that for about another half a mile. Then it kicks up slightly again at the end and you find yourself out of the saddle again.