Porlock Hill

Last updated

Porlock Hill
Bottom of Porlock Hill - geograph.org.uk - 62196.jpg
The start of Porlock Hill, where the toll road branches off to the right
Highest point
Elevation 347.8 m (1,141 ft) [1]
Listing Marilyn
Coordinates 51°12′25″N3°36′19″W / 51.206873°N 3.605371°W / 51.206873; -3.605371
Geography
Exmoor National Park UK relief location map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Porlock Hill
Exmoor, England
OS grid SS86384603
Topo map OS Explorer OL9

Porlock Hill is a road west of Porlock, Somerset. It is part of the A39, connecting Porlock to Lynmouth and Barnstaple in Devon and is the steepest A-road in the United Kingdom, approaching 1 in 4 (25%) in places. A toll road is available which connects the same two endpoints at the top and bottom of the hill at an easier gradient.

Contents

Route

The route climbs west of Porlock to the north fringes of Exmoor. It climbs 725 feet (221 m) in just under 1 mile (1.6 km), [2] the steepest gradient on any A-road in the UK. [3] At one point, there is a warning sign advising motorists of a gradient of 1 in 4 (25%). [4]

The road is part of the A39, a long-distance road along the north coast of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, though it is not a main through route here. [5] Porlock Hill is not recommended for caravans or HGVs, which are strongly advised to seek another route. Cyclists are advised to dismount. The road has two escape lanes along its descent, to handle runaway vehicles. [2]

Owing to its gradient, numerous accidents have occurred on Porlock Hill. The village's local museum has an archive of photographs documenting various incidents along it. [2]

In Porlock itself, burning brakes of vehicles that have just descended the hill can often be smelled. [6]

History

A typical accident on Porlock Hill, showing an HGV collided with a tree after being unable to brake and forced to use the escape lane Countisbury, The 1 in 4 Hill - geograph.org.uk - 222540.jpg
A typical accident on Porlock Hill, showing an HGV collided with a tree after being unable to brake and forced to use the escape lane

There was no practical transport west of Porlock in the 18th century. In 1794, the poet Robert Southey wrote that such a route was considered "the end of the world". In 1812, the local community was fined for not maintaining a good road, and builders were employed to construct a suitable route. The road opened in 1843 when a stagecoach travelled from Lynton to Porlock successfully. [4]

Shortly after the road opened, a local landowner, Mr Blathwayt, decided to build a toll road further north at a more relaxed gradient of 1 in 14 (7%). [4] The toll road was not successful initially as horse-drawn traffic could cope with Porlock Hill, but became popular owing to the increased popularity of the motor car. [7]

During a storm in 1899, the Lynmouth lifeboat could not be launched from the harbour to aid a stricken vessel, so instead it was hauled east by land, down Porlock Hill to the weir at Porlock, where it could be launched safely. [8] [9] The event is remembered in the song "13 Miles" by Skinny Lister.

On 19 August 1900, Selwyn Edge became the first person to drive a motor car up Porlock Hill, winning a £50 bet in the process. The first motor coach managed to climb the hill successfully in 1916. [4]

Events

Porlock Hill is popular with cyclists. In 2015, over a hundred racers competed for a £3,100 prize to cycle up the hill along the toll road, followed by a series of children's races and a general fun ride. In 2022 for the first time there was also a race up the hill. [10] It is listed as one of the 100 greatest cycling climbs in the UK. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South West Coast Path</span> Long-distance footpath in England

The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for 630 miles (1,014 km), running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more challenging trails. The total height climbed has been calculated to be 114,931 ft (35,031 m), almost four times the height of Mount Everest. It has been voted 'Britain's Best Walking route' twice in a row by readers of The Ramblers' Walk magazine, and regularly features in lists of the world's best walks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exmoor</span> National park in South West England

Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath. Exmoor is more precisely defined as the area of the former ancient royal hunting forest, also called Exmoor, which was officially surveyed 1815–1818 as 18,810 acres (7,610 ha) in extent. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and 55 km (34 mi) of the Bristol Channel coast. The total area of the Exmoor National Park is 692.8 km2 (267.5 sq mi), of which 71% is in Somerset and 29% in Devon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Devon</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

North Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based just outside Barnstaple, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Ilfracombe, Lynton and Lynmouth and South Molton along with numerous villages, seaside resorts and surrounding rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A39 road</span> Road in south west England

The A39 is an A road in south west England. It runs south-west from Bath in Somerset through Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Bridgwater. It then follows the north coast of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall through Williton, Minehead, Porlock, Lynmouth, Barnstaple, Bideford, Stratton, Camelford, Wadebridge and St Columb Major. It then joins the route of the A30 road for around 5 miles (8.0 km), re-emerging near Zelah to head for the south Cornish coast via Truro and Falmouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynmouth</span> Village in Devon, England

Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the northern edge of Exmoor. The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge 700 feet (210 m) directly below the neighbouring town of Lynton, which was the only place to expand to once Lynmouth became as built-up as possible. The villages are connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, which works two cable-connected cars by gravity, using water tanks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porlock</span> Village in Somerset, England

