Sir Chris Hoy draws up ten-strong shortlist of Nation's Perfect Hill - is yours on the list?

The NW keeping quiet about our best roads? Absolutely. It's bad enough having to share the Trough of Bowland with motorbikes without legions of soft southern, fair weather sportive riders turning up to bray about Cervelo, electronic shifters and whether they can get a through train from Kendal to Kings Cross.

It's all wool shorts, flat caps and lonely roads up here and that's the way we want it to stay.

Well what about Llanberis Pass, the climb starts from Nant Peris for a couple of miles up to the Pen y pass youth hotel always a good ride with great scenery,either freewheel all the way down the pass back to Llanberis or go down hill through Nant Gwynant to Beddgelert, another popular ride with us locals. :

Mmmmm.... Ralph Allen, not sure what sets that apart from other descents in Bath and the surrounding area, maybe I'd better go and have another look and see if I become a convert...

Luckily living in the lakes has it's perks! Kirkstone is superb, you can easily hit 60mph down then when the wind is behind you, and as mentioned already, you often have clear view of the road ahead so as long as you're "careful" it's no problem!

Whinlatter down to Lorton is good, and also Wrynose into little langdale, but the best two to try next time are: Kirkstone backwards, either get up the struggle from Ambleside or from patterdale side past brothers water to the top and head down to troutbeck, really long (Fred folk will know this from biking up it!) and puts a smile on your face as it's a sit back and relax descent! Buttermere over Newlands and then the superb LONG LONG descent back down to Keswick (or the foot of Whinlatter Pass)... maybe see you out on the road!

Hodgy.

I love it that Wales have zero entries. Surely Chris knew he was going to get a response with that omission.

Lake Vyrnwy / Bala loop has two great climbs/descents in one go.

Otherwise someone was taking the mick putting in Richmond park....

One of my favourite descents is on the A894 between Loch Assynt and Kylesku - it reminded me of the Alps and has great views.

Elm Grove in Brighton is pretty good I've taken the corner at the bottom at 45 mph many times! Ditchling Beacon should be top of the list of descents I've done the mile down it in 1:25, an average speed of 45 mph which is also totally insane...

I clocked 57mph on a touring bike on the A859 Lewis to Harris road. Only the pussy footing cars in front slowed me down. It was a whoosh. Or the B6260 Appleby to Orton road, or the Snowshill to Broadway minor road. All 50mph plus descents.

Down the A39 Countisbury Hill into Lynmouth, North Devon.

Drops off the top of Exmoor with sea views across the Bristol Channel, fast, clearly-sighted sweeping descent, gets faster and steepens to 1 in 4 by the time you really need to think about hitting the brakes before rolling out into Lynmouth...

I'm annoyed they call the B6138 from Mytholmroyd to Blackstone Edge reservoir 'Blackstone Edge' when most cyclists and the road sign at the bottom giving the length and ascent call it 'Cragg Vale'. Blackstone edge in this context is usually the A58 from Littleborough to the same point. For more detail see my posts here: http://www.cyclechat.net/topic/95592-cragg-vale-or-blackstone-edge-natio...

we go on family hols to wirksworth every year so i'm familiar with most of those hills. descending Riber is a sketchy task indeed

the via gellia is a fun descent too

I would like to add Slack Hill just out of Matlock. Its not long but its great to ride as its safe too as there are no roads on the left of it till you start coming up to The Kelstedge Inn. The fastest ive been down that hill is 53mph or 85kph.

ITS AWESOME.

There are other great hills to climb in the area such as Bank Road, Riber, Rowsley Bar, Two Dales, Holly Lane in Ambergate, Ashleyhay up to Alport, Cromford Hill, Lea Bridge to Crich, Hinderstich Lane in Whatstandwell.

You would be classed as AWESOME if you came DOWN those hills.

I know that a couple of those (Riber and Bank Road) have been used in National Hill Climbs if not more.

I've never been *down* Cheddar Gorge, only up it..

I like going down Brockley Combe Road however, although the road surface is currently too rough for some carefree descending, same goes for the descent from Lansdown Hill in Bath to Wick, too many cars and potholes.

We're only interested in riding uphill in the North-West.

Oh, and 6) Kirkstone Pass, like what awkward said

My favourites in no particular order:

1) The north side of the Gospel Pass
2) The Bwlch down to Cymer
3) Cheddar Gorge. That deffo deserves to be on the list
4) The B4519 from the military range down into Garth
5) Wheddon Cross to Dunster

I was also wondering about Ham Common.

I see that the North West and Wales are keeping quiet about their fabulous descents.

Chapeau

Well I'm getting a free bike out of it, so I don't know what you lot are all complaining about!

What are my thoughts? What a load of pointless wank!

There's a much more intense descent than the Salisbury Crags one just a short distance to the north of Edinburgh. It doesn't have the scenery or the length but it is extremely challenging and is a true white knuckle descent. It lies just off the main road out to the Forth Bridge, the next junction after the main Kirkliston turn off. It is dangerous due to the loose sand and grit on the road and the occasional quarry truck or farm vehicle but they add to the danger/thrill factor and if you want a real challenge, it makes the Salisbury Crags descent seem rather tame. But then Edinburgh is Sir Chris Hoy's adopted home rather than him being a local boy so he may not know all the back roads.

There are some other pretty hair raising descents in the north of Scotland for anyone wanting to travel - one near Ullapool sticks in my mind but I can't remember which road it was.

I went up Silver Street when I went to Lyme, but I can't for one second imagine it would be a great descent. A busy road, far too sharp at dangerous points such as tight bends and going into town.

The descent I did on nearby country roads, however - that was ace.

My personal favourite so far - the descent on Etape Caledonia. That was magical.

How random are these? Silver Street in Lyme Regis is completely unexceptional judged by any of these criteria if memory serves (actually I can barely remember it cos it's so unexceptional). There are probably a dozen better descents within 20 or 30 miles.

Great descents are all about context. My favourite UK descent is the 10 or 11 mile swoop down from the top of the Drumochter Pass in the Highlands. But I know I'm only saying that because I descended it after five days of intense cycling just as a cold was beginning to recede, the rain stopped for the first time that day, the early evening sun came out and everything in the world suddenly seemed glorious (http://road.cc/content/blog/19660-trat-2010-%E2%80%93-stair-rods-drumochter).

Holme Moss is *not* a descent. It's a climb. It's just that you have to go down it to have another go.