Climbing up through Bedlinog is such a challenge because its so deceptive. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Simon Warren for his books generally and for his contribution of Top 10 lists for PJAMM Cycling. This extraordinary climb is in the northwestern section of Wales in the Snowdonia mountain region. Grid Ref: SH 913 232 (OS125)Length 3.56km Height gain 385m Approx climb time 23 mins, A true monster of a climb through the heart of the Cairngorms, the road up to the Lecht Ski Centre is a simply stunning ride. Zig-zag past cascading waterfalls, amidst the brief protection of rocky outcrops to exit this tangle of tarmac and round one final left hand to finish. If you survive the absolute wall out of Pontypridd along Graigwen Road, you'll be treated to one of the most beautiful routes in this part of South Wales as the road follows a ridge high above Taff Valley to the historic church of Llanwonno. Climb the Gospel Pass via Hay on Wye by bike. The Brecon landscape is barren but beautiful as you climb 3.5 miles in Pen-y-Cae. In a way. . It then all but levels off as you pass various farm buildings, where the surface is broken and covered with the mud and debris from passing tractor tyres. Dan is his normal chatty self as we hit the first ramp, our wheels getting their first taste of the ribbed and abrasive concrete surface that would do its best to hinder our progress the entire way up. It covers 827 square miles (2,140 km2), and has 37 miles (60 km) of coastline. Baran Road is arguably the most beautiful of all the tough climbs were listing here. Between the narrow road, the rutted surface and the severity of the slope, this is one seriously tough climb. Ride two miles gaining 1,055 at 10.3% average grade. Photograph: John Morrison/Alamy, Warning sign near the Rosedale Chimney in North Yorkshire Photograph: Mark Sunderland/Alamy, Remote pass Bwlch y Groes, Wales Photograph: Keith Morris/Alamy, The road from Cockbridge to Tomintoul, Aberdeenshire. Here are some of the UK's other toughest ascents. By the end of this section, you'll have ridden c.84km from the coast and will have climbed 2,800m from sea level. After a few slight rises the road surface improves dramatically and stretches far into the distance, taking the shortest route over the featureless ridge. Still, that's the least of your worries as you pass a 25% sign. After all that has preceded it, the finale a set of four hairpin bends may be all too much, but fear not. It starts from the village of Porlock and climbs an average of 10% gradient towards the top of Exmoor. South Wales needs no introduction. This is simply a magnificent cycling experience. With a maximum gradient of 22% and an average gradient of 8.1% youre afforded great views of Aberdare the higher you climb. It's mentally taxing rather than a top-level physical challenge - the four miles of climbing are largely gentle in gradient terms, but difficult because of the scale of the landscape. Is it the suffering? But those who want to do climbs like Penrhys are extreme even within that bracket. The Shelf - 262m - 5 to 15% - 5.1km #87. Bealach na B is the one most talked about, as one of few category 1 road climbs in the United Kingdom. You'll find the top, most difficult, epic, scenic, hardest, challenging, extreme, inspiring, bucket list bike climbs located in Wales. She got all aggressive so we turned around and chilled for 20, walked back up the trail and she was still there . This is one of the toughest bits of road anywhere in the UK and, through the next left-hand bend, it touches 30% at the apex. Favourite cycling climbs in North Wales 1 - Pen-y-Pass aka Llanberis Pass Pen Y Pass Profile. When: March 20-27, 2022. Inspecting my bike it appears my right pedal has partially disintegrated. Constant variations in gradient make finding a rhythm a tough task and there are significant stretches in excess of 10%. The gradient on the inside of the bend is estimated to be somewhere in excess of 30%, and while you'd be daft to try riding over that bit, the outside isn't exactly a piece of cake either. A pretty stone bridge over a stream takes you across the side of the hill, before a further hairpin spins you back towards the exposed top section. Ride over Irton Pike and pass through Eskdale Green and Beckfoot to reach the base of the climb next to the warning sign at Jubilee Bridge. I say a big thank you to Dan and Jess for joining me for the morning its then that they point out to me, if you thought it was hard on the way up, just wait until you go back down. The Tyla rounds The Blorenge Mountain from Gilwern, and its an incredibly challenging climb, mainly because of its steep lower slopes. Grid Ref: NY 231 014 (OS96). As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. From bend two the road swings left, kicks up then eases back to rumble across a cattle grid and so far, so pretty ordinary but then, up ahead the road arcs away to the right and here it begins to look serious. There's still plenty of climbing to do along the way, but nothing as ugly as