Where Turn off the A896 and head east just before Tornapress. 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. Join the road up from Thornhill and things get a little easier before the final wall up to the main road. I did warn him how bad it was but he was like, yeah, its just another hill. Two miles up a main road at between 4% and 6% might sound easy, but that just depends on how fast you're going. You are eventually rewarded with a blissful flat stretch, but it's not over yet; round a left-hand bend is yet more 20% gradient, a final zig-zag and a few last kicks take you to what feels like the top of the world. The famous hairpin means you've broken the back of it, and by the time you're onto the tree-lined final straight, you'll virtually be able to taste the ice cream from the van in the layby at the summit. Ride 1.8 miles gaining 916 at 10% average grade. This is largely due to its length of 9.32km. What comes next will take your breath away. It starts from the village of Porlock and climbs an average of 10% gradient towards the top of Exmoor. Named Hellfire Pass by the English but better known by its Welsh name, Bwlch-Y-Groes. For more epic hill climbing data, visit our Top 10 Most Epic UK and also our Top 10 Most Epic Welsh hill . Simon Warren (100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, UK) ranks this as the hardest climb in Wales and he will get no argument from us on that front! 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! Browse all of our prepackaged trips and find your next adventure! That said, Bwlch Penbarra is certainly a top three for US. Bwlch y Groes (SW #91), 3. The northern ascent of the Black has a very different character to its southern counterpart. Bwlch y Groes is rich in history and strong on inspiring, if not breathtaking, scenery. The route is found in Abersychan, Torfaen, where its lower slopes begin on the A4043 and then after a mile turn left and youll begin to climb through a breathtaking gorge. The first 10km climbs 800m to a small Visitor Centre, via ever steepening slopes and long 12 - 15% ramps. Cross the cattle grid onto a long straight 7% drag that takes you into the trees. 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. The early parts of this mountain road rarely drop below 10% as the route winds its way up through the trees. I slump over the bars. We have had the great fortune of documenting the most epic and hardest climbs in Wales in both 2018 and 2022. By the time you reach the clock tower in Pricetown, you'll have been climbing fairly constantly since Bryncethin. Height gain 286m This climb is simply a monster with several stretches in the red zone - above 16%, including one massive stretch at 20% for 200 yards. The top few miles of the Swansea Valley take you up the steady slopes of a wide and straight main road up to the beautiful Crai Reservoir. This climb has a maximum gradient of 24% and an average gradient of 6.5%. Most local riders know its here, we gave it the nickname the Baby Zoncolan but we all avoid it like the plague. Windswept and remote this climb begins in Brynamman, Carmarthenshire, and goes for 3.7 miles with a 12% gradient. The first 200-yard segment averages 15%, so be sure to warm up. 2. Without being too hysterical, this climb is nothing more than a joyless straight line of pain. Based in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Simon continues to keep riding his bike uphill and guides rides, hosts events and gives talks on climbing hills on bikes! United Kingdom: England's Hardest and Most Epic Hill Climbs, United Kingdom: Hardest and Epic Bike Climbs, United Kingdom: Scotland's Hardest and Most Epic Hill Climbs. From the long, straight opening stretch, the summit seems scarily close in distance, while worryingly far away in altitude. 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. Thank you for signing up! 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. Length: 64.8km Maximum gradient: 13% Vertical: 1,785m Hazards: Heat exhaustion and death America's Death Valley is not generally known as a great place to ride. 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. It's short, steep and fairly hostile all the way to the final left corner that brings you out Caerphilly Mountain's famous snack bar. All rights reserved. Just keep going, then head down the terrifying descent. In Welsh, the area is named Eryri. Stwlan Dam. . As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Ride only 600 meters but at a stunning 21.3% average grade. Between the narrow road, the rutted surface and the severity of the slope, this is one seriously tough climb. Receive a selection of the most beautiful climbs we've added. The photos in the collage at the top of this page are of PJAMMs Top 10 Hardest per the Fiets Index. 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. | 26 regions. Here there is another leveling, a plateau of sorts before things turn from nasty to insane. Begin the climb across the bridge at Cock Bridge just past Corgarff Castle. From there, there's the option of a fast descent into Defynnog, but a much better alternative is to continue in a straight line uphill and onto the ancient Heol Senni. If someone built it we will damn well try and ride it, even if it means falling on our ass because. Arguably, though, he is best known as the author of Cycling Climbs series of books. TOP 3 HARDEST BIKE CLIMBS IN WALES (SIMON WARREN). I have purchased and relied heavily on several of these books in deciding what climbs to include on the PJAMM Website for the UK. Cyclist and spectators make their way up The Tumble and line the road as the Tour of Britain cyclist near the finish, Abergavenny. ranks this as the hardest climb in Wales and he will get no argument from us on that front! A headwind, on the other hand, and it can be a real grind. I was to discover that there is absolutely no objection to cyclists riding it, although few would be mad enough. Photos clockwise from top left: Bwlch y Groes (Wales #1, UK #2 hardest); Stwlan Dam (Wales #1, UK #2 most epic); Entering Wales in Llanymynech; Cardiff Castle; Welsh flag flying over Cardiff Castle (center). (sort by distance, difficulty, elevation and more). 