Tackling a climb which ramps skywards at an almost perpendicular angle is what we ride for, right?

Well, it may not feel that way at the time as we huff, puff and drag body and bike up the slope but you can’t match the feeling of satisfaction of reaching the summit.

And while mountain passes in the Alps and Pyrenees, and giants such as Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux, remain bucket list favourites, there are plenty of leg-burning climbs on these shores too.

What they lack in length, they certainly make up for in gradient and we’ve picked out ten of the steepest UK climbs. Some regions like the south west and the Lake District boast wall-like climbs around seemingly every corner but we’ve hand-picked some of our favourites from across the country.

Check out our picks over the following pages. How many have you tackled? Share your favourites in the comments section below or in the forum.

UPDATE: Did your favourite climb miss out? There were simply too many good ascents missing for us to leave it at just ten so check out ten more of the steepest climbs here.