the severe slopes that head straight out of Ponty. The beautiful landscape of the Brecon Beacons. From this page you may navigate to the top 10 most difficult bicycling climbs in Wales. Up ahead, eventually the final bends come into view, just as the gradient gets brutal on the long weather-beaten 20% slope that tests your legs to the limit. It's all a bit of an optical illusion though. Bryn Du is a very steep climb in Aberdare, up Maerdy Mountain. There, in front of you, painted on to the side of the mountain and looking like a giant flight of stairs, lies the rest of the climb. Luckily for us the rain was holding on our expedition. Holding a straight line is becoming all but impossible and the effort needed is simply unsustainable. The road levels slightly but the. I can see why. But its trajectory means that the damage is done on the brutally steep lower slopes. Where: Heading north out of Nantymoel in the Ogmore Valley. Babusar Pass, 4. Pozza San Glisente (Dos dell'Asino), 8. The route hugs the side of the steeply sided valley, following the contours of the hillside as it heads towards the summit. Grid Ref: NG 775 423 (OS24) Length 8980m Height gain 623m Approx climb time 37 mins, Extracts taken from 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs and Another 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs by Simon Warren, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Cyclist climbing Hardknott Pass, The Lake District National Park, Cumbria Photograph: Peter Oliver/Alamy, Cyclists on Wrynose Pass in the Lake District. They will help you plan, document and conquer your next adventure. The king of climbs and arguably the hardest road in the land, the legendary Hardknott Pass is an amazing sliver of tarmac. Arguably, though, he is best known as the author of Cycling Climbs series of books. Read next: This spectacular virtual fly-through shows the stunning route of the 2016 Velothon Wales. If the Tumble is the famous and successful son, the Tyla is his awkward, challenging older brother. This brutal, bucket list climb invites you to tackle an incredible 48 hairpin bends between Prato and the mountain's summit. The superlative Bwlch y Groes is coincidentally ranked #2 most epic hill climb in Wales and 3 in all the UK. for this page: ). Believe the hype. But I have to keep fighting. The climb lasts for almost a mile and has an elevation gain of 180 metres. It is in the Aran Mountains near the south east edge of Snowdonia (The Guardian - Britains top 10 toughest cycle climbs). This page provides an excellent and comprehensive summary of the top, hardest and best bicycling climbs in Wales. It's all fairly steady going as the climb starts just off the A449. - they are the Gold Standard for cycling climbing in the UK. Watch a gorgeous open up before your eyes as you tackle this country road that rises straight out of Pontardawe. The dial might touch 10% at times here, but in reality this is a fairly gentle climb that winds gracefully up for Mitchel Troy, just outside Monmouth, to its summit close to the village of Trelleck through a pleasant mix of open fields and deciduous woodland. before our second trip to document the UKs top climbs in 2022 -- thus, its The Real Deal! ) All rights reserved. Im now trapped on a two foot wide strip of rippled 30 per cent concrete fighting for survival. "Take it easy now or you'll never make it." With the wind on your back, it's one that can be tackled in the big ring on a good day. The Road to Hell - 353m - 3 to 20% - 11km #90. The gradient towards the top is, in the most part, forgiving, with the most taxing stretches found around the villages lower down. The climb is tough right away, then gets tougher still as you bend right into what is a small taste of things to come. Here there is another leveling, a plateau of sorts before things turn from nasty to insane. Afon Ddu from Trefriw is the toughest ascent with a difficulty score of 621. On our climb, we encountered a car and had to back up nearly a kilometer to find a place where they could pass. Simon Warren has published many books on cycling climbing in the UK (e.g. This climb is ranked #3 on PJAMMs FIETS formula-based difficulty index, as well as the UK Top Hardest Climbs list provided to us by. . This climb has a maximum gradient of 24% and an average gradient of 6.5%. The less celebrated of two routes up Llangynidr Mountain, the climb from Llangattock is no less difficult. We believe we have located and thoroughly documented the Top 10 Hardest (by Fiets and by Simon Warren) and 10 Most Epic (Simon Warren) and these are accessed via the Map or List above on the Wales Home page just above this Climb Area Summary. