Those living on the steepest road in the UK have to climb stairs to get to the end of their street and tie their cars up so they don’t roll away. Vale Street in Totterdown, Bristol, was crowned the steepest in England back in 2019.
In fact, the street is so steep that there are stairs on either side to help pedestrians clamber up. Luckily, the street isn’t a long one – measuring in at just 0.2km. However, according to reports, it has a staggering elevation of 17m and an average gradient slope of 22 degrees. It’s a nightmare for delivery drivers and those who haven’t quite mastered the art of parking sideways yet. In the winter, residents are forced to tie their cars to lamp posts to stop them rolling away on the ice. But, despite the clear downside to living on Vale Street, residents appear to have acclimatised.
“It’s fine most of the time. It’s the winter that is the hardest part,” says resident Appleby-Tyler, an artist who has lived on the street for more than a decade.
“It gets very slippery so we have to wear crampons if we want to leave the house. They’re like studs you can add to your shoes,” he told Yahoo News. “
He added that “deliveries can be tricky.”
The street’s unusual claim to fame has, however, made it the perfect place to host unique events such as an egg-rolling contest on Easter Sunday – which sees dozens of boiled eggs race their way down the steep street.
Residents also don’t have to compete for free parking spaces, which is somewhat of a rarity in Bristol, due to many motorists not being brave enough to try and rev up the hill.
Boardwalk Estate Agents, which operates in the area, said the incline is “easy to forgive” when you consider “what’s on offer here.”
If your budget doesn’t stretch to San Francisco – a city also renowned for its crazy steep streets – you can travel a much more Vale Street might be your next best bet.
From London, the journey takes around three hours, but can be slashed down to under two and a half hours if you take the train and bus. Direct trains to Bristol cost as little as £38.50, depending on your flexibility.
