Gospel Pass

bprice
bprice Posts: 61
A few of us did this one Saturday as prep for the Dragon. 114 mile round trip from Cardiff. If you havent done this one please put it on the 'to do' list. The climb from Hay is awesome.

Its as near to an alpine climb as I can imagine. Personally I think it puts the Rhigos and Bwlch into a cocked hat, if you know my meaning. Although I was told that it resembled some of the climbs in Cumbria.

Once we hit the top, the views coupled with the fine weather made me realise that I want to come back and do it all again.

Comments

  • T.C.
    T.C. Posts: 495
    Could you give me your route i'm going down tomorrow, is the climb better from hay than the other way, i was planning on starting in aberhonddu and going anti clockwise diolch
  • bprice
    bprice Posts: 61
    T.C. wrote:
    Could you give me your route i'm going down tomorrow, is the climb better from hay than the other way, i was planning on starting in aberhonddu and going anti clockwise diolch
    This was the first time that I have approached it from Hay. Ive climbed it from the other direction last year in the Tour of the Black Mountains.
    It is a far longer climb from Hay as opposed to the approach from Capel - y - Fin, where it ramps up quite steep as you negotiate the cattle grid. The climb starts just outside Hay and I estimate that it is a good four miles long.
    So all in all I would say its better to approach it from Hay. Beware on the descent!! Once over the cattle grid, and you descend past the fields and hedgerows, the roads are quite muddy.
  • Droops
    Droops Posts: 204
    I did it from the Capel y Fin side on Saturday afternoon, then descended into Hay. I don't like descending TOWARDS Capel y Fin for the reason bprice gives: the road is VERY narrow, dark, gravelly if the rain has washed over the road, etc. It also has a bit of tourist traffic at weekends and you really don't want to meet a car on a bend that is only 7 or 8 feet wide!
    The loop I did is one of my favourite 50 milers -
    Start in Crickhowell and go through the lanes to Stanton, then up the valley to Gospel Pass. Down into Hay on Wye then on the minor road through Lllanigon and Velindre to Talgarth. Through Langorse on the B4560, crosing over the A40 to Llangynidr. Return to Crickhowell on the B4558.
    Hardly any traffic, fantastic scenery and a good chippy in Crickhowell! Oh, and you can stop at the ruined Llantony Abbey on your way up to Gospel Pass, and enjoy