Steepest trail in Scotland?

Burnwarroch off the south of Dumyat is 50% (171m in 347m), but when I rode it Strava gave it a distance of 1.5km and a gradient of 19% due to all my zigging and zagging to try and stay alive.

https://www.strava.com/segments/3978582

Dan – if you’re going to come and straight line this one do let me know so I can come and watch.

This is a less steep bit as it drops into the void:

Is that 347m oer the os map or the length of the trail?

Pumphouse, also forgot that! It’s a very rideable 39%, though I find it a disappointing straight line.

If PH is what I think it is, I heard the man responsible for it built as he’d just got a 29er.

In my experience, anything over 50% (26°) feels way too steep.

Interesting graphic. I was just thinking on the commute – is there a convention whereby roads are given a grade in percentage terms and, shall we say, natural features are given an angle?

So a hillside gets given 11deg whereas the road gets 20% (except in UKIP la-la land where it gets 1 in 5)

I think all we’re talking about here is the way strava refers to gradient, where 1:1 is 45 degrees/percent or whatever you want to call it.

Pumphouse is the one that comes off the top of jawbone.

Yep, skills required to ride stuff 35% plus (see what I did there?) are very different and it becomes a case of front wheel control, momentum and confidence.

I think all we’re talking about here is the way strava refers to gradient, where 1:1 is 45 degrees/percent or whatever you want to call it.

does strava do it differently? degrees and percent are different, as diagram above.

Burnwarroch off the south of Dumyat is 50% (171m in 347m), but when I rode it Strava gave it a distance of 1.5km and a gradient of 19% due to all my zigging and zagging to try and stay alive.

I think even if you straightlined it strava isn’t going to give you the actual gradient in such a short trail. You should be able to test this by creating a mock up straight line.

Always been confused by Pumphouse. Strava says it’s steep but it doesn’t feel steep. It’s fairly short and direct though. I always think bits of other Caberston trails are way steeper.

As bigjim has already highlighted Strava has poor vertical resolution over such short distances due to the altitude data used. Think of it as being very large “pixels” only instead of being different colours they are areas of “average” height.

Agreed Bob, pump house isn’t anything special, but is quite short again so probably just suffers from the same effect that scotroutes mentions

Always been confused by Pumphouse. Strava says it’s steep but it doesn’t feel steep. It’s fairly short and direct though. I always think bits of other Caberston trails are way steeper.

I already explained this to you in my second post. 😕
Why care so much about what Strava says? I know what steep is, I don’t particularly need any kind of measurement device to know I’ve ridden down steep trails. and certainly don’t need to know the average steepness of any one trail. This conversation is beginning to remind me of the posh tools you used to hear bragging loudly in the queue for their cake at the Hub only back then instead of numbers it was colours. is it a ski **** thing? 😆

on the road Strava is a decent wee tool for judging the steepest climbs and can be used to find/compare hills whether for training or a challenge. Off road it’ll give a decent idea of what you’re in for in certain areas but there’s no need to get all number autistic about it.

Do yourselves a favour and ride BMX at some point in your lives. For a BMXer there’s either kickers or flat, Vert, tranny or invert.. no none ever talks about angles except to describe how far they’ve spun.

I did this awesumz 50ft double on my BMX once!

if only son, if only… 😥

I did this awesumz 50ft double on my BMX once!

strava or it didn’t happen

I did Strava it but it makes it look easier than it actually is

lolz

I already explained this to you in my second post

I didn’t bother my arse reading your second post. Or anything beyond that line in your last one.

mtbel – Member

Why care so much about what Strava says? I know what steep is, I don’t particularly need any kind of measurement device to know I’ve ridden down steep trails. and certainly don’t need to know the average steepness of any one trail.

What are you doing on this thread then? That’s exactly what I’m looking to use as the basis of THIS discussion. Not argue of the merits of such. Just wondering what trails people ride that STRAVA says are steep. I guess you can’t handle that.

Without some objective measurement (e.g slope angle, Strava gradient) it all comes down to perception. Unless, of course, someone reckons they’ve descended every trail in Scotland and is therefore in a position to be the ultimate arbiter.

it all comes down to perception

As already mentioned, people (myself included) are piss poor at judging angles. Heck, some on this thread clearly don’t even know what an angle is.

A useful yardstick would be the angle of the slab at Laggan. Not that steep but because it is short and at a consistent angle it will give a good idea of what an angle really looks / feels like.

I have cycled down my step into the back yard, its a foot high and slightly less than a foot wide so at least 45 degrees 🙂

Ignore last post I dont live in Scotland, so claim is null and void

Whats pumphouse?

Wee trail at innerleithen

Ok Dan. I do apologise. it must be Pump house.
glad that’s sorted.

Yay! I’ve ridden the steepest trail in Scotland 😀

except it isn’t! 🙁

Wheres it go? Theres a good chance ive ridden it and have no idea that its called pump house.

Edit: Found it. Near Jawbone. I see.

Headdown Jawbone, turn off to the right around a third of the way down. It’s not really worth doing, over and done with very quickly

Portydave: The only info I have about Caderg are posts from the late Messiah (used to post on STW). He described Caderg as almost unridable (+ I gather he was a pretty competent rider).
The route incorporating this I fancy this summer, is to start at Fergus in Glen Isla, ride up via Craig-lair, Bawhelps (don’t need any help with mine, thanks!) to Mayar and a decent of the Kilbo Path to Clova. Glen Clova, Bachnagairn, Broad Cairn, Carn Bannoch to ride the awesome Carn an t-Sagairt Mor track down to Loch Callater. Up the landytrack to Cairn of Claise to reach the path that circles the boggy plateau via Druim Mor to the top of Caderg.
A shorter variant would leave out Mayar, do Finalty Hill, Tom Buidhe then Cairn of Claise.
I can see myself getting to the edge of Caderg, turning tail and riding down Monega Hill instead!
All the blank bits on the map in this part of the ‘Gorms have tracks (sometimes tiny); all you need are good visibility and a dry spell to ride up there.

Similar ilk perhaps to the Dumyat route is the descent of West Lomond Hill down to the Bonnet Stane; via the straightline path used by fell runners, not the one further NE traversing the fence. Don’t know if it’s been ridden; looks well steep!

The average angle on that will be quite low.

Surely a descent off dumgoyne could be made pretty vertical

Similar ilk perhaps to the Dumyat route is the descent of West Lomond Hill down to the Bonnet Stane; via the straightline path used by fell runners, not the one further NE traversing the fence. Don’t know if it’s been ridden; looks well steep!

I’ve climbed up the route you mean, directly up from the bunnet stone up the face of west lomond. I’m not sure of the gradient but I’d say it’s unridable downwards…not just out of steepness but because it goes straight down, no traversing at all, and there would be no traction at all with braking being completely ineffective!

In a similar part of the world, there is actually a very steep trail on the south facing slope of benarty hill. Was dug out by some local rad downhillers about 4-5 years back and is very overgrown as of the last time I was up there….but it exists, and is certainly steep for the vast majority of its length.

Cheers Chickenman, I’ll check it out. I knew Brian (or messiah) and he was indeed handy so the challenge has been laid down!

Those big slag heaps out near newbridge ish area at Edinburgh have some pretty steep sides to them.