Best road climbs - South Wales

Penhydd

I want to get some good hill training in at the weekend and was thinking either the Tumble or Bwlch/Rhigos climbs.

Does anyone know of any other good, long climbs within 30 mins drive of Cardiff?

gwillis

tumble is a good test or of course the tyla which is a single lane rd to the right of the pond (if its on your left)

Penhydd

thanks just checked on the map & can see it. I watched the welsh nationals at keepers pond last year and wanted to give the tumble a go, if i'm feeling fit/crazy i may do the main road, loop back around and come up the tyla

gwillis

its easier than the tumble as it levels off a few times over railway bridge etc, there is a small section thats a little rough before the cattle grid but youll get a sweat on for sure.

goodluck

oldwelshman

Theres dozens of good climbs within easy reach of Cardiff, just look at any OS map. Why drive to them though, you should ride to them as wram up.

Penhydd

I could ride there but as a relative newcomer to road riding I am building up the mileage and wouldn't be fit for any climbing if I did at the moment.

Plus a change of scenery is always nice.

gwillis

let us know how you get on

cheaperholidays

Penhydd wrote:

I want to get some good hill training in at the weekend and was thinking either the Tumble or Bwlch/Rhigos climbs.

Does anyone know of any other good, long climbs within 30 mins drive of Cardiff?

From Cardiff you can follow the route of the Barnados run about 40 miles from the copthorne over the tumble and down to Ogmore routing back via Barry and wenvoe, you have plenty of hills on that route..

Ogmore to wenvoe is virtually one long dragging climb with the odd down hill

Penhydd

took old welshmans advice and did a local loop - pentyrch hill, back down and up to the mountain cafe, down to carephilly centre, then the climb back up the mountain road, finished off by rhiwbina hill as far as the turning down to castle coch.

After the mountain road I swear i'll never moan about rhiwbina hill again. The Tumble remains on my to do list.

Pross

The Tumble is a good tough climb, Rhigos from Treherbert side is easier but I like it as it has the feel of a (very small) alpine climb. The Bwlch is also enjoyable and easily combined with the Rhigos. From Cardiff Caerphilly mountain is a reasonable climb without needing to drive anywhere. I would also recommend trying Llangynidr Mountain and possibly building it into a loop so that you can do Llangatock Mountain as well or Gospel Pass / Hay Bluff just north of Abergavenny.

gwillis

Pross wrote:

The Tumble is a good tough climb, Rhigos from Treherbert side is easier but I like it as it has the feel of a (very small) alpine climb. The Bwlch is also enjoyable and easily combined with the Rhigos. From Cardiff Caerphilly mountain is a reasonable climb without needing to drive anywhere. I would also recommend trying Llangynidr Mountain and possibly building it into a loop so that you can do Llangatock Mountain as well or Gospel Pass / Hay Bluff just north of Abergavenny.

Some good hills there. Another easier hill is Shirenewton hill nr Chepstow but its nowhere near the size of those above

sub55

devil`s elbow
the british
abergwesyn to tregaron
just about anything on epynt ranges
up to storey arms in either direction

if you really want hills ,you want to look at some of the 200k audax`s
that start in cardiff , some of them are seriously lumpy. such as down the british , around rhondda, etc.

gwillis

Where abouts is the british (varteg?) and devils elbow?

sub55

i`ve just come home from work and im now going out on my bike.
i`ll put some links up for you later on. when i sort it out.

gwillis

great ta

bendertherobot

Try the Garth "2" in Taffs Wall/Pentyrch. Basically the road up to Pentyrch from Taffs Well.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=51 ... 7&t=h&z=15

Don't take the side that's marked Heol Goch. Take the other side turning left on main road where you can see those zig zag switchbacks.

Basically go up the hill to Pinecroft cattery.

This isn't a Blwch type mountain. But it's amongst the steepest things around Cardiff.

Pross

gwillis wrote:

Where abouts is the british (varteg?) and devils elbow?

The British is a few miles north of Pontypool. The road splits at Abersychan with the A road going straight on up the valley to Blaenavon and a B road going through Garndiffaith, Varteg and Forgeside before they join again in Blaenavon.

Others in the area are the old Rock road that runs parallel to the Heads of the Valleys from Gilwern to Brynmawr (you can get to this via the climbs of Curch Road or Maes y Gwartha Road out of Gilwern) or Llanelly Hill which starts in a similar place to the Tilla mentioned above and is very steep in places (around 20 to 25%).

