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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Alex Wood & Susie Beever

Brits on country's steepest street have to tie cars to lamp posts and even SKI down it

If you thought battling the icy roads this week was a nightmare, then spare a thought for these neighbours.

This is Britain's steepest street, where getting home means either slamming the gas to the floor or getting in a monster workout.

Residents on Bristol's Vale Street have to park horizontally and are even known to tie their cars to lampposts when there's ice on the roads so they don't lose their motors to gravity.

The arduous hill is not one for the faint-hearted, bringing even the fittest out in a sweat just eyeing it up.

With a gradient of 22 degrees, it's officially Britain's steepest street – its incline five degrees sharper than the second steepest in Great Malvern, Worcestershire.

Its dramatic slope is not its only claim to fame, however, with Bristol's own Banksy having left a signature piece on one of the walls.

Vale Street in Bristol. A Banksy mural left on the road was boarded up and obscured from view last year in a controversial move made by new home owners (Jake McPherson / SWNS)

Vale Street's residents however describe it as a "challenge" and admit they've even see people attempt to ski past their homes, while kids roll their Easter eggs down it.

Tom Evans lives on the street with his wife, and said getting delivery vans there during their move was challenging.

“We don’t own a car at the moment, so I walk and my wife commutes to Bath on the bus," the 27-year-old told Bristol Live.

"It’s pretty hilly. My normal runs used to be quite flat but no matter where you go around here, it is basically hills. You either go down or up them – it’s a good challenge.”

Residents on Vale Street have to park horizontally and even tie their cars to lampposts when the roads are covered in snow or ice (BPM)

Julie Wheat has lived on the street for two decades and swears she has seen people using the slope for skiing in the winter.

“I drive up it,” she said proudly.

“You whack it into first gear, put your foot down and hope nobody is coming down because once you have started, you have just got to keep going.

“If anyone is coming down the road, they will normally pull in and let you carry on, because trying to do a hill start on that is really difficult.”

Vale Street in Bristol is officially Britain's steepest street at a slope of 22 degrees (BPM)

Julie is used to seeing people tie their cars to lampposts when there is snow and ice on the roads.

“The recycling truck comes down and people like Sainsbury’s and Ocado do deliveries, though the lamppost out here has been knocked over so many times," Julie said.

“Once it was even knocked into my front garden!”

Most heartwarmingly, children flock to the street at Easter to roll their chocolate eggs down it in a tradition that's been running for years by one of Vale Street's longest residents.

Banksy's piece, titled 'Aachoo!', was unveiled on Vale Street in 2020 (PA)

Matt Goren has lived there for a quarter of a century, and said the winner of the event is the one whose egg travels the furthest.

The 60-year-old joked he had "strong legs" and described the street as his "nest".

“I’m Dutch, so for me it was quite a novelty to come and live on England’s steepest street.

“But I’d say you get used to it. It looks quite dramatic but it isn’t.

"I walk up it just like a mountaineer, with a slow pace – that’s the only way to do it really.”

As for when the colder weather arrives and things turn icy, he added: “You just stay at home and have a day off.”

The top five steepest streets in England

  1. Vale Street, Bristol
  2. Old Wyche Road, Worcestershire
  3. Blake Street, Sheffield
  4. Steep Hill, Lincoln
  5. Gold Hill, Dorset

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