Sportive

Six of the best UK roads

B3387, Dartmoor (to Haytor), England

The sweeping hairpins of Bealach na Ba form the UK's toughest climb (Pic: Stefan Krause, via Wikimedia Commons)
Northern Ireland's rugged coastline makes for some great riding (pic: Richard Watson, via Fusion Media)
The Tour of Britain peloton took on Marine Drive earlier this year (pic: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
The Hardknott Pass is the toughest climb in the Lake District (pic: Shirokazan, via Creative Commons)
Horseshoe Pass is set against a stunning backdrop in north Wales (pic: Simon Pix, via Flickr Creative Commons)
Haytor has become a regular feature of the Tour of Britain (pic: Paul Hayes-Watkins)

B3387, Dartmoor (to Haytor), England

Dartmoor has become a regular stop for the Tour of Britain, which speaks volumes for the cycling prestige attached to this corner of south west England.

The Dartmoor National Park offers stunning – and tough – cycling and the iconic ascent of Haytor was the first ever summit finish to feature in the modern Tour of Britain, with Simon Yates winning atop the climb in 2013.

The ascent of Haytor starts at Bovey Tracy and is more than six kilometres in length, with an average gradient of 4.7 per cent and pitches far steeper.

However, Haytor is far from the only climb in Dartmoor, with a huge variety of quiet lanes and leg-burning climbs that rise and fall across the steep landscape.