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. of course, ride the toughest cycling climbs across the UK and Europe. Deep in the dark heart of Wales, climbing nut Simon Warren thinks he has discovered Britain's steepest hill. This intimidating wall achieves virtually all of its 150m altitude gain in the space of a fearsome 1.2km, at an average gradient of nearly 13%. Hit the opening 12% slope too hard and you're finished - because it's followed by a sequence of bends with gradients rising above 30%. Over the years, I've sought to climb as many hills as possible. Grid ref: SO 403 918 (OS 137)Length 0.96kmHeight gain 163mApprox climb time 7 mins, You're spoilt for choice when it comes to climbing Cleeve Hill. This climb has one very steep segment near the beginning of the climb: a full half-mile at 16.5%. The majority of Scotland's roads stick to valleys as there's no need to cross the mountains but here they link the village of Applecross with the rest of the world by taking the route over the top of Bealach-na-Ba. And yet it's easy to forget that it's also one of the toughest. Grid ref: SO 983 279 (OS 163)Length 1.54kmHeight gain 167mApprox climb time 9 mins, Named Hellfire Pass by the English but better known by its Welsh name, Bwlch-y-Groes is the highest tarmacked pass in Wales. Photograph: Ashley Cooper/Alamy, The radar station of top of Great Dun Fell. Llangynidr Mountain is very much a climb of two halves. Our first relentless climb is Abercynafon, found between Talybont-on-Usk and Pontsticill. Horshoe Pass (Bwlch yr Oernant) - 317m - 7 to 20% - 6.1km #91. We asked Simon Warren to provide us with lists of both the Top 10 Hardest, and Top 10 Most Epic bike climbs in England, Wales, Scotland, and the UK. Increasing in steepness as it passes old industrial relics, the road winds its way up the side of a breathtaking gorge, with just a few boulders between separating you and the 10% gradient from the edge. To climb from the east, begin at the warning sign at Jubilee Bridge. Unceremoniously I hit the floor and proceeded to tumble southwards just missing Jess by millimeters (how she stayed upright Ill never know and sincerely I apologise for ruining her QOM attempt). Even though its very short you have to go so slowly at first. Climbs have an average length of 4.2km and 248 meters of total ascent. These days, cyclists have it pretty much to themselves, save for the odd bit of local traffic. Ride two miles gaining 1,329 at 12.5% average grade. The climb up here out of Ferndale is pretty tasty too. Riding alongside Dan with Jess tucked in behind we set off, all three of us understandably apprehensive of what lies ahead. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The bike climbs we have documented are in the slideshow above. You start your ascent from the beautiful Corgarff castle and straight away you hit 20% slopes rough, relentlessly steep and twisting a little. Each country has her crowned Jewel and Bwlch y Groes makes a good argument for taking that award for the Welsh territory. No part of it is easy, but it's the first of two hairpins that makes it notorious. The first 200-yard segment averages 15%, so be sure to warm up. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, This is the highest paved road and hardest bike climb in Wales. This was the advice of a local man as I approached the foot of this brutal climb last year. I snapped my chain not once but twice in my attempt to conquer this vicious stretch of tarmac. Or should we be asking, how accurate? Once the gradient kicks in it just gets steeper and steeper, 20% past the last of the houses, then the fun really starts. Through the gate, straight over a cattle grid and into more hard work, the road bending left past a stone shelter, a sure-fire signal although you are nowhere near the top yet that you're heading into truly hostile country. The steepest paved street in Pittsburghand one of the toughest climbs in the USmakes the top spot on our list. How many have you suffered on your way up? The bottom of the Abercynafon climb - note the 20% gradient, The open countryside of the Baran Road climb, The open part of the Bedlinog climb, after leaving the village, Looking south from the climb up the Black Mountain, The profile of the Black Mountain, from Brynamman, Looking down at the upper reaches of the Black Mountain climb from Llangadog, Looking north from the top of the Black Mountain, The profile for the Black Mountain from Llangadog, The top of the British, heading out of Abersychan, Steep inclines before leaving Aberdare on the way up Maerdy Mountain, The hairpin on the climb up Maerdy Mountain from Aberdare, Descending from the Bwlch into the Afan Valley, Near the top of the Bwlch, from the Afan Valley, The profile for the climb up the Bwlch from the Afan Valley, Looking up towards the summit of the Bwlch on the way up from Treorchy, The early part of the Caerphilly Mountain climb after leaving Tongwynlais, The steepest part of the climb up Caerphilly Mountain from Tongwynlais, The profile of the climb up Caerphilly Mountain from Caerphilly, The 20% slopes of the Wenallt climb up Caerphilly Mountain, The profile of the Wenallt climb up Caerphilly Mountain, Dan Martin and Nairo Quintana lead up Caerphilly Mountain in the 2013 Tour of Britain, The final kick on the Mountain Road ascent of Caerphilly Mountain, The profile of the climb up Caerphilly Mountain from the centre of the town, The