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. Ranking list In many ways, the quintessential Welsh mountain road - wild, remote, desolate and endearingly featureless. How many have you ridden? Learn More ALL TRIPS If any more proof was needed, this road takes no prisoners., it is utterly savage but thats what we love, right? The road levels slightly but the surface is cut up and damaged. In Wales cyclists can find 74 interesting climbs between 5 and 550 meters above sea level. Friends Dominic Millar, Graham Salisbury and James Findlater have returned home triumphant having completed 3,300 miles and climbed around 50 vertical miles in month-long endurance cycling . Now on Station Road, take the third left after crossing the rail line on to Bushcombe Lane between the two 25% signs. I snapped my chain not once but twice in my attempt to conquer this vicious stretch of tarmac. Dan is still chatting away but Ive fallen silent - there is no space to fit words in-between breaths. This climb isn't for the faint-hearted. This is apparent in books published prior to 1951, such as the classic travelogue Wild Wales by George Borrow (1862) and The Mountains of Snowdonia by H. Carr & G. Lister (1925). 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. 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). This climb is breathtaking and we will return and do this one again - its just that unique, inspiring and exceptional. Let us know what you thought of this climb. 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The climb goes up a ridge to a small parking lot, where we saw two other cyclists. The three vicious ascents leaving Woodmancote all offer a fantastic challenge, and of the three it's Bushcombe Lane that stands apart. The route hugs the side of the steeply sided valley, following the contours of the hillside as it heads towards the summit. There is no dress rehearsal for this stretch of road, this is one take and one take only. BA1 1UA. Whatever it is, it makes the stretch of climbing ahead look terrifying. The steepest parts of the climb are before you've even left the edge of the town, but it's long enough to be a real struggle if you've burnt too many matches too soon. Climbs have an average length of 4.2km and 248 meters of total ascent. Dan tells me he brought none other than Andrew Feather (current national hill climb champion) here a few weeks back. Region: South West Length: 3.1km Average gradient: 10% Elevation: 321m And yet it's easy to forget that it's also one of the toughest. 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. In fact the Welsh flag has an imposing Dragon on it. From there it's a steep and tough push to reach the saddle of the pass. With this in mind, I put my eyes to work scanning the gradients ahead looking for any stretch of reprieve, no matter how short, where I can take a break from the infernal torment. Baniamr Aquabah Pass, 6. Where: Heading north out of Nantymoel in the Ogmore Valley. A while later the utterly horrendous Cowlyd in north Wales found its way onto my radar and again the slate was wiped clean and a new standard was set. I can see why. My bike is creaking. WOW - enough said! 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. Ahead lies 30 metres that has every single ounce of muscle straining like a weight lifter attempting to raise four times their body weight above their heads. Sign up with your email address to receive offers, news and updates. This gorgeous country road is testing for even the best cyclists, but it provides great views north towards the western Brecon Beacons. Stunning and rugged, the Black Mountain (and you) are open to the elements. We've collected 37 of the hardest, most beautiful, steepest, highest and longest climbs in South Wales. Afon Ddu starts abruptly from the main road and youll need just one gear, the lowest you can fit on your bike. The top 10 hardest cycling climbs around the globe, all of which we have personally documented, are: 1. This page provides an excellent and comprehensive summary of the top, hardest and best bicycling climbs in Wales. 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. Where Leaving the A593 just south of Skelwith Bridge head west to Little Langdale. It is in the Aran Mountains near the south east edge of Snowdonia (The Guardian - Britains top 10 toughest cycle climbs). The best advice for anyone heading uphill out of Aberdare - don't put yourself in the red too early. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The Tyla rounds the Blorenge from Gilwern, Heading into the trees on the Wentwood Ridge climb just where it starts to get really steep. Get the arrow-straight, slightly soul-destroying drag past Tower Colliery out the way and enjoy the way this climb gently curves its way across the front of the mountain. Photograph: Ashley Cooper/Alamy, The radar station of top of Great Dun Fell. winding route from Hay you veer right past the turn for Craswall and over a cattle grid.The road steepens here for the hardest part of the climb.After a few hundred yards you are greeted to a fantastic view of Hay Bluff and . The road to get to this climb is brutally narrow with thick shrubs blocking the views ahead. 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. Repeatedly, you'll think you're through the worst - only to be hit again with the next step of the staircase.