Having lived in Colorado, driving in the Rocky Mountains, I didn’t think the hills and dales of North Yorkshire would give me pause. The Rockies challenge you with long gradual slopes, a mile or two at 6% isn’t out of the norm. The hills here are a whole different creature. Most slopes here aren’t that long, but they are STEEP.
You always need to keep in mind that the British are masters of understatement. The sign below is telling drivers that if you weren’t smart enough to drop a few gears already, you need to do it NOW!
It’s a bit like diving off the side of cliff in a car and hoping for the best.
Did I mention that many of our roads are only wide enough for one vehicle at a time?
It’s rare that these steep slopes occur in a straight shot. More often than not, they toss in a single lane switch back or stone bridge just for fun! They do try to give you fair warning!
I’m really amused with they throw a ratio at you instead of a percent!
This sign is near our house. It’s actually an understatement for what you’re heading into. m surprised that GSP doesn’t give you a “sit down, shut up and hold on” kind of warning.
Visibility can be limited….
Meeting farm equipment on these roads is a common occurrence.
HGV stands for Heavy Goods Vehicle. To those of us in standard cars, it means this road is going to get VERY narrow and winding. Timid drivers should just turn around now! Farmers sometimes result to their own warnings!
Driving on the other side of the car and road is only one of the challenge to driving in much of England. Driving long distances in reverse is a fundamental driving skill here.
I don’t mean to scare any of you from visiting. It’s a great adventure. Come on over and give it a whirl!