The Highest Roads in South Wales

What’s the highest road in Wales? Easy says Siri (try it): the Bwlch-y-Groes in north Wales. Except its not – it's the Gospel Pass in South Wales.

But what’s a road? Siri isn’t too clear on that. Its just a thoroughfare. There’s no mention of tarmac.

So what is the highest road in Wales? Lets make this easy and stick to south Wales. If we think of a road as an unclassified right of way – those ‘roads’ that look like equals signs on an OS map (=======), there are three that stick out. And make no mistake, as climbs they surpass those old favourites of the Bwlch, the Rhigos, the Black Mountain, or whatever your latest 100 climbs book tells you.

So what and where are they? 

1. The Brecon Gap (599m)

Its supposed to be 599m, but you can break the 600m barrier if you wanted by just scrambling up the banks either side of the col. From Merthyr or Brecon, the Brecon Gap takes you through some spectacular glacial scenery. Perhaps more suited to a mountain bike, the climb is not steep, just a bit rocky in places - the descent was harder for me on my cross bike. 

A post shared by Gareth Enticott (@garethenticott) on May 7, 2017 at 4:46am PDT

Be prepared for soldiers and walkers looking for something different to the motorway up to Pen-y-fan. The view down to Brecon, with the rest of the road snaking around the side of valley is spectacular. 

A post shared by Gareth Enticott (@garethenticott) on May 7, 2017 at 4:52am PDT

From the southern side, the col – the dramatic gap between the two mountains either side – stands out all the way  up. It never seems to get closer though, until the end. Don't forget to go past Pontsticill reservoir on the way back either.

A post shared by Gareth Enticott (@garethenticott) on Apr 8, 2017 at 2:48am PDT

2. Craig-y-Llyn (600m)

One of the benefits of the new wind farms opened across the top of the south Wales valleys are the access roads built to service them. To be sure, they’ve existed for ages, used by logging trucks. And Craig-y-Llyn is actually just off the the East –West Wales Sustrans cycle path, so its not as if its been hiding for years.

A post shared by Gareth Enticott (@garethenticott) on Feb 19, 2017 at 5:25am PST

You can get to Craig-y-llyn a number of ways. From the north side of the Rhigos Mountain Road, turn off just off the entrance to Tower Colliery and follow the forest road around the base of the cliff face and the Llyn Fawr pond. Then gradually climb up through the forest before eventually emerging at the wind farm. 

A post shared by Gareth Enticott (@garethenticott) on Apr 2, 2017 at 4:15am PDT

Or take the "secret" Bwlch road from Treorchy and then the long false flat across the top and through the wind farm to reach the trig point. Or from Maerdy, follow the cycle path through the derelict mining landscape, through a wind farm coming out on the Rhigos mountain road. Cross over and ride up the last steep section to reach the summit. The surface is good – whichever way you go.

A post shared by Gareth Enticott (@garethenticott) on Mar 12, 2017 at 5:51am PDT

3. Fan Gyhirych (725m/680m)

The highest peak at 725m, although the road is slightly lower at 680m and perhaps the most isolated. You could park near the Crai reservoir and ride up but that would be cheating. Instead, get to Ystradfellte and then take the lane to Cave. From there prepare for several miles of gravel and farm tracks across the deserted plateau to the base of the climb. Expect sheep for company. The climb is relatively easy, steep in places with some loose stones. The descent is fast, flowing and fun. Enjoy it, but watch out for sheep.

A post shared by Gareth Enticott (@garethenticott) on Jun 3, 2017 at 4:45am PDT

Feeling the Festive 500

How to measure a target like the Festive 500km? In numbers, or feelings?

The numbers bit is easy: 500kms, hours on the bike, average speeds, watts, intensity factors and Training Stress Scores (TSS), all ways of quantifying the effort. But maybe the challenge relates more to feelings than pure numbers: of tiredness, pain, and memories of what’s so good about riding a bike?

