My advice to anyone doing the Hardnott for the first time would be to treat it with respect. I got over it without too much drama the first time I did it with a Mk1 Muggy 186 but the last time on the Avanti I was caught out slightly on the very first incline and was in 2nd gear rather than first before I reaIised. In the time it took to drop down a gear the scooter had virtually stopped moving due to the steepness of the incline and stalled

I grabbed the front brake and jumped off but the front wheel just slid backwards on the tarmac and if it hadn't been for the timely intervention of Captain Pugwash and his friend I wouldn't have been able to keep it upright

I was only 25 yards up the hill fff. We wheeled it back down, I regained my breath, restarted the engine, selected first and went at it again and got to the top without any bother other than being slowed down by a car near the top. Do not even think about stopping on the way up, wait a few minutes after any vehicles in front to give you some head room and be prepared to pass cars coming the other way with minimal clearance....don't forget to stop at the top to admire the view

Going down is easy by comparison, it isn't quite as steep although there are a lot of tight turns. I coped easily with a drum brake the first time and a ScootRs disc the second time
