England · United Kingdom
Sutton Bank
A170Thirsk to Helmsley
The A170 runs 13.2 miles from Thirsk to Helmsley, climbing the 1-in-4 bank onto the western escarpment of the North York Moors.
The A170 scales Sutton Bank at the western edge of the North York Moors, a steep 1-in-4 climb to a viewpoint James Herriot called the finest in England. Caravans are banned on the bank; drop to a low gear and don’t stop on the climb.
A road that turns an ordinary journey into an occasion. We’ve been known to invent errands on the far side just to earn the drive.
Why we picked it
Scenery
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Where it runs13.2 mi · point to point
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Character
Steeper than 9 in 10 roads here in the catalogue.
Corners
busiest around mile 6Elevation
under 4%4–8%over 8%34 – 302.9 mPoints of interest1 stop
- Battle of BylandLandmark6.0 mi in
Hazards
- Severe 1-in-4 bank, no caravans
- Gliders overhead
- Steep descent
Sources
“The A170 road runs down the bank with a maximum gradient of 1 in 4 (25%), and including a hairpin bend.”
Verified route: mapped from real road geometry and fact-checked by a human editor. How roads get checked
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Nearby roads
The closest great drives to Sutton Bank.