road up Cefn Bryn stretching into the distance, The higher part of the Cimla climb out of Neath, The steep and cobbled slopes of Swansea's Constitution Hill, The long stretch up to Crai reservoir from Pen y Cae, The view down from the top hairpin on the Devil's Elbow, The top section of the Gospel Pass, after the steepest parts, Climbing up alongside dry stone walls and mountain streams on Heol Lan, Looking back down the climb out of Llangattock, Looking back down from the top of Llangynidr Mountain, Llanguicke Road: Almost unimaginably steep, The views from close to the summit of Llangynidr Mountain, The climb from Llangwm towards Shirenewton, The climb to Llanwonno, shortly after leaving the houses of Graigwen Road, The forested section close to the top of the climb to Llanwonno from Pontypridd, Onto more open terrain at the top of the Maerdy Mountain, The profile of the climb up Maerdy Mountain, The Old Black Rock climb from Gilwern to Brynmawr, The relentless gradient to the top of Penrhys, One of the steepest sections of the climb up past Pontypridd Golf Club, Looking back from the top of the Pontypridd Golf Club climb, The profile for the Pontypridd Golf Club climb, The top section of the Rhigos on the north side, The profile of the Rhigos climb from Hirwaun, The profile of the Rhigos from Treherbert, Rhiwr Road is difficult from the very start, Looking back towards Monmouth shortly after leaving Mitchel Troy on the climb to Trelleck, The profile of the climb towards Trelleck from Mitchel Troy. List of - 100 Climbs Total climbing: 21,293m over 322.75km. Receive a selection of the most beautiful climbs we've added. In many ways, the quintessential Welsh mountain road - wild, remote, desolate and endearingly featureless. The Rhigos is an altogether different proposition from the south, getting straighter rather than more meandering as it climbs. Now straightening up, the next stretch is ridiculously hard, the main problem here being just staying upright while either side of the road, sheep wait to see if yet another rider falls victim to the Chimney. In Wales cyclists can find 74 interesting climbs between 5 and 550 meters above sea level. Approaching 20%, you crawl through harsh, boulder-littered scenery, a massive slog to the briefest of levels where the classification of the road changes public cars are allowed no further. Canton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. (If you're cyclist in North, Mid or West Wales, we'll be preparing similar articles for your area - and there's a form at the bottom to send your suggestions). BA1 1UA. Where Leaving the A593 just south of Skelwith Bridge head west to Little Langdale. Cycling Weekly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. By the time you reach the clock tower in Pricetown, you'll have been climbing fairly constantly since Bryncethin. 1. Check the forecast before you head out and be prepared for harsher weather at the top. By the time that respite comes, you've climbed nearly 800ft. If you can ride this, you can ride anything. Grid ref: NY 710 321 (OS 91)Length 7.45kmHeight gain 638mApprox climb time 40 mins, Few climbs have such a fearsome reputation as Rosedale Chimney, and rightly so. Through Gayle, the road flat, hugging the river, soon rises sharply for a short 17% lung-opener. In 2021 we contacted Simon Warren requesting his picks for the Top 10 Most Epic and Top 10 Hardest bike climbs in (1) Wales, (2) England, (3) Scotland, and (4) the UK. Bwlch y Groes means Pass of the Cross.. The sheer length of this steep section is what sets this climb apart, there's just nowhere to recover. The maximum gradient is 13%. Without being too hysterical, this climb is nothing more than a joyless straight line of pain. View epic images taken along the climbing route. First off, a classic. The northern ascent of the Black has a very different character to its southern counterpart. Stay up to date with the latest developments. The second set of switchbacks are steeper still, and these now 30% slopes will have you straining every sinew as your front wheel desperately searches for a kinder gradient and weaves all over the road fighting to stay upright. The wooded opening sequence and the first phases on the open hillside are where you'll really suffer. There's something evil lurking in the woods at the top of this climb in rural Monmouthshire. Rhiwr Road (SW #197), and 10. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Simon Warren for his books generally and for his contribution of Top 10 lists for PJAMM Cycling. A little bit about Simon Warren - We contacted Simon Warren with our request for his Top 10 lists because we consider him the Gold Standard and cyclist with the most thorough and comprehensive knowledge of hill climbing by bike in the UK. The surface is rough at first and steep from the outset, but improves as you pass over a cattlegrid and approach the double hairpin. There is no dress rehearsal for this stretch of road, this is one take and one take only. 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