EXCLUSIVE We live on Britain's STEEPEST road… we love it here and the views are incredible - but there are some things that drive us mad

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

With its annual Easter egg rolling competition as well as regular skiers, cyclists, and skateboarders who attempt to speed down it, England's steepest street is notorious in Bristol.
But residents of the picturesque Vale Street have revealed what infuriates them about living on a 22 degree incline.
From Uber drivers refusing to drop them at their doors, to endless flocks of tourists and lampposts being knocked down by delivery drivers, the streets' homeowners have developed a few niche pet peeves.
Now landmarked on Google maps as the 'Steepest Street in England', many residents who have lived on the street for up to three decades have told MailOnline how YouTubers, AirBnB guests, and even a Swedish TV crew are driving them crazy.
Deb Long, 62, who has lived on the street in Totterdown for 33 years, complained of 'foolish outsiders', continuing to flock outside their homes.
'We had one woman drive down it once, get stuck, and they had to literally tie her car to the railings,' she said.
'She said she wasn't from this area, but I was like why on earth have you tried driving down this hill if you're not from around here?!'
Deb recalled how, six or seven years ago, how the fire brigade had to stop at the bottom of the street and use 'extra long hoses' when her neighbour's home was ablaze.
The arrival of the road's first AirBnb, which advertises the road's steep incline, has caused some consternation amongst locals
'The fire brigade had to stop down the bottom, and use extra long hoses to get at their house. There was no way a fire engine could get up there,' she quipped.
And its not only firefighters finding it a challenge to get up the sharp incline, as the longtime local described how lampposts are regularly knocked down by lorries in icy weather.
'It's quite entertaining sometimes, especially when it's icy. We've had cars skidding down, getting stuck.
'[Pointing towards the towering structure] That lamppost is probably about the 5th or 6th because lorries always knock it down.'
Delivery driver, Abdi Mohammed, 57, also voiced his own first hand difficulties with the road after he was forced to ditch his attempt to drive his van up the street, and instead hiked up the road to deliver the package.
'How on earth can we get up that?! We can't do that,' he added: 'I'm just trying to deliver a parcel, and now I have to walk all the way up there. It's exhausting man! Look at it.'
Thirty-one-year-old Grace Radford said she loved living on the steep lane, but there were some downsides, especially when returning from a night out.
'Literally every single Uber is like, "You're walking," They get to the top and they're like like sorry babes, god speed, god bless!'
She added: 'It is wild when it's bin day and it's the wind, literally your stuff is on the other side of the road, it hits cars, it is wild so that it absolutely insane.'
But tricky treks after a night out on the town wasn't the only disadvantage, with tourists peeking into her windows as they walk down the road.
She said they often think the Banksy artwork, which was graffitied on the house next door in 2020, is still there - despite it being cut out and sold off for auction in 2021.
However it isn't all doom and gloom, as Grace revealed the rent for a two bedroom house with a garden was low compares to other street in Bristol, adding that burglaries were rare for a reason.
She quipped: 'What robber can be arsed to get up this hill?!'
And with attention from both Banksy and the media, life on the street is certainly never boring for Vale Street residents.
This year alone, they were visited by a Swedish TV crew filming Rostiga Roadtrips, a show for petrol heads similar to the likes of Top Gear.
And locals had a first row seat as they watched the world's smallest car attempt to go up 'England's steepest street'.
But in 2020, a more mysterious visitor graced their road as an artwork by Banksy appeared on a wall overnight.
The graffiti dubbed 'Aachoo!!' depicted a woman sneezing so aggressively her false teeth shoot into the air.
However in 2021, the homeowners sold the artwork for an undisclosed amount at auction - much to the anger of some other residents.
Local artist Benji Appleby-Tyler, 47, said: 'I was annoyed that they sold it, because it's for the community, it's not really for the people that owned the house.
'They closed off the road [to cut it out] and there was this massive crane to take the Banksy away. They didn't share the profits from the street, they just kept it.
'They could've invested it in doing up something or adding a plaque, we thought they could've just had a copy of it made or something.
'People would come over to Bristol to see the Banksy pictures, and quite often they still come over thinking it's here.
'We get tourists walking up to us asking where the Banksy is, and I have to tell them it was taken away.'
Max, 41, who lives with his girlfriend on the famous road said people 'were a bit upset' after the artwork was sold.
'But also understandably because of the value of it, I'm not sure anyone knew what it sold for, but yeah it's one of those things.
He added: 'I think I'd do the same to be honest, for the money.'
Fifty-one-year-old Helen Loney, described the Banksy pandemonium at the time as 'nuts', divulging how residents were all chatting following the unexpected visitor's famous visit during lockdown.
'When [Banksy] confirmed [the artwork] on social media, and because it was during lockdown, and people had nothing to do, they all came and it was really bizarre.
'it was like we had this massive visitor's attraction. Once in a blue moon we'll get someone who says 'is the Banksy down here' and I'm like I'm really sorry it went!
She added: 'It was quite cool when it was here, but the people that owned the house, I think they got a bit anxious about it.
'Basically their shed roof was between the street and the wall, and people were just jumping all over it and climbing all over it, and I think they just felt it was a bit invasive.'
But the sale of the popular Banksy artwork wasn't the only grievance on Vale Street as some have been left sometimes annoyed by tourist flocking to site.
George Bridges, 20, said: 'I've grown up here. The AirBnB is sometimes annoying when they're loud.
'Apart from that, it's usually pretty normal, you get people taking the odd picture and that. I quite like it, it's a bit of publicity isn't it?'
But not everybody is seemingly welcome on the road, as Grace revealed sometimes there were 'weird' tourists peeking into her windows.
Max added: 'At Christmas, I don't know if it's mince pies, potatoes, or brussels sprouts, but they'll roll it down.
'And then at Easter there's the hard boiled eggs as well, so that can be a bit annoying,'
He said: 'A lot of people who don't live so locally come down and if you want to go out they can get in the way.'
Boiling it down to their locality to the centre of Bristol, Ms Loney, revealed that when studying comes to a close at the city's university they have YouTubers and more visit the lane to do 'all sort of stunts and stuff'.
'There was some bloke who did a unicycle up it and then you see run groups, and that's fabulous,' she added.
Describing it as 'quirky', the widow revealed life on Vale Street 'isn't for everybody', as there is sometimes an 'idiot' or two who makes a bid to drive up the hill.
'[It] can be quite comical to watch. I have seen people drive down thinking they know what they're doing and then panic when they see the drop at the bottom.
'But you do get some that get stuck.
She added: 'I came home one night from work and found somebody clinging onto the railings, I thought they'd fallen over but they were actually on skis. So it's quite funny.
'Parking's quite entertaining, driving up and down is quite good fun, but mainly the sense of community, is probably why I've stayed.'