Holme Moss

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Map sources for Holme Moss at grid reference SE095040

Holme Moss is a moor in the south Pennines of England, on the border between Derbyshire and the West Yorkshire district of Kirklees (grid reference SE095041). It is just inside the boundary of the Peak District National Park. The River Holme rises on the moor and flows through the village of Holme, about a mile below the moor, and the town of Holmfirth. The upper part of the moor continues into Black Hill which is crossed by the Pennine Way north-south footpath.

1 "Le Col De Moss"
2 Holme Moss Transmitting Station
- 2.1 Frequencies
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] "Le Col De Moss"

Holme Moss has long been considered one of England's most punishing bicycle ascents, rising some 400m from the floor of the Holme Valley at Holmbridge in about 5 km.

The climb begins up Holme Bank, before proceeding with a slight let-off through Holme village to the bridge that marks the beginning of the climb proper. From here, the only way is up, and a tough way it is at that, going initially through switchbacks that have none of the grace or gentility of their alpine counterparts, but serve merely to provide a nasty surprise when the poor rider turns the corner directly into the South-Westerly wind. The final pull is long and gruelling, passing as it does a narrowed section of road that has been under repair for many years, and that offers a nasty experience with traffic (notably motorbikes)on busy Sundays. Once the car park has been passed, however, the end is in sight, as the road flattens and the rider's gears can slowly be cranked up once more as the true summit of the climb – the sign marking entry into Derbyshire – is reached.

50 mile view from "Le Col de Moss" in winter

From here options are limited. Most casual riders from the Holme Valley will simply turn back, perhaps stopping off at the car park to take in the view, gather their thoughts (and their breath for the hurtling decent) and, if they're lucky, have an ice-cream from the van that occasionally visits. Alternatively, you can descend the gentler southern slope (though gentle being a term used loosely here), where you soon join the dreadfully, and often prohibitively, busy A6024, Woodhead road, the main link between Manchester and Sheffield. Unless you are a fan of lorries hurtling past you, it is advisable to leave this road quickly, perhaps heading towards Glossop and the Snake Pass. From this side, the gradient is less, but more continuous than that of the Northern approach, and a world of pain is still encountered by all who attempt it.

This explains the Moss's fearsome reputation, and it is for this reason that it has been, on many occasions, picked as part of the route of many of Britain's premier bike races. For many years the (now sadly defunct) Leeds Classic race saw world class riders (many of them, such as Bjarne Riis, veterans of the Tour de France, hence the moniker 'Le Col de Moss') toiling up its slopes, whilst 2004 and 2005 witnessed the riders of the new Tour of Britain scale the climb as part of the Yorkshire stage of the race. Needless to say, the nature of this most terrifying of hills drew a large crowd that filled the road and brought further comparison between Holme Moss and the great climbs of le Tour. Closer to home, every year at the beginning of September hundreds of suffering mountain bikers string themselves out along the length of the climb as part of the Holme Valley Mountain Bike Challenge, a 28-mile route that starts and finishes at nearby Hade Edge. As you can imagine, Holme Moss represents the hardest part of the route, and long may it continue to do so.

[edit] Holme Moss Transmitting Station

Holme Moss Radio Mast

One of National Grid Wireless's main radio transmitting stations is located on the moor. The base of the station is 1719 ft (524 m) above sea level and the mast another 750 ft (228 m) on top of that. This gives a maximum aerial height of 2467 ft (752 m) which is one of the highest in the UK. The mast weighs 140 tons and is held up by 5 sets of stay levels. It carries the FM radio signals for the BBC's national radio stations, Radio Manchester (formerly GMR), Radio Sheffield, and Radio Leeds. At 250 kW erp Holme Moss is one of the most powerful VHF transmitters in the country. An earlier mast at Holme Moss used to broadcast BBC television signals on the old 405 line VHF system before Emley Moor took over when the 625-line colour television UHF system began. It was the first main transmitter for the previous system in the north of England when it opened on 12 October 1951. For some time both the new and old masts stood side by side, until the old TV mast was finally demolished in 1985. Television signals from Holme Moss travelled much further than their intended service area. The Isle of Man and parts of the Irish Republic, mainly Dublin and Wicklow, were able to receive a signal from Holme Moss for some years. Both Emley Moor and Moorside Edge Transmitter can be seen from the site and they are ENE and NNW respectively.