No caravans on Sutton Bank!!
They learnt the hard way.
http://www.harrogate-news.co.uk/2017/06/05/caravans-seized-sutton-bank-trip/
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Quite blatant discrimination here. I am banned from towing my 1.8tonne caravan on this hill yet I can perfectly legaly tow up or down a 3.5tonne trailer such as a horse box or plant trailer. Or if I swap my Discovery for a tractor unit and trailer over ten times that.
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..... or 40 tonne trailer & get stuck on the hairpin. I said the same as you when we caravaned in the area a year or 2 ago. I drove up & down it (solo) to see what the fuss was about ...... none that I could see, but saw several gliders being towed up/down it to & from the gliding club at the top. The so called alternative route is appalling as a route for a large caravan.
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..... and the caravans were seized due to lack of suitable licence, not for going up/down Sutton Bank. Considering that the change in what you can & can't tow was nearly 10 years ago, there's still confusion because it was never publicised properly in the first place.
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The Sutton Bank restriction has been in place for as long as I can remember. A discussion some time back suggested it was originally enforced as a result of regularly occurring incidents involving predominately holiday caravaners which had significant consequences for both other road users and recovery services at these times.
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Interesting article here from 2007
http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/1134966.New_Sutton_Bank_warning_scheme/
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I can understand the restriction way back 30 or 40 years ago when there were many anaemic cars towing heavy 'vans. But today, Sutton Bank really should be no problem.
It's another of these things where the jobsworths have stalled any loosening of the rules.
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Unfortunately it's not always what's under the bonnet that's the problem, it's apparently what's between the ears. This is borne out by the statistics regarding problems on the hill, understanding of vehicle and driver limitations both play a part. The thing is the problems still keep occurring!
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Who remembers this video?
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I think the complaints are more about the alternative route.
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It does depend on your tow vehicle, but 25% is a significant gradient to try and get + 1.5 tonnes going from a standing start. If you can keep going fine, but that cannot be guaranteed. This is particularly the case when folk go towards the upper end of the towing window. We have an X Trail and there is no way I would want to tow a 1.9 tonne twin axle, but I have seen a couple doing that. I certainly would not fancy taking that up Sutton Bank.
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Wow not seen that footage.
We have driven up there in the car a couple if times, not for the fainthearted. It's steep and has hairpin bend and despite a stone wall the land falls away. I expect practice might make it easier. Was this not the hill James Herriot used to revise up?
I can see no problem for banning caravans and have. There are alternatives and I seem to recall you can come along a fairly flat road along the top to the car park. Wonderful views and lovely walks.
We did the one in the lake district, ?Kirkstead pass?, about as steep but without the hairpin bends - mind you that was narrow!
I think it's selfish to cause an issue so can completely understand the ban. Maybe there should be a charge for all the services to rescue when such incidents happen? I expect the gilders get their vans and craft in via another route.
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There is no actual prohibition on Porlock Hill. Whilst I wouldn't try it with a van, is Sutton Bank any worse?
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We use Sutton Bank on a regular basis, use a holiday cottage up there at Old Byland. Yes it is 1:4 in places, the hairpin included. A lot of today's vehicles would get up towing a caravan, but.......most of the drivers going up don't know the route and back off the go pedal at the wrong time. It kicks up steeply just after the hairpin, just where you need to hit the power more, so dragging a big van round that, some would get it wrong and either stall or get too much whip on the following trailer. It's only a narrow turn as well, unsighted for vehicles coming other way. We have seen solo vehicles not make it in one go. Likewise, it is a dreadful route for heavily laden HGVs, and a steel lorry shed its load half hour before we were going up one time. That wasn't just a blockage, the whole road had to be resurfaced. Road closed for days. We have often seen vehicles abandoned after not getting it right at the hairpin. It spends days blocked and unusable every year.
We drove the alternative route through Coxwold, not so long ago, and have to agree, that isn't a great alternative either with a large van, width rather than gradients in this case.
Good stop by the police by the way, they certainly don't look like "tourists" to me!
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Yes!! I agree with you that this photo is taken at Sutton Bank as i am very familiar with this road myself - but think it would carry more weight as an example of why not to attempt this section of road with any kind of trailer in tow, if the original poster could confirm.this.
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