Welsh hills and 'pass' names

cervelorider

Just got back from a photographic holiday in mid-wales, and was wondering if anyone can let me know if the Aberystwyth mountain road from Ryader has a name, ie the 'something' pass.
I thoroughly enjoyed this climb on my bike, although it took a while.
Another climb I also did was the A479? out of Abergavenny up towards Brecon, what a beauty - this road goes up forever : ) Nice surfaces too. Does this road have a pass name?

Suffice to say, Wales is a most excellent place to cycle, and to take photographs : )
Never before have I seen so many raptors in the sky - vive le red kite : )

guv001

Don't know if has a pass name but the A479 Tretower Hill is beauty from Tretower to Talgarth.

simon_e

cervelorider wrote:

Just got back from a photographic holiday in mid-wales, and was wondering if anyone can let me know if the Aberystwyth mountain road from Ryader has a name, ie the 'something' pass.

The mountain road Rhayader to Cwmystwyth is called just that AFAIK. It's not really a pass, though it does narrow in the upper Ystwyth reaches. Going westwards, the unclassified road follows the Afon Elan upstream and, once over the watershed, the Ystwyth downstream and is part of NCN 81 Lôn Cambria. The NCN follows the river valley while the best views can be had from the A4120 between Devil's Bridge and Aberystwyth.

It's great cycling territory. If you get the chance try cycling from Llanidloes to Machynlleth via Staylitte and Dylife. Even more stunning IMO. The Autumn Epic and Devil Ride cyclosportives (organised by Epic Cycles) include the Elan Valley while Clive Powell's Trans-Cambrian Sportive is based in Rhayader.

The proliferation of red kites is partly due to the feeding station at Gigrin Farm just outside Rhayader. One minute there are a few crows loitering and then, just before the appointed time kites appear as if conjured up from nowhere. The reintroduction programme has been going for some time so there are red kites all over mid-Wales now.

Brian B

I saw Red Kites being harassed with crows in the Elan Valley during this years Devil Ride. A really nice part of the Country.

cervelorider

Brian B wrote:

I saw Red Kites being harassed with crows in the Elan Valley during this years Devil Ride. A really nice part of the Country.

Crows seem to do a lot of harassing - an inferiority complex maybe
A saw two crows harassing a kestrel a couple of months back, and after afew minutes of harassment, the kestrel turned on them both, launching itself, falcon style, into one of them. Needles to say they flew away at apce, leaving the kestrel to continue hunting.

Thanks for the responses by the way.