Physically, last year’s Festive 500 was relatively straightforward. The challenge was mental: the fatigue of studying the weather, planning routes around the wind and crawling out of bed early enough to be back for lunch and be too tired for the rest of the day to enjoy it.

This year things would have to be different. Five days before Christmas, my wife had an operation on her hip. Immobile, I’d have to be at home to help get the kids out of bed, make their breakfast, take the dog for a walk – all the stuff you miss when you’re out the door by 7.30sm to do 100ks before lunch. The only solution was to do it all in the kitchen on a turbo trainer hooked up to Zwift. Two-hour rides between 7-9am every morning should be enough. Sat on a bike going nowhere would require additional mental stimulation, so I decided to play a game of Fifa 17 during every ride (You can read how that went here).

Getting ready to complete the Festive 500 whilst playing Fifa

In numbers, completing the 500ks was relatively easy. I covered 520km on Zwift and a further 105 on the road (see table below). Compared to last year my total TSS was slightly lower (roughly, the Zwift Festive 500 was 5 hours shorter than last years - Zwift kms are quicker) but average power was also higher. There were junk miles whilst playing Fifa, but I won more games than I lost. And if you include the two road rides I did it all worked out about the same. In measurable terms, the effort was about the same.

I rode with friends in Cambridge (UK), and met new ones from Austria, Denmark and Tasmania on Boxing Day. But was it memorable in the way last year’s effort had been? Watching the numbers displayed on Zwift didn't inscribe anything meaningful: whereas as I remembered being battered by rain and hills, the reasons behind every route, Geraint Thomas zooming past me on Christmas Eve on his TT bike, and the dull fatigue in the evenings, this year’s memories were pretty vacant. In the words of Edward Relph, it was a kind of placeless Festive 500.

 The point at which I completed the 2015 Festive 500.

All wasn't lost: there was another story told in feelings and intensities. Halfway through the week I had a chance to go out on the road. In last year’s Festive 500, every ride had to use at least 1 road I’d never ridden along before. This ride would be similar: along the gravel road crossing Manmoel Mountain, between Oakdale and Ebbw Vale. No wind, and warm winter light made the scenery spectacular: windy lanes lined with dry-stone walls led to a bleak moor high above the valley floor.  In the distance, the familiar shape of Pen-y-fan. Tarmac gave way to gravel, which gave way to a stoney pot-holed mess, which gave way to a rear puncture on a short descent. I’d been pushing it and a pinch puncture was inevitable. I could dream of a new gravel bike with tubeless tyres. But if there can be such a thing, this was the best puncture ever.

Puncture mended, time to enjoy the scenery.

It was a simple repair in the kind of place you might want to repair punctures. I had planned to ride back the way I came, but decided to return along the valley road. A mistake: sunlight was a stranger to the valley floor and frost lingered on the verges. In the cold I took a wrong turn up a steep hill only to return back on to the main road 100 meters further down. But despite this, it was the best ride of the year, by far. I’d be back as soon as possible.

Back so soon? A week later on the Manmoel Mountain, this time in ice

They say that targets inspire perverse behaviour. That challenges like the Festive 500 cause family ructions. Targets ossify the mind: don't be innovative, don't stand out, just get the job done. But experiencing the extremes is important: it teaches you the value of the other. Getting the job done, whether inside or out might involve cycling, but it might not be cycling. Maybe its important to experience those extremes to teach us what's great about cycling. The virtual doesn't replace the real; it accentuates it. And maybe sometimes it might just be better to enjoy failing to meet a target than meet it for the sake of it. 

So, on the last day of the Festive 500, rather than stick to one of my usual training routes, in light rain I rode up through the woods and into the mist on the edge of Cardiff. These will be the rides I'll do more in 2017. That's what the Festive 500 taught me.

The misty woods: more of this in 2017.

