13) Fleet Moss, Yorkshire Dales (589m/1932ft)

Yorkshire’s highest road is also one of the white rose county’s most iconic climbs, despite the Tour de France missing out Fleet Moss when cycling’s greatest race was in town in 2014.

Where cycling’s elite wouldn’t go up, however, plenty of others have – and the long, exposed climb with an unrelenting average gradient of 8.4 per cent is a staple of any cycling trip to the Dales.

Peaking at 589m (1932ft), the climb is also England’s highest cycling climb outside of the North Pennines.

– RCUK’s Best of British: the Yorkshire Dales, featuring Fleet Moss –

Fancy taking it on? Check out our Best of British feature from the Yorkshire Dales for a stunning but tough 87-mile route, also incorporating Buttertubs Pass (which the Tour did go up).

11) Dowgang Hush, North Pennines (599m/1965ft)

Cumbria’s Dowgang Hush is a climb well known to coast-to-coast riders – a short, sharp ascent regarded as the steepest road on the route.

The 1.4km ascent has an average gradient of 11 per cent, but its steepest section, which features early in the climb, has a ramp of one-in-four gradient – and the wind regularly whips up, too.

As far as scenery goes, however, the thigh-numbing pitches are well worth the effort as you climb to a shade under 600m in the shadow of the coniferous woodland, which looks over a deep ravine.

10) Great Southern Drove Road, North Pennines (607m/1991ft)

The road from Newbiggin towards Westgate is a quiet, singletrack road right across the top of the North Pennine moorland.

Built for drovers to take the wildstock down from Westgate in Weardale to Newbiggin in Teesdale, the climb takes you to a maximum elevation of 607m – making it one of only ten British roads higher than 600m.

Again, you can expect wide open roads fully exposed to the elements, but on a clear day you can see for miles around. Prepare for a stern test, with the 5.7km climb averaging six per cent.

It’s no wonder they call this the Roof of England.

8) Cairngorm ski centre, Aviemore, Scotland (610m/2001ft)

There are eight road bike-friendly roads in Britain at more than 2,000ft, and five of them are north of the border in Scotland – with the Cairngorm mountains home to three of those.

First up is Cairngorm Road to the Cairngorm ski centre, which just ticks over the mark to 2000ft.

The climb averages six per cent, with some early tough pitches above ten per cent on the fir tree-lined road before your reach a car park in the middle.

The road levels out there, giving you some respite, but pitches up in steps onto the vast moorland before peaking at the ski centre’s car park.

7) Bealach Na Ba, Applecross, Scotland (626m/2054ft)

Does Bealach Na Ba need any more introduction? The twisting Applecross climb has become a mythical ascent and a bucket list staple. In fact, we named it as one of the best – and steepest – climbs in the UK.

There are a handful of higher climbs in Britain but only two – the top two in this list – offer more altitude gain over the length of the climb, with Bealach Na Ba rising up from valley floor at sea level.

The twisting, hairpin-laded road snakes up the rugged mountainside, with a maximum gradient of one-in-five. This climb is long, tough and very, very tough.

– Ten MORE of the UK’s steepest climbs to ride –

Some 9.1km in length, the average gradient is seven per cent with the summit at 626m above sea level – it’s arguably the closest to an Alpine climb you’ll find on British soil.

=5) Killhope Cross, North Pennines (627m/2057ft)

Sharing the title of highest pass in England (there is still one higher out-and-back road) is Killhope Cross in the North Pennines.

The pass divides Weardale and Cumbria and at 2,057ft in elevation the road over the top – the A689 – is England’s highest A-road (and therefore the highest classified road in the country).

The climb itself – as with all of its high neighbouring ascents – features wide-open moorland, lined by snow poles (giving an indication of just how high you are) and several false flats make it hard to find a climbing rhythm.

At its steepest, the gradient touches 20 per cent but the average is nearer seven per cent with Killhope Burn running almost parallel as you approach the summit.

4) The Lecht, Aviemore, Scotland (635m/2083ft)

Another thigh-burning Scottish climb, The Lecht can be a daunting climb as it looms large above you, taking the direct path up the mountainside to the ski centre of the same name.

It’s 635m up at the summit, and in Scotland that means only one thing – snow. In fact, if you have any intention of climbing the Lecht outside of summer, you could be disappointed – it closes in snow and, well, it snows a lot. This one is for late spring to early autumn only.

The climb has an average gradient of eight per cent and a maximum pitch of one-in-five which kicks up right at the start; its true difficulty lies in the pattern of false flats and brutal slopes – rhythm is impossible.

Once at the ski station, however, the scenery is stunning and reward after three kilometres of constant climbing.

3) Cairnwell Pass, Aviemore, Scotland (670m/2198ft)

At an elevation of 670m/2198ft, the Cairnwell Pass in Cairngorm is the highest A-road in Britain (it’s the A93, if you were wondering) and the highest pas, too.

Leading past Glenshee Ski Resort, the eight kilometre climb ramps up massively in the final three kilometres where there are plenty of section well into double digits.

Despite being an A-road, traffic is sparse, while Cairnwell mountain bears down over the road, with dramatic mountain-top scenery on all sides.

Any cyclists taking on the climb can take the steep, Devil’s Elbow double hairpin to really test their mettle – the A93 bypasses the one-in-six gradient section nowadays, though it was previously part of the main road.

2) Lowther Hill, Scotland (725m/2379ft)

Cairnwell Pass is the highest classified road and highest pass in Britain – but Scotland does boast an even higher climb at Lowther Hill.

The full climb of the Mennock Pass, located in Dumfries and Galloway, takes in Scotland’s highest village – Wanlockhead, at 467m up – but the climbing continues long afterwards.

The road to the Lowther Hill radar station is restricted access, but cyclists are free to continue to the summit, at 725m above sea level.

As with the Mennock Pass itself, the climb gets tougher as the summit approaches, with the ‘golf ball’ radar station pulling you in as you tackle the switchbacks nudging one-in-five in gradient.

Of course, once at the top – and after enjoying the views over the rolling green hills below – the only way back is down the way you came. Buckle up for a white-knuckle descent.

And what about the rest of the UK? If Lowther Hill is Scotland’s giant and Great Dun Fell England’s and Britain’s highest ascent, what about Wales and Northern Ireland?

Highest road in Wales – Gospel Pass (549m/1801ft)

Wales has a number of passes at more than 500m above sea level, but Gospel Pass in the Black Mountains is the highest of the lot.

Depending on who you believe, the name either derives from St Paul having been brought over the pass to preach by the daughter of Caradog, or the Crusaders preaching and fundraising in the 12^th Century.

Either way, located in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park, the road offers great views of the surrounding Welsh Hills, including Hay Bluff, and forms part of the National Cycle Network.

The full eight kilometre climb boasts an average gradient of five per cent but starts much steeper and is an undulating ascent until you pass the cattle grid, where it becomes much steadier all the way to the summit.

Highest road in Northern Ireland – Spelga Dam, Mourne Mountains (405m/1198ft)

Spelga Dam was built to supply Northern Ireland’s capital city, Belfast, with water and is a popular spot for those taking on the coast road south of Belfast.

Expect dry stone walls, wide open countryside and a serene lake at the top, with plenty of routes to explore to/from Spelga.

The climb is relatively gentle and befitting of its tranquil surroundings, which seem a world apart from city life up the coast.

The gradient rarely waivers from its six per cent average for the full length of the 5km climb and while it’s not as high as some of the roads you’ll find the other side of the Irish Sea, the vistas are picture-perfect.