Goodwood 7 Hill Challenge

On Sunday I set myself a challenge. The chalky folds of the South Downs rise up north of Chichester, the first ridge stretching east from St Roches Hill to Bignor. This is the scenic location for Goodwood race course and offers great views of the coast to the south, and the scenic South Downs national park to the north.

Ignoring my commute, almost every ride I do starts or finishes (sometimes both) with a climb over this chalky obstacle. There are 7 surfaced roads you can use to reach the summit and my personal challenge was to tackle them all in a single ride. To add a little complexity I decided to do so without repeating any section of road in the same direction.

The southern slopes provide three longer steady climbs of a generally lower gradient, the northern face four shorter, steep, stinging ascents. The valley on the northern side of this ridge is one of the most beautiful in the local area. The villages of Singleton, Charlton and East Dean nestle down between the hills, each with its own pub if you are in need of refreshment!

Riding Time: 3hrs (inc. 30min from/to home)
Total Accent: 1023m
Total Distance: 78km

Climb 1 : A285 North from Halnaker
Length: 5.5km
Ascent: 122m
Max Gradient: 6%

Climb 2 : South from East Dean
Length:1.3km
Ascent:80m
Max Gradient: 7.5%

Climb 3: Kennel Hill north from Goodwood Motor Circuit
Length: 3.6km
Ascent: 136m
Max Gradient: 7.6%

Climb 4: Town Lane south from Singleton
Length: 2.3km
Ascent: 107m
Max Gradient: 10.6%

Climb 5: Goodwood Hotel north to Pilligreen Lodge
Length: 4.7km
Ascent: 128m
Max Gradient: 6.7%

Climb 6: A285 south to Benges
Length:1.5km
Ascent: 49m
Max Gradient: 6.3%

Climb 7: Knights Hill south from Charlton
Length: 2km
Ascent: 101m
Max Gradient: 8.1%

It was hard work but on a sunny winters day the beautiful views were more than adequate reward. Unfortunately it is not quite possible to complete the route without repeating a short 200m section from the race course to the Triangle car park. There is persumably an off-road equivalent of this challenge, so far I can think of 6 bridleways leading to the top.....!