Denbighshire / Clwydian Range · United Kingdom
Bwlch Penbarras
Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd to Tafarn-y-Gelyn
Brutally steep hairpin climb over the Clwydian Range below Moel Famau.
Bwlch Penbarras is an unclassified lane crossing the Clwydian Range at about 360 m between Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd and Tafarn-y-Gelyn, in the gap between Moel Famau and Foel Fenlli. The western climb is savage, gaining around 260 m in 2.25 km with a sustained ramp near 25 percent and a tight hairpin before the summit, which is why Cycling Weekly named it a Killer Climb. The eastern side is gentler and dead straight. Mind the very steep hairpin on the west side, frequent cyclists struggling on the gradient, and a narrow single-track surface with few passing places.
Scenery
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Where it runs2.2 mi · point to point
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Character
Steeper than 9 in 10 roads here in the catalogue.
Elevation
under 4%4–8%over 8%156.7 – 362 mPoints of interest2 stops
- Old St Peter’s ChurchLandmarkat the start
- Foel FenlliViewpoint1.0 mi in
Hazards
- Up to 25% hairpin
- Cyclists on climb
- Few passing places
Sources
“from the summit it is dead-straight for over a mile downhill, which provides an exhilarating descent”
Verified route: mapped from real road geometry and fact-checked by a human editor. How roads get checked
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