Porlock is a coastal village in Somerset, England, 5 miles (8 km) west of Minehead. At the 2011 census, the village had a population of 1,440.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardknott Pass</span> Hill pass in the Lake District, Cumbria, England

Hardknott Pass is a hill pass between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, England. The tarmac-surfaced road, which is the most direct route from the central Lake District to West Cumbria, shares the title of steepest road in England with Rosedale Chimney Bank in North Yorkshire. It has a maximum gradient of 1 in 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bwlch y Groes</span>

Bwlch y Groes is the second highest public road mountain pass in Wales, with a summit altitude of 545 metres (1,788 ft). Gospel Pass in south Wales is slightly higher. It lies on minor roads linking Dinas Mawddwy, Llanuwchllyn and Lake Vyrnwy. The view from the pass encompasses the plain of the Dyfi valley, Cadair Idris and a close view of Aran Fawddwy. The cross, just below the summit at the junction of the roads from Vyrnwy and from Dinas Mawddwy, commemorates the place of the pass on a pilgrim route from north Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway</span> Water powered funicular in England

The Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway is a water-powered funicular joining the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth on the rugged coast of North Devon in southwest England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porlock Weir</span> Human settlement in England

Porlock Weir is a harbour settlement approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the inland village of Porlock, Somerset, England. "Porlock" comes from the Old English portloca, meaning an enclosure near a harbour. Porlock Weir refers to the salmon stakes and traps that were situated along the shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coleridge Way</span> Long-distance footpath in Somerset and Devon, England

The Coleridge Way is a 51-mile (82 km) long-distance trail in Somerset and Devon, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurlstone Point</span> Promontory of land on the coast of England

Hurlstone point is a promontory of land between Porlock Weir and Minehead in the Exmoor National Park on the coast of Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quantock Motor Services</span> English bus operator

Quantock Motor Services is a privately owned bus operator in Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, England. The company operates a substantial heritage fleet for private hire and on route 300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dovery Manor Museum</span>

Dovery Manor Museum, also known as Porlock Museum, is a local museum in Porlock, Somerset, England.

The Lynmouth Flood occurred on the night of 15–16 August 1952, principally affecting the village of Lynmouth, in North Devon. A storm with heavy rainfall, combined with already saturated soil and flood debris, led to the flooding of the village and a total loss of 34 lives.

Lynmouth Lifeboat Station was the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Lynmouth, Devon in England from 1869 until 1944. Its best known action was in 1899 when the lifeboat was taken 15 miles (24 km) across Exmoor before being launched to assist a ship in trouble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Countisbury</span> Village in Devon, England

Countisbury is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brendon and Countisbury, in the North Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. It is on Exmoor, roughly two miles east of Lynmouth along the A39. It has a church and pub. The National Trust owns the other buildings. In 2001 the parish had a population of 66.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samaritans Way South West</span> Long-distance footpath in South West England

Samaritans Way South West is a 103 miles (166 km) Long-distance footpath in South West England. It was officially opened on 21 April 2004 by the Ramblers Vice Chairman, the Samaritans (charity) Chief Executive and a farmer from Gloucestershire who headed the Farmers Helpline. In the same year it appeared on the Ordnance Survey maps supported and encouraged by Local Authorities, National Parks and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by giving their consent; however Somerset County Council later asked the Ordnance Survey to remove the route from their maps. A way marked walk linking the Cotswolds, the Mendips, the Polden Hills, the Quantocks, the Brendons, Exmoor National Park and the North Devon Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynton and Lynmouth</span> Area of Devon

Lynton and Lynmouth is a civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The parish is named after its two main settlements of Lynton, which stands on a plateau above the Glen Lyn Gorge, and Lynmouth which lies at the foot of the gorge where the West Lyn River and East Lyn River converge and then meet the sea. The two are connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, a water-powered funicular railway.

The geology of Exmoor National Park in south-west England contributes significantly to the character of Exmoor, a landscape which was designated as a national park in 1954. The bedrock of the area consists almost wholly of a suite of sedimentary rocks deposited during the Devonian, a period named for the English county of Devon in which the western half of the park sits. The eastern part lies within Somerset and it is within this part of the park that limited outcrops of Triassic and Jurassic age rocks are to be found.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Detailed maps & routes to explore across the UK | OS Maps" . Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Gardner 2011, p. 68.
  3. ↑ "The Improbable A39". Roads.org.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bradt 2015, p. 159.
  5. ↑ Corfield 2010, p. 45.
  6. ↑ "Porlock Hill is the steepest a road in England".
  7. ↑ "Porlock Toll Road" . Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  8. ↑ Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bodmin: Bossiney Books. p. 45. ISBN   0-906456-98-3.
  9. ↑ "1899: Launch from Porlock Weir - Timeline - Our history - RNLI".
  10. ↑ "Top cyclists set for Porlock Hill Climb this weekend". Somerset County Gazette. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  11. ↑ Warren, Simon. (2010). "4". 100 greatest cycling climbs : a road cyclist's guide to Britain's hills. London: Frances Lincoln. p. 21. ISBN   9780711231207. OCLC   520736498.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.