All The Festive 500 Rides

Date	Kms	Day Kms	Cumulative Kms	NP	TSS	Link
24-Dec	106	116.9	106	213	175	https://www.strava.com/activities/809969676
24-Dec	10.9		116.9	76	4	https://www.strava.com/activities/810486504
25-Dec	3.9	49.9	120.8	50	2	https://www.strava.com/activities/810837085
25-Dec	10.9		131.7	76	4	https://www.strava.com/activities/810863315
25-Dec	5.1		136.8	49	2	https://www.strava.com/activities/810884629
25-Dec	30		166.8	199	49	https://www.strava.com/activities/811187074
26-Dec	40.4	90	207.2	225	74	https://www.strava.com/activities/811454155
26-Dec	44		251.2	260	94	https://www.strava.com/activities/811480891
26-Dec	5.6		256.8	54	2	https://www.strava.com/activities/812072045
27-Dec	70	82.1	326.8	208	111	https://www.strava.com/activities/812481187
27-Dec	12.1		338.9	114	8	https://www.strava.com/activities/813244414
28-Dec	80.3	92.4	419.2	218	230	https://www.strava.com/activities/813950636
28-Dec	12.1		431.3	114	8	https://www.strava.com/activities/814103391
29-Dec	70.9	83	502.2	214	119	https://www.strava.com/activities/814498014
29-Dec	12.1		514.3	130	10	https://www.strava.com/activities/815179958
30-Dec	76.1	86.4	590.4	217	135	https://www.strava.com/activities/815469670
30-Dec	10.3		600.7	94	5	https://www.strava.com/activities/816156477
31-Dec	25.1	25.1	625.8	207	68	https://www.strava.com/activities/816425505
Total	625.8				1100
Zwift Total	520.4				802

Velothon Wales: Hazard Points

If you are doing Velothon Wales, then here is a list of hazard points which you might want to be aware of:


1. Ocean Way / Rover Way - leaving Cardiff, the route heads down through the most unattractive part of Cardiff! Along these roads there's a fair bit of road furniture (including the 'Magic Roundabout' at Splott). The road along Rover Way tends to be filthy dirty due to the heavy industry down here. There are also two roundabouts to be wary of: in the past the road surface has been churned up by lorries, but I noticed last week that they had been resurfaced. Oh, and there's some railway lines crossing the road, but nothing to worry about - they are at 90 degrees to the road.

2. The Flats - as you go past the wind turbine, you are now entering 'the flats' - local chaingang territory. The surface of the last roundabout where you turn right by the freight terminal is pretty churned up by lorries, so take care there. The road surface past the travellers camp site is not great, but the rest of the flats is not too bad - just watch out for potholes.

3. Newport - Langstone - the only risk along this stretch is that you will fall asleep from boredom. Its dual carriageway most of the way. The only dodgy bit is Nash Road just past the Velodrome where the road is narrow and full of sleeping policemen and pinch points as you go past the schools. You might find some interest in the Transporter Bridge or Llanwern steelworks, but other than that its deathly dull. Just enjoy the smooth roads.

4. Cat's Ash - coming off the A48 near the Coldra roundabout the route goes up a narrow lane - expect there to be some congestion here.

5. Belmont Hill - the descent from the Celtic Manor to Caerleon is very steep and fast. Visibility is not great at the fastest point, and theres a fast right hander followed by a left at the bottom.

As you can see, the fast sharp right is marked by signs, but there is a dangerous manhole cover right on the corner. If its wet, that could be treacherous.





6. Caerleon to the Tumble - there are no problems here - the road is generally good all the way.

7. Top of the Tumble to Pontypool - the descent of the Tumble is fine. From Blaenavon to Pontypool though the road is pretty fast and windy. There's usually plenty of cars parked alongside the road though - not sure if they'll be there on the day, if they are then point them out to everyone else.

8. Pontypool to Newbridge - I hate this stretch of road - if its windy it'll be horrible, but at least there won't be any cars. Watch the descent to Crumlin - its very fast and you take a 90 degree left hander at the bottom.

