3X THE STRUGGLE

For the latest in our occasional series of 'three ways up the same hill' Simon Warren travels to the Lake District to tackle the mighty Kirkstone Pass

- Simon Warren

A few years ago, inspired by the famous Club des Cinglés Challenge, which tasks riders to complete the three different ascents of Mont Ventoux in a day, I set about searching for similar, if slightly less arduous challenges here in the UK. So far I've documented three ways up the Bwlch in South Wales and the significantly tougher three ways over the Bwlch y Groes up in Snowdonia. This time I'm heading to the Lake District to one of the great British passes and a road which will be the centre of attention for the hill-climbing community come the end of October, the Kirkstone Pass.

Taking its name from the giant, 'chapel shaped' stone that lies close to its summit, Kirkstone is the highest of all the Lakeland mountain passes. Higher than Newlands, higher than even Hardknott, its summit sits at a proud 454m above sea level and is marked by a lone building, the iconic Kirkstone Inn. This (currently under renovation) white dwelling acts as a beacon for tired legs and broken minds, a target to aim for, an isolated sanctuary where comfort can be found and the suffering can end. Oh, sorry, did I not mention, you will suffer on this pass, you will suffer a lot.

Choosing which of the three sides to ride first is both a logistical and tactical decision. Of the three, the southern flank heading north out of Windermere is by some margin the easiest and as for the other two, the ascent south from Brothers Water and the infamous Struggle out of Ambleside, well, it's difficult to pick which of these two is the toughest, as they are both pretty savage.

The obvious starting points for the ride are the towns of either Windermere or Ambleside, and the sensible rider would pick the latter, and therefore begin with the Struggle to get it out of the way. I am not that rider.