Visit our corporate site. The 5 hardest cycling climbs in the UK (Please link to Pedalsure.com if using elsewhere) Bealach na B The closest to an Alpine mountain climb that the UK has to offer is Bealach na B ("Pass of the Cattle" in Scottish Gaelic) on the west coast of Scotland. Best Hill Climbs in the US | Bicycling Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. This is simply a magnificent cycling experience. If you want the privilege of having ridden the highest paved road in Wales, you'll need to earn it. From there it's a steep and tough push to reach the saddle of the pass. Deep in the dark heart of Wales, climbing nut Simon Warren thinks he has discovered Britains steepest hill. WOW - enough said! It starts from the village of Porlock and climbs an average of 10% gradient towards the top of Exmoor. | 26 regions. As of 2022, Simon Warren has published 12 cycling climbing books - 10 focusing on the UK, one on TdF and the other on the Giro. Wales is a wonderful country with great people, extraordinary scenery and EPIC bike climbs!! And it's so steep, close to 25% at the point where the tall valley walls disappear and the radar slowly rises over the horizon to sit above you, tracking the remainder of your progress. Al Jaadah Pass, 3. Cyclist and spectators make their way up The Tumble Abergavenny. for this page: ). . for this page: 100 Greatest Climbs - A Road Cyclists Guide To Britains Hills; Cycling Climbs of Wales; see also https://www.100climbs.co.uk/books). Far from any major towns, the starting point is near some very old homesteads. Without being too hysterical, this climb is nothing more than a joyless straight line of pain. The lower half is a meander through pastoral scenery, before suddenly opening out onto exposed mountain top with stunning views of the peaks around Abergavenny. We relied heavily on Simon Warrens Top UK Climbs Series in ranking and documenting UK bike climbs (. ) Once through, you can pick up some speed before the final steep turns and your new-found momentum will help carry you through these and over the top. Something went wrong, please try again later. VIDEO: Snowboarder Climbs Tree To Evade Angry Moose. Early motoring magazines often mention that editorial staff hand car manufacturers had been testing on the Bwlch y Groes owing to its status of a continual and sever gradient to one of the highest moorland crossings by a road in the UK. Best time to cycle J F M A M J J A S O N D Ranking list Wales Difficulty points Gradient Length Total ascent Passing farm buildings and trees, the road veers left, then a very sharp 25% right a taste of what's to come before easing as the last of the trees disappear beneath you. With a maximum gradient of 22% and an average gradient of 8.1% youre afforded great views of Aberdare the higher you climb. Where: Between Ystrad Mynach and Merthyr Tydfil. Windswept and remote this climb begins in Brynamman, Carmarthenshire, and goes for 3.7 miles with a 12% gradient. This climb has a maximum gradient of 24% and an average gradient of 6.5%. Thanks to Strava for the route maps and climb profiles. Each country has her crowned Jewel and Bwlch y Groes makes a good argument for taking that award for the Welsh territory. A long, long stretch of wickedly steep tarmac lies ahead, hugging the side of the mountain, with a slight levelling halfway but steeper still after that. 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. Read next: This spectacular virtual fly-through shows the stunning route of the 2016 Velothon Wales. Only two miles, but one of those climbs that feels like it goes on forever. The Travel App includes many helpful travel tools, including: an itinerary, interactive map with points of interest and all loaded routes as well as navigation to each; a tracking feature that shows participant locations; records statistic for routes completed; post photos and text in real time to blog and map; and a share feature so friends, fans and family can follow you and your adventure on our interactive map. Within a few hundred feet of the start point, a switchback of over 20% warns you of the battle to come. See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via the Profile Tool button. The Hardest Climbs - The Steepest Roads in the World Bikes & Gear Health & Nutrition Training Repair Exclusives Subscribe Sign In 1 Five Black Women Who Rode From NYC to DCin 1928 2 18 Best. The Gospel Pass is 548 high. Youll see the Foel Y Gordd formation as you enter the canyon area. