By kazimladimeji 
Haresfield Beacon is a sickener of a climb for someone at my level. Currently sitting at No 106 off Strava’s official 100 climbs, I am fortunate to have this challenge right on my doorstep. It measures 2.24 km, 191 metres of elevation, averaging 8.5% gradient, with a sickening 300-metre steep section about 2 thirds of the way up which averages 16.4% which peaks at around 20% I am sure.
My most recent attempt, which was today, started with a warm-up climb through Whiteshill which is a shallower ascent approaching Haresfield Beacon from the South. This climb measures 3.13 km, 187 metres and averages 6% and is not one to be sniffed at. I was disappointed to miss my PB on this but was facing quite a strong headwind at key momentum-critical sections of this climb.
After a 15-minute climb, I turn left at Beacon Lane (bringing me to the east side of the Beacon and then take the right fork alternative descent down the beacon to Harescombe and not down the official climb, ( I am not a fan of everesting!). This is a technical descent down a mostly broken single lane with potholes, slippery bits, occasional loose gravel etc.. measuring 1.95km, 188 m and averaging -9.6% gradient. I am sure that mountain bikers and gravel riders eat this kind of descent for breakfast but it’s one to be careful of as stack-it potential is high and there is little or no passing room for oncoming cars. I have the 4th fastest recorded descent for this descent this year, (which friends will tell you is surprising as I am a cautious descender), but this was due to inexperience of the descent and I was holding on by the seat of my pants and I now descend this one much more cautiously, particularly after having had a close call with an oncoming car a few efforts back. Still, I have a better grasp of the danger spots and tread carefully now. You can see the full descent below.
Having reached Harescombe I now cruise around the Beacon’s northside which brings me to the official climb which approaches it from the west side.
Pretty much as soon as you enter Haresfield you are greeted with the ominous right turn into Beacon Lane, the start of the climb. As you’ll see from Veloviewer, the first third of the climb is relatively straight-forward averaging 6 or 7 %, so just enough to tire you out, and the middle kilometer is murder, averaging 15-16%, peaking at 20.4% just before the top of the mid-section. I spend this section right on the edge of quitting, (knowing I won’t as I wanted it today). It’s brutal and garners one or two concerned looks from oncoming cars as I snake up the hill punishingly slowly past them.
Once this mid-section is over, I move into the relief phase and push as fast as I can to the Haresfield Beacon car park where I was pleased to find I had beaten my PB by nearly a minute and that a new pop-up Coffee shop, Offroadbean.co.uk, which serves great coffee, cakes, and salty snacks. Nigel the owner is there Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday but check out the schedule on his website.