9. Newbridge to Caerphilly Mountain - No problems along here - mostly dual carriageway so it should be fast.

10. Caerphilly Mountain descent part 1 - the first part of the descent is very steep (20%) with a right then left through a compression. Normally, you are trying to take this as fast as possible to maintain your speed up the slight rise to the Travellers Rest where the descent starts again. But going through the compression whilst turning left can catch you out, so you need to be concentrating here especially if you are catching slower/less experienced riders.

11. Caerphilly Mountain descent part 2 - coming off the top of the mountain you can easily hit 50-60mph right away. There's a right hander but its fine to take flat out. But straight after this you'll need to be hitting the brakes to take a 90 degree off-camber left hander into a narrow lane (Capel Gwilym Road). This could be super dangerous if people try coming up the inside, or experienced riders are merging with inexperienced ones. Seriously, this is the most dangerous part of the course, so take it easy!

12. Lisvane - to Cathays - if you get round the left hander unscathed, then its a pretty easy run into Cardiff from here. There's a couple of awkward roundabouts at Lisvane railway station where you come off a descent and will want to maintain your speed to get up the small climb afterwards. Coming through Llanishen theres a couple of sleeping policemen. The last short climb is at Fairoak road and then it really is all down hill along Cathays Terrace, although the road surface at the bottom on the right hand bend is not great.

Take care out there!

The British

In hushed tones they said it. "And we came back over The British".

No more needed to be said: it had been a hard ride.

That was 20 years ago. Rarely do I hear people speak of it.

Where's The British, I ask. Blank looks is their reply.

Unloved and overshadowed by its near neighbour The Tumble.

But is The British one of the best climbs in South Wales? Best? Unique, for sure.

The British

Literally rising from the ashes of an industrial age, a 2km long 10% incline on to the moors above Abertillery. A road both from and to hell, perhaps.

Relics of heavy industry  litter the start: collieries, ironworks, quarries, chimneys, derelict houses. There's some great photos here.

Like its industrial heritage, the road is in a bad state, overgrown, crumbling and difficult to find.

Unmarked and unrevered on Strava (its actually called "the Bungalows" climb).

The exposed summit is at 475m, almost as high as the Tumble, and followed by a long exposed stretch across the moor, usually battered by the prevailing wind.

Today though, its blowing the East, but the climb is no easier. And the descent to Aberbeeg through St Illtyd presents its just as horrendous - parts are taken slower than the climb.

Here's a film of the climb. You might be able to see the road surface, and appreciate the steepness. What you can't quite appreciate is the grimness of the valley to the left, littered with the spoil of heavy industry, its like returning to the 1970s. Maybe not the best climb, but certainly one of the most interesting.

The Tumble: overrated

Top of the Tumble tonight pic.twitter.com/UAMgq0bGzJ
— Dr Gareth Enticott (@GarethEnticott) May 1, 2014

The Tumble. Apparently the mecca of South Wales cycling, the spiritual home of hill climbing, the closest alpine ascent we've got. No wonder that the Tour of Britain will be finish on it in 2014. There's even a charity event where you can spend all day riding up and down it.

Pah! The Tumble is vastly overrated. It might be a relatively hard climb, but its not the best climb in South Wales. Here's five reasons why:

1. 10% for 6km? Ahem. At best, Strava gives 9% over 4.9km, or 8% for 5km. So its tough, but lets not exaggerate things. Moreover, the summit is in the wrong place. Really, the top of the climb is further on up the lane to the left of the summit which then descends down towards Llanover. There's a bit more climbing to do, but its not exactly steep. But then neither is pretty much the last kilometre of the main climb - its big ringable stuff. Maybe the climb is more like 3km at 10% - half of those official signs - but who'd be excited about that? Its hardly alpine territory.



2. The view. Where is it? Most of the climb - the steepest part - is along a hedgelined straight road. It feels claustrophobic and tedious, but it doesn't have the mystique of the forest section on Mont Ventoux. The lack of view makes uninspiring, a grind. Once over the cattle grid and out onto the moor things improve slightly. But for the most part the view is always behind you, and to the left there's no sense that you are scaling a high peak: there are no high craggy outcrops, scree slopes or cliff faces. The view back over the Usk valley from the top is good, but this comes at the start of the descent when you probably want to be concentrating on something else.

