Streatley vies with Whiteleaf for being my local hill – although I must admit I have never been up it on a bike. I tend to head off into the Chilterns and up round Brill way rather than following the course of the Thames and was looking forward to riding this hill. My friend James often climbs this – I think it is part of GS Henley training rides which is the club he belongs too.
As I was doing this on 27th December, I was wife, daughter and dog in tow – we needed to get this one ticked off, head back home, back up and head down to Cornwall to “start” our Christmas break. We therefore (shockingly) drove to Goring, parked up and I unloaded the bike, got the camera on and headed off. Only to stop straight away at the red lights that mark the junction that starts Streatley Hill.
Streatley and Goring themselves looked like pretty Thames-side towns/villages, a bit like miniature Henleys, but thoughts of the picturesque village were soon cleaned from my mind as the climbing started. Simon warned that it was a climb that got harder the further you went up – and he is right, but this is not to say that the climb is easy at any point!
It is only a short climb, but all at above 10% and it is a real grind. Especially when you are carrying around the excesses of Christmas Day and the follow up of Boxing Day. The climb will be much different in the beauty of the summer – it is flanked by banked woodland, but even in the winter, with the leaves off of the trees and everything brown and muddy it was still lovely.
I didn’t come across any other cyclists whilst climbing – but did see a group come up in dribs and drabs when I walked the dog afterwards – it was obvious the hill shattered the group and it was gratifying to see that everyone was blowing hard when they got up!
Cracking views from the top too - really lovely.
Garmin Data here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/138861534
Flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/100hillsforgeorge/sets/72157628779863745/
Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_oBweQQ1cs&list=UU_-Huk3Gbwz9QNbiVD1X_jw&index=1&feature=plcp
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