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The hardest ascent is from the west, beginning at Fell Foot Farm, where straight away you have a 20% right-hander and that's just a taste of what lies ahead. Thank you for signing up! Climb summary by PJAMM Cyclings Brad Butterfield - he climbed this one in 2018 and 2022. Stick with it, as eventually the one-in-three does turn into a relatively gentle one-in-six, allowing you to build a little momentum to drag your bike up on to the moor. Taking your bike up a steep climb next to Welsh dry stone walls and mountain streams on Heol Lan is an experience that will stay with you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Three Cycling UK members have successfully completed an epic challenge to tackle 100 of the UK's most iconic climbs in one mammoth month-long road trip. Heading up the Blorenge from the other side, the climb gains slightly less altitude in slightly greater distance. Begin the climb across the bridge at Cock Bridge just past Corgarff Castle. This is the highest paved road and hardest bike climb in Wales. We participate in the Amazon Associates Program. All rights reserved. Having left the steep streets of Upper Brynamman behind, the road dissects the open mountainside, tussock-covered hillsides on both flanks. What follows is a brief levelling out but you can't put off what lies ahead for long. In Welsh, the area is named Eryri. On the west coast of Scotland, Bealach na B has the most elevation gain of any road climb in the UK, rising from sea level to 626m over a stretch of 9.2km. The three vicious ascents leaving Woodmancote all offer a fantastic challenge, and of the three it's Bushcombe Lane that stands apart. You start your ascent from the beautiful Corgarff castle and straight away you hit 20% slopes rough, relentlessly steep and twisting a little. There is also now a Welsh Climbs book 100 greatest cycling climbs is a list of some of the hardest climbs in the UK from Constitution Hill to Kirkstone Pass and Ditchling Beacon. Two miles up a main road at between 4% and 6% might sound easy, but that just depends on how fast you're going. How many have you ridden? This spectacular virtual fly-through shows the stunning route of the 2016 Velothon Wales, Huge vintage clothing warehouse where you can get designer brands at a fraction of the price, The Thrift operates over a huge 12,000 sq ft and stocks big brands as well as a value section, Superdrug anti-aging cream called 'botox in a tub' by shoppers, Optimum Collagen Day cream is priced at 14.99. It starts steep from the village of Clydach and beats you up for a whole mile before easing just a touch. If you were measuring the steepest, hardest, highest or longest climbs in South Wales, this wouldn't be anywhere near it. A short flat section ramps up hard, then almost levels before ramping hard again. Llano de las Animas, 7. Still, that's the least of your worries as you pass a 25% sign. Baran Road is arguably the most beautiful of all the tough climbs were listing here. We've collected 37 of the hardest, most beautiful, steepest, highest and longest climbs in South Wales. Rising 859ft over 2.7 miles actually makes for a fairly manageable gradient most of the way up, and there's more road on which to gain altitude than it might look initially. First built in 2nd century by the Romans, the pass is unbelievably tough from both directions. I have purchased and relied heavily on several of these books in deciding what climbs to include on the PJAMM Website for the UK. Between bend three and four the pitch increases to a brutal 30 per cent then backs off slightly so we can recover for an instant before it kicks up again. Snowdonia National Park (Welsh: Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) was established in 1951 as the third national park in Britain, following the Peak District and the Lake District. Even though its very short you have to go so slowly at first. Where From the bottom left corner of Rosedale Abbey leave the main road and turn south east on to Gill Lane, pass the giant warning sign, and head up. Here are some of the UK's other toughest ascents. Pen-y-Pass is the climb out of Llanberis on the A4086 up to the Pen-y-Pass lodge where several walking routes to the summit of Snowdon start from. The 1.9 mile route is memorable for its scary hairpin climb. United States - Top Bike Climbs - PJAMM Cycling Bwlch y Groes means Pass of the Cross.. But its trajectory means that the damage is done on the brutally steep lower slopes. Our first relentless climb is Abercynafon, found between Talybont-on-Usk and Pontsticill. I can now hear Jess approaching from behind, her 34 x 32 slightly more suited to the venue than my 34 x 28, judging by her colourful language I assume I am in her way. The Tyla rounds the Blorenge from Gilwern, Heading into the trees on the Wentwood Ridge climb just where it starts to get really steep. The average gradient might "only" be 8.3%, but that's reduced by the steady stretch of false flat that precedes the summit. Views and scenery during the middle of the climb. 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 Simon Warrenbefore our second trip to document the UKs top climbs in 2022 -- thus, its The Real Deal! 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. Grid ref: SD 862 843 (OS98)Length 5.34km Height gain 323m Approx climb time 22 mins, On the eastern edge of the Long Mynd lies the infamous Asterton Bank, also known by many other names that I could not print here. Where Leaving the A593 just south of Skelwith Bridge head west to Little Langdale. 