Serpentine Hill

The Serpentine turns a small piece of Rothesay into a tightly packed climbing exercise. Above the town, the road zigzags back and forth across the hillside, giving each short straight its own steep corner at the end. The ascent is only about 700 metres long, but an average gradient close to 10 per cent makes the distance a poor guide to the effort involved.

Here, the shape of the road matters more than a grand summit view. The repeated turns interrupt your cadence and keep the next piece of uphill close at hand, while the town's streets give the climb a distinctly urban setting. The upper road remains below the summit of Canada Hill, so this is the Serpentine ascent rather than a climb to the top of the hill itself. Its compact scale and elaborate bends make it a distinctive little climb.