Slightly further afield the climb from Talgarth to Pengenfordd is a long steady drag if you aren't up to the steeper hills. Still a good climb but not quite as nice now that the start has been realigned (now a long straight drag whereas it used to meander up through the woods out of Talgarth). The same climb from the other side offers a similar test. When around those parts you could then add in Llangors Mountain which doesn't get a lot of use and goes straight out of Llangors village.

In the Monmouthshire area there is also the climb from Llangwm (just outside Usk) towards Shirenewton which may be the same one GWillis refers to and the togher climb up through Llansoy plus Mitchel Troy to Trelleck. If you want to venture onto even quiter roads there are loads more so you're pretty much spoiled for choice!

When I've got a spare hour I'll plot out some possible routes to take a few of these climbs in or maybe we could have an unofficial Bike Radar South Wales sportive

gwillis

I live not far from the British and im working out a ride which can include that. The black rock also looks like a good route also.

The sportive sounds like a good idea but put me in the lower levels for ability :oops:

cheaperholidays

bendertherobot wrote:

Try the Garth "2" in Taffs Wall/Pentyrch. Basically the road up to Pentyrch from Taffs Well.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=51 ... 7&t=h&z=15

Don't take the side that's marked Heol Goch. Take the other side turning left on main road where you can see those zig zag switchbacks.

Basically go up the hill to Pinecroft cattery.

This isn't a Blwch type mountain. But it's amongst the steepest things around Cardiff.

I live in church village and have done both routes, but the hardest climb is from Efail issaf to Pentyrch its steeper, or go from Llantrisant road and over the Garth.

Or try this 38 miles for me but more from Cardiff - Bwlch route

gwillis

@ Pross ive pm'd you

sub55

devils elbow
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/bevils-elbow

one of my favourite routus
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/black-mountain-d-v

NatoED

i quite like ogmore vale over to treorchy and back to llantrisant. Another good one is llantrisant to blackmill , tondy, pencoed ,saint marys hill , cowbridge than home to llantrisant.

Penhydd

Thanks, some cracking routes there, we really do have a good choice on our doorsteps. Lets hope the fine weather continues. I'd also be up for a sportive style ride.

NatoED

penhydd where do you live , i live in llantrisant .

Pross

NatoEd, a lot of the climbs you mention there used to form the 5 Valleys Road Race (I think the Dragon Ride is similar). That route went (from memory) out of Port Talbot up the A48 then turned off over Blackmill, up the Ogmore Valley, over the Bwlch, down into Treorchy, up the Rhigos then down the Neath Valley before turning off through Cimla which is a b***ard of a climb by that stage then back down the Afan valley to Port Talbot for a sea front finish. I reckon it was one of the best one day races in the country and hopefully will be revived soon whether as a Premier Calendar or a regional race.

lemon63

There's some great climbs in monmouthshire; Wentwood (from either direction) is good, I do it regularly as part of my commute, Tintern to Chepstow has a good climb, Tintern to Trellech, Monmouth to Trellech.
Abergavenny to Talgarth on the 479, Llangyniddr, Tumble, the British, Machen mountain, Caerphilly mountain.
Go up any valley heading north and you'll be climbing.
We're spoilt for choice in this neck of the woods.
Tidy Like

gwillis

i did a wentwood ride tonight which toom me past the greyhoung pub (on my right) up a 16% hill towards wentwood about a mile long , you end up in Pen cae y mawr.

The hill was a freeking killer but I made it. Anybody know it?

lemon63

Gwillis - That's the Wentwood climb from Llantrisant side, when you get to the top carry on for about 100 yds then take a right up another killer for about 1km, carry on over the top down and it brings you out in Parc Seymour and the A48 Newport to Chepstow rd. Or if you just carry on over the top you descend pass Wentwood resevoir (which looked lovely the other evening with all the trout jumping around) and end up by the Woodland tavern at Llanvaches.

gwillis

You mean there is more :shock:

I turned left about 100yds along then ended up 3 miles from Shirenewton on by the Usk to Chepstow road.

Whats your opinion of that hill ?

lemon63

I always find that side of wentwood the hardest especially the last bit round the corner :shock: .
I ride the area quite often, usually as part of my commute from Magor to Newport.

cheaperholidays

Just reversed my route over the blwlch blimey thats a hell of a climb from Pen-coed..


I went Churh village to Pencoed then up over the top back via Porth Pontypridd to Church village