Hill Finder
Drop in a postcode, scan your local terrain, and hunt down the steepest slopes nearby.
Steep picks nearby
Sorted by gradient, then by distance from your postcode.
How Hill Finder works
What it does
Type a UK postcode and Hill Finder looks up where it is, lays a grid of points across the radius you set, and works out how steep the ground is at each one. It keeps the points that fall between your minimum and maximum gradient and lists them steepest first, nearest first when two match. On the map, a marker grows and shifts from green to orange as the slope steepens.
How it measures gradient
Heights come from the open Terrarium elevation tiles, which hold a height about every 90 m across the UK. At each point, Hill Finder reads the ground 90 m to the north, south, east and west, and combines the two differences into the slope in the steepest direction. Gradient is rise over distance as a percentage, the number on a road sign: 10% climbs 10 m for every 100 m you travel.
The grid spacing is a sixteenth of the radius, held between 1.5 and 2.5 km. The radius runs from 5 to 80 km, and a larger number scans 80 km. Each scan checks up to 1,200 points or runs for four seconds, whichever ends first, and returns up to 220 results.
How to use the results
A result marks steep ground. It isn’t a road or a path. Zoom in on a marker and look for a lane, track or footpath that climbs through it. For hill reps, 8 to 15% suits most runners. Cyclists feel 10%, and above 20% most people walk. Start with a small radius around home and widen it if nothing turns up.
Limits
Hill Finder averages the slope over 180 m, so it flattens a short, sharp ramp: a 25% road wall may read as 12%. The grid can step over a small hill between two points. Cliffs, quarries and railway cuttings show up as steep ground with no way up. Hill Finder can’t tell you whether land is open to the public, so check an OS map for rights of way and access land before you go. If the status line says the scan was trimmed, try a smaller radius. When you want something bigger, browse UK mountains by area, from the Peak District to the Lake District, each with routes and a summit forecast.
Hill Finder questions
How do I find steep hills near me?
Enter your postcode, set a minimum and maximum gradient and a radius, then press Scan steepness. Hill Finder lists the steepest ground it finds, closest first when two slopes match, and marks each one on the map.
What gradient is good for hill repeats?
For running reps, 8 to 15% works for most people: steep enough to load your legs, gentle enough to keep running. Above 20% most runners and cyclists end up walking.
How does Hill Finder work out the gradient?
It reads open elevation data at four points 90 m north, south, east and west of each grid point, and turns the height differences into a slope in the steepest direction, given as a percentage like a road sign.
Does Hill Finder show roads and footpaths?
No. It finds steep ground from elevation data. Zoom in on a marker to see which lanes, tracks or paths cross it, and check an OS map for rights of way before you go.
Why is a steep hill I know missing from the results?
Hill Finder checks points 1.5 to 2.5 km apart and averages each slope over 180 m. A short, sharp climb can fall between two points or read gentler than it feels. Try a smaller radius, which packs the points closer together.
Does Hill Finder work outside the UK?
Not yet. It looks up your location from a UK postcode, so you need a postcode in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.