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. As Eryri (see above), this area has a unique place in Welsh history, tradition and culture. The 10 Hardest Cycling Climbs in the World Through a second gate it's easy for a while then bending right once again it's leg-breakingly tough to the finish at the station, where, looking around you, you might as well be on top of the world. Where Leave the A684 that runs through Hawes and head south on Gayle Lane to Gayle. It's also available via Apple Newsstand and Readly. Apart from the few cars that travel this route, you're more likely to have wary, onlooking deer for company, as they track your slow progress up the mountain. 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%. In many ways, the quintessential Welsh mountain road - wild, remote, desolate and endearingly featureless. The makeup of land ownership at Snowdonia is as follows (Wikipedia - Snowdonia National Park). The views? Bryn Du is a very steep climb in Aberdare, up Maerdy Mountain. Learn More ALL TRIPS And yet once you get to the top, you'll realise you enjoyed every second. The photos in the collage at the top of this page are of PJAMMs Top 10 Hardest per the Fiets Index. Start opposite the old red telephone box, past the numerous warning signs, across the cattle grid then bend slightly left. Climb summary by PJAMMs Brad Butterfield who documented this climb in 2018 and again in 2022 (Wales is one of 27 countries Brad has cycled and documented for PJAMM in addition to 16 US states). A commonly held belief is that the name is derived from eryr ("eagle"), and thus means 'the abode/land of eagles',but recent evidence is that it means quite simply Highlands, and is related to the Latin oriri (to rise) as leading Welsh scholar Sir Ifor Williams proved.The term Eryri first appeared in a manuscript in the 9th-century Historia Brittonum, in an account of the downfall of the semi-legendary 5th-century king Gwrtheyrn (Vortigern).In the Middle Ages the title Prince of Wales and Lord of Snowdonia (Tywysog Cymru ac Arglwydd Eryri) was used by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd; his grandfather Llywelyn Fawr used the title Prince of north Wales and Lord of Snowdonia.Before the boundaries of the national park were designated, "Snowdonia" was generally used to refer to a smaller area, namely the upland area of northern Gwynedd centred on the Snowdon massif, whereas the national park covers an area more than twice that size extending far to the south into Meirionnydd. If youve ever been to Manhattan and walked the streets straining your neck upwards to admire the skyscrapers, well, for a moment looking up this road it feels like that. TOP 3 MOST EPIC BIKE CLIMBS IN WALES (SIMON WARREN), Cycling the incomparable Stwlan Dam, Wales. Bwlch Penbarra (SW #88), 9. This climb was renowned throughout the 1970s and 80s as the most challenging climb used in the Milk Race round-Britain cycle race (, The History of Motor Sport and the Bwlch-y-Groes is nearly as old as motorsport. Grid Ref: NY 277 027 (OS90) Length 2.52km Height gain 278m Approx climb time 15 mins, This is the greatest climb in England, this is our Mont Ventoux, it has no peers, there is no comparison: Great Dun Fell is simply unique. #3 HARDEST WELSH CLIMB -BWLCH PENBARRA TO JUBILEE TOWER, Cycling Bwlch Penbarras to Jubilee Tower, Wales. Now climbing steeply, this slither of rough road clinging precariously to the mountainside bends hard right to deliver you into a true wilderness. 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. Cycling climbs: UK's top 5 road climbs - Red Bull See where the steepest portions of the climb are located by gradient group. The climb up here out of Ferndale is pretty tasty too. After leaving the village, you're into open moorland but don't expect a gradient in single figures. Riding alongside Dan with Jess tucked in behind we set off, all three of us understandably apprehensive of what lies ahead. The Cowlyd, 2. Select a portion of the route to retrieve climb & profile data for that segment. Please check your inbox to complete the sign-up process and ensure you receive emails and offers from us in the future. Simon Warren has published many books on cycling climbing in the UK (e.g. The steep, consistent gradient hovers around 15% all the way, making it one of the most challenging climbs in South Wales. The hardest, most difficult and challenging cycling climbs in Wales are, in order of difficulty, 1. The 10 hardest hill climbs in Wales can be viewed on this page via the map (zoom in to view climbs in particular areas), by Climb Cards (photo and stats) or by a detailed list of the climbs that can be arranged in metric or imperial units by difficulty, distance (longest climbs in the area), altitude gained, highest elevation (highest summit), average grade (sort the grades by varying distances), lowest start point, etc.