3. The road surface. Aargh. Not quite the Arenberg, but nowhere near the smooth slopes of a Tour de France climb. Again, the steepest bottom section is worst, or pretty much all of it when descending (see next point). If this is supposed to be the highlight of riding in Wales, lets have a decent road surface.

4. The descent. What descent? All good climbs need to go somewhere (see next point), but the descent to Blaenavon is innocuous and uneventful. If you want a good descent you need to turn around and go back the way you came (or use the lesser known narrow lanes down to Llanover - but that's less fun). Of the Tumble descent, its fast and dangerous, which some people may like. Personally, I'd prefer to go fast without taking too many risks, or as one Strava segment names the descent; "grow some balls". The cambering of the bends towards the top creates a kind of roller coaster effect as you straightline them. Towards the bottom, there's no room for error with the road hemmed in by hedges. The road surface doesnt help and makes braking for the bottom hairpin tricky. Incidentally, all good climbs/descents need a good hairpin. The Tumble has one, but its impossibly tight and steep that it makes it neither enjoyable going up or down.

5. The destination. Have you been to Blaenavon? Actually its a world heritage site, home to the industrial revolution. The road is also quite an important route through to Pontypool which means its busy and not ideal for cyclists. But for cyclists the road doesn't really go anywhere: it doesnt link up to any other climbs. You can cut across to Brynmawr, or head back down towards Newport: either direction isn't particularly exciting. There's no secondary climb which would make the Tumble even tougher. Perhaps you could say the same of Ventoux, but at least with Ventoux the other side also offers another stiff test. The Tumble's asymmetry lets it down.

So what alternatives are there? Here's 3 choices:

1. Llangynidr Mountain. Personally I much prefer the climb up Llangynidr to the Tumble. The north face is 8% for 4.1kms, so not far off Tumble steepness. It has a view all the way up. It has a hairpin. And it has a proper descent, which you can climb back up. You could also ride over to the Tumble if you wanted. Im wondering why I didnt ride up it myself.


2. Bwlch/Rhigos/Maerdy. This is the classic combination. Bwlch, Rhigos and then Maerdy Mountain. The first two are less steep than the Tumble, coming in at around 5%. But they have hairpins, good road surfaces, a sense of being in the mountains and a view. Maerdy is even steeper. Coming out of Aberdare, it averages 9% over 3ks. The quick combination of these climbs make this ride pretty tough.



3. Ferndale - Llanwonno. Finally, my current favourite is the climb out of Ferndale to Llanwonno. Its only a narrow lane, but starts off with two alpinesque hairpins, the first with a huge retaining wall reminiscent of something you'd see on Alpe D'huez. The climb is in fits and starts, but you get a great view as you rise over the valley's communities below. Rows and rows of terraced housing are visible across the valley, the morning sun picking out the range of different colours. Its a great view. Then there's a technical but fun descent down through Llanwonno and either back to Pontypridd or to Ynysbwl. If you added this on to the back of the Bwlch/Rhigos and Maerdy, that would be some ride.

Best Roads in Wales

Most racing cyclists like to talk about the best climbs in their area. There are books and newspaper articles a plenty about them: which is best, which is hardest, which is the steepest etc. Few racing cyclists like to compare the flatter roads they ride along, perhaps justifiably, they can be a bit boring. But in Wales there are 2 roads that vastly underrated because they dont hit the high percentages of the Gospel Pass or Black Mountain. Lets celebrate them here.

1. Sarn Helen: Ystradfellte to Heol Senni

Just to clarify, by flat roads I didnt mean that they had to be completely flat, nor that you might have to do some climbing to get them. Sarn Helen is a case in point.

The climb starts at Aberllia which you can get to via Pontneddfechan or the Penderyn road. Looking at the OS map, the two arrows indicate steepness, but its not that bad. Once at the cattle grid, prepare for some breathtaking scenery.

