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Cycling and climbing by bike the top climbs in the United States including the Top 10 which we have thoroughly documented 1. The Cowlyd, 2. Bwlch y Groes (SW #91), 3. Bwlch Penbarra to Jubilee Tower, 4. Electric Mountain, 5. Cwm Eigiau, 6. Afon Ddu, 7. The Tumble (SW #97), 8. Bwlch Penbarra (SW #88), 9. Rhiwr Road (SW #197), and 10. Stwlan Dam.
Wales quickly became our favorite country in the United Kingdom during our two weeks of travel through the timeworn hills. Much different from the rolling green hills typical of England just east of Wales, the Welsh landscape is made up of many sheer, rocky cliffs that look like they belong outside of a high Swiss village. Nestled in nearly every corner of the country were centuries-old castles (Wales has more castles, per capita, than any other country!) showcasing the ancient patriotism that seems to be ingrained in every Welshman and Welshwoman still today. And, make no mistake, there was a strong Welsh pride palpable as we traveled throughout the country. Every village was flying the green and white Welsh flag which has an imposing red dragon printed large in the center and seems very fitting for the region and the proud culture. Each climb that we rode was difficult in its own way, but all brought on their own challenges. Some roads were so narrow, that on twenty percent gradients we’d need to dismount and climb into the bushes to allow for a local resident to pass in their car. Other roads were up high on exposed hillsides and we were pelted by thirty mile an hour winds as we pushed on for the summits under, often, ominous skies. Every climb though, was rewarding with unbeatable views of the unique country and on many climbs in far corners - we’d make fast friends with a sheep herder or farmer doing their daily chores.
We traveled to the United Kingdom in 2018 and 2022, spending roughly a combined 3 months for the sole purpose of documenting the top hill climbs here. The Top Hill Climbs of England 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. Click on "Climb Page" to jump to the detail page for that particular bike climb. This page provides an excellent and comprehensive summary of the top, hardest and best bicycling climbs in Wales.
Use the "Sort By Attribute" section to the left of the map below (select the blue "list" option for this function) to sort the climbs by difficulty, grade, length, etc.
The hardest, most difficult and challenging cycling climbs per the Fiets index are, in order of difficulty, %TOP10.
Simon Warren's picks accessed along with other details by clicking the Full Summary button.
See also Wales Top 10 Most Epic Hill Climbs and UK Top Hill Climbs, and UK Most Epic Hill Climbs. Our preloaded PJAMM Adventure App trip pages for the UK are accessed by clicking the purple PJAMM Trips button above. 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.
Read our full Welsh cycling summary here.
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