The Struggle (Kirkstone Road)
1286.7 m · gain 157.1 m · overall 12.2% · Ambleside · Westmorland and Furness
Shape: sustained — 31% of the climbing sits in a quarter of the distance; longest continuous stretch at 10%+ is 200 m.
Known from: 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs (Simon Warren).
≈ Overhead cover (tree canopy or structures) spans 12% of this route — detected by comparing the surface model (DSM, treetops and rooftops) against the terrain model (DTM, bare ground). Under cover the bare-ground model is built from fewer laser returns, so metre-scale readings can wobble; maxima whose window sits in a covered zone are marked ≈ below — less certain, not wrong. Longer windows average over more clean ground and are steadier.
Gradient ladder what do windows mean?
| Window | Maximum | Located at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 m (diagnostic) | ≈50.0% | 752–754 m | under overhead cover terrain reads 61.3% at 789–791 m across a structure — excluded |
| 3 m (diagnostic) | ≈43.5% | 752–755 m | under overhead cover terrain reads 49.1% at 788–791 m across a structure — excluded |
| 5 m | ≈32.7% | 751–756 m | under overhead cover |
| 10 m | 32.1% | 752–762 m | |
| 20 m | ≈25.1% | 751–771 m | under overhead cover |
| 25 m | 23.2% | 752–777 m | |
| 50 m | 19.3% | 948–998 m | |
| 100 m | 18.2% | 909–1009 m |
may_start_earliermay_continue_beyond_end Extent detection suggests reviewing where this climb starts/ends.
Map
Check this route yourself: Google Maps route via their router · Street View at the base where coverage exists · OSM way 4733484 highlights the mapped road · geojson.io our exact measured line · OpenTopoMap
© OpenStreetMap contributors · topo tiles © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA) · vector tiles OpenFreeMap
Profile
Provenance
{
"analysis_version": "0.1.0",
"sample_interval_m": 1.0,
"interpolation": "bilinear",
"smoothing": "none",
"gradient_windows_m": [
5.0,
10.0,
20.0,
25.0,
50.0,
100.0
],
"diagnostic_windows_m": [
2.0,
3.0
],
"elevation_crs": "EPSG:27700",
"elevation_resolution_m": 1.0,
"elevation_tiles": [
"data/cache/england/dtm_1m/E336000_N504000_2000m.tif",
"data/cache/england/dtm_1m/E338000_N504000_2000m.tif"
],
"calculated_at": "2026-08-12T09:12:21+00:00",
"road_source": "OpenStreetMap",
"road_attribution": "\u00a9 OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL",
"osm_ids": [
4733484,
954875010,
954875011,
954875012,
4733481,
264354108
],
"osm_versions": {
"4733484": 19,
"954875010": 4,
"954875011": 3,
"954875012": 4,
"4733481": 23,
"264354108": 7
},
"osm_timestamps": {
"4733484": "2026-03-31T18:27:42Z",
"954875010": "2025-10-27T21:11:52Z",
"954875011": "2025-10-27T21:11:52Z",
"954875012": "2025-12-28T21:58:48Z",
"4733481": "2022-07-13T07:26:31Z",
"264354108": "2025-12-28T21:58:48Z"
},
"osm_retrieved_at": "2026-08-12T09:12:21+00:00",
"elevation_provider": "Environment Agency",
"elevation_dataset": "EA LIDAR Composite DTM 1m (2022)",
"elevation_licence": "Open Government Licence v3 \u2014 \u00a9 Environment Agency",
"elevation_coverage_id": "13787b9a-26a4-4775-8523-806d13af58fc__Lidar_Composite_Elevation_DTM_1m",
"elevation_tile_ids": [
"E336000_N504000_2000m.tif",
"E338000_N504000_2000m.tif"
],
"climb_origin": "competition",
"notes": "Ambleside to Kirkstone Pass. National HC Championship 2023 course."
}