Its difficult to know which way to look: backwards, sideways or onwards. The road gradually climbs up through this glacial landscape, but only approaching a climb towards the top. Looking back you can see the Neath valley, to the side the stream and the Bronze age obelisk and the steep sided U-shaped valley. Then once at the top of the red sandstone escarpment, the view onto Defynnog is stunning, either from the top, the bottom or halfway. Just watch out for the sheep as you descend.


View Larger Map

2. Rhayader to Cwmystywth

Another road with a climb to start with, but its not the climb that's of note, but the scenary once on top. The road twists and turns along side a rock strewn barren landscape. There's no steep valley sides to protect from the wind: its a real moonscape. After a while of this you suddenly plunge into a lush green valley only to come across a derelict former lead mine.


View Larger Map

The Gospel Pass: Wales' Highest Road

Where's the highest road in Wales? The most common answer you'll hear is the Bwlch-y-Groes, up near Bala in North Wales. This is wrong. The answer is in fact the Gospel Pass, a narrow road from Hay-on-Wye to Abergavenny. The Gospel Pass tops out around 551m and the Bwlch-y-Groes around 544m depending on where you look (the altitudes vary on Strava and OS maps).

One wonders why this mistake is made so often? Is it because there's always something strange about the kinds of borderlands that the Gospel Pass finds itself in? Never quite in England, the road flirts with Englishness as it climbs up to Lord Herefordshire's Knob. It even starts out in the "independent" state of Hay-on-Wye. Perhaps its this not quite Welsh, not quite English status that leads many to overlook it in favour of the much more Welsh sounding Bwlch-y-Groes. After all, its in North Wales, it must be hilly up there, right?

The two climbs differ in other respects. The southern side of the Bwlch-y-Groes is horrendously steep. Littered with arrows on OS maps, symbols that tell most sane cyclists: find another road. But it is quite short: just 2.5km but with an average gradient of 13.5%. Vertically you climb 356m.



The Gospel Pass is a different animal. Longer, higher and shallower. At just over 5 miles, the climb is an average of 5.5% - equivalent to some of the other classic climbs in South Wales such as the Bwlch and Rhigos. Vertically it climbs 456 metres - only just surpassed by the longer Machynlleth mountain road.



But the gradient on the Gospel pass constantly changes, lots of up, some flat and even some down. Its hard to pace your effort, and the variation means there are some steep sections unlike the constant gradients of say the Rhigos.


An innocuous start...

The climb divides neatly into three sections. The first might be considered undulating rather than a serious climb. Leaving the junction in Hay, the road begins climbing gradually, pitching up past a dairy farm where the road surface is poor, before settling down into an uneven rhythm. A downhill section around a hairpin has you wondering whether this road really is going uphill, before a short steep pitch reminds you that it is.


One of the early steep sections, but not really climbing yet

There is no real view of where you are headed and another flat section sows more doubt that you are going the wrong way. Its confusing - this is the borderlands, remember. But then you reach the corner, and things start to become clear.


The Corner...

The corner marks the start of the second section of the climb. This is the steepest section that takes you out on to the common. There's not much to say about this section: its steep and hard. There are a couple of cattle grids, and if it has been raining the road will be slippery making climbing out of the saddle tricky.




Steep bits

Slowly, the foxgloves and ferns on the side of the road begin to make way for a more desolate landscape which marks the start of the third stage. By now most of the clmbing is done.


The pass snaking its way up. On the right, Lord Herefordshire's Knob...

There are a couple of short steep sections to come, but once onto the common the rest of the road can be seen snaking away to the summit. If the road isnt too obstructed by sheep, then this section can be taken in the big ring. Until the very top, where the final 500 metres reminds you that you have been riding over Wales' highest road.


The top...

The descent - either back down to Hay or on to Capel y Ffin - is extremely technical and dangerous: its a single track road with walkers, cars and sheep to avoid. Best stop and take photos on the way down like I did, rather than think its the Tour de France.


Take care on the descent...

And that's the Gospel Pass: an ambiguous climb, but all the more interesting for it.