Dunedin's world steepest street title may slide away

Wednesday, 9 January 2019

The Welsh village of Harlech claims to have a steeper street than Baldwin St in Dunedin, which officially holds the world record.

Dunedin's Baldwin St is facing its steepest challenge yet – with surveyors set to run the rule over a Welsh village's world record claims.

Myrddyn Phillips is tasked with assessing Pen Ffordd Llech, which residents of the Welsh village of Harlech claim is a steeper street than its New Zealand counterpart.

That work will be undertaken later this week, with Phillips telling Stuff: 'I'm excited about what the result will be'.

Dunedin's Baldwin St may lose its title of world's steepest street.

He had every confidence the Welsh street could one day take the Guinness World Record off Baldwin St, and 'we await the result with bated breath'.

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The Welsh village of Harlech's Ffordd Pen Llech is vying for the title of steepest street in the world.

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Long-time Baldwin St resident Betty Ferguson isn't worried about Baldwin St losing its title.

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The Guinness Book of Records says the 161.2 metres of Baldwin's upper-most section climbs a vertical height of 47.22m, an average gradient of 1 in 3.41. On its steepest section, the gradient is 1 in 2.86.

Thousands of jaffas are released from the top of Baldwin St in Dunedin for the Cadbury Jaffa Race, which ended in 2017.

While Baldwin St has a gradient of 35 per cent at its steepest section, residents of Ffordd Pen Llech claim their street is steeper, at 36 per cent – which is rounded to 40 per cent on a sign at the start of the street.

Long-time Baldwin St resident Betty Ferguson was philosophical about the challenge.

'It might get less busy … we could always be world's steepest straight street,' Ferguson, who was raised in a house up further up the street, said.

Tourist Katja Wagner, of Germany, said the walk up the street was 'challenging'. She decided to tackle Baldwin St after learning it was the steepest street in the world.

Losing that title was unlikely to make her visit Pen Ffordd Llech, she said.

'It doesn't really change anything.'

Nor does it matter for enterprising 10-year-old Colbie Hill, who had set up a stall selling drinks and bags of Jaffas, which used to be raced down the street.

Phillips will use a Trimble GeoXH 6000 global navigation satellite system receiver to give an accurate reading of the street.

'We will also be in receipt of data held by our nation's mapping agency and the results produced [this week] can then be compared to data they hold,' he said.

Both Baldwin and Ffordd Pen Llech have signs warning motorists and pedestrians of a steep gradient, but only Baldwin has an official sign saying World's Steepest Street.

That may soon change.