To fucking hate Sutton Bank?

[NapQueen]

Been driving for 16 years. Happy to drive anywhere at any time in any conditions. But I loathe beyond all measure Sutton Bank.

Taking dc to Flamingo Land this weekend for the day and am already anxious about it. I dont even know why. The fear of stalling halfway up maybe? The panic of the descent on the way home? Im not afraid of heights so not the actual height of the thing....just the incline.

I went up it last year to visit the National Park Centre at the top. We had a lovely time, and the kids really enjoyed the Little Boots craft session. I would like to go back, but I daren't drive that way again!

Nope nope nope hate Sutton bank, a couple of years ago, en route to flamingo land we went that way and got stuck behind a driver who kept stalling, on the steepest part of the bank! Driver in front eventually pulled in as far as they could to stop but we had to struggle round. By the time we managed our car was smoking massive clouds and we had to stop halfway up. Killed our car, burnt out the clutch, thankfully a St. John's ambulance saw us stranded and notified the police who helped dh get the car safely off the road but not before closing the bank at both ends.
The only good thing about that day was the amount of passing drivers who stopped to help and take dc and I to the top of the bank so we were safe.
We never did get to flamingo land :(

I, too, wonder if it's as bad as Porlock Hill coming out of Lynmouth (or is it Lynton?). When we went up there we had to help a car full of elderly people who had ground to a halt, and whose handbrake wasn't holding hard enough for them to do a hill start. This my ex boyfriend, who was pretty chunky, did by pretty much holding their car in place while they got some kind of momentum. They were terrified.

SB isn't that bad, you should try Zig Zag hill in Dorset, thats a real challenge. Enjoy Flamingo Land

Omg I too have a real fear of this place! I'm a passenger not a driver and always fight the urge to get out the car and just walk up.

Just go down the A19 and then via Hovingham through Amotherby and then through to Kirkby Misperton, Will probably take about the same amount of time as going up sutton bank.

25 years ago we were approaching Sutton Bank in our Isuzu Trooper whilst on holiday with our caravan. We weren't towing it at that time when we found an elderly couple who had broken down near the bottom of it pulled into the lay-by with their caravan. We stopped to see if they were ok & just after a policeman arrived as they had rung for help. We ended up unhitching their caravan, towing it to the top of the Bank, leaving it at the parking area, going back down & towing their car to the top with a police escort. Once a tow truck arrived to collect their car, we then took them & their caravan on to the site they were trying to get to. I was 6 months pregnant at the time & the lady of the couple insisted on having our address as she then knitted/crocheted some baby cardigans for us as a thank you.

Sutton bank isn't that bad as long as you make sure you keep a good gap from the cat in front and keep your speed up.

We tried to drive over honister pass in the lakes the other week but there was a big bike ride going over it. Would have meant going at snails pace so we turned round. Bloody bikes spoiling our fun 😀

I didn't think it looked that bad on the video but shit! The pics!

I burned my clutch out on a hill in Somerset that was near vertical and covered in mud. I'd have been fine but the person in front kept slipping backwards towards me.

I did Sutton bank as a new driver in my first car, had packed up my house and drove alone as it was getting dark. Following my sat nav to my new house. Was panicking from seeing the many warning signs leading up to it and shaky from exhaustion from two days of moving stuff! Scariest driving experience of my life
The next time I did it I found it much easier. Baptism of fire! It's fine so long as you know what to expect. Not the nicest route but ok with a bit of hill driving experience!

For context - I'd been driving two weeks and had undiagnosed adhd. No meds. Looking back I'm quite proud of my bravery!

Porlock Hill is supposed to be the steepest A-road in the UK, but I think Sutton Bank is longer.

I went down it in snow this year. Very scary. Always seem to get stuck behind a slow truck on the way up too, I find the stop start tricky.

Omg I too have a real fear of this place! I'm a passenger not a driver and always fight the urge to get out the car and just walk up.

I remember coming across an unexpected mountain incline somewhere in N.Wales, in the dark, whilst pulling a catering trailer with my old van. Spent about 15 minutes in first gear (luckily it was deserted).

My passenger/ employee was audibly whimpering throughout, and voicing her terror that we were about to start going backwards .

YANBU. It terrifies me, even now I have a “proper” car and not the 1l corsa I used to drive!

Did you see the Tour de Yorkshire? Those cyclists are amazing. I felt exhausted just watching them!

I love that story Badgerhead.

Sutton Bank - many happy car journeys with my dad driving and my mum ready with the bucket for any of us looking like we were about to vom.

It's a bloody awful drive and, after my first time driving on there, I vowed never to do it again.

I've never driven it, but looking at those photos made me think of driving through Cairns, Australia. I vomited a lot that day

thats nothing, you want to try driving here in the south wales valleys,99% is full of 80-90 degree angle hills with lots of twists and turns and sometimes no safety rails