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If it’s the Steep I’m thinking of, that’s a bloody big hill if you live at the top 🙂
My current understanding is that Bell Hill to Warren Lane summit ("Warren Corner" segment linked to
earlier) is the biggest cat3 climb on mainland Hampshire, ~574 feet over ~3.3 miles, unless you climb from Butser Ancient Farm to Butser summit (which usually means stopping to open the gate at the edge of the Butser car park).
If you include the Isle Of Wight, the cat3 climb from Ventnor esplanade to Down Lane summit is the biggest, ~766 feet over ~2 miles ! 😮
https://www.strava.com/segments/9109765
Ventnor is on my radar, wish I hadn't put even more weight on and wish I hadn't lost my top form from very early March, but I hope to tackle it this summer, maybe even between tomorrow and next Tuesday.
I personally think 3-4 miles is too high. My wife wouldn't do that and she's generally fairly get up and go. 2 miles tops IMO and that might be pushing it depending on terrain.
You forget how people who don't cycle view distances. I cycle 14 miles each way into work at least once a week (not much by the standards of most people on here), a lot of people at work think I'm nuts. My mum used to drive to work, it was about 1.5 miles away in a flat Suffolk town
Rain during commuting hours, during summer at least, is surprisingly rare.
About eight or nine years ago there was a particularly wet summer. At the time I was working about 8km from home and needed the waterproof on less than five occasions. There were some close calls where I missed getting a soaking by a minute or two but that was pure chance rather than any judgement on my part.
OP: Might be worth emphasising the time rather than distance: ten minutes sounds a lot more doable to most people who don't cycle than two miles.
Gradient - hills making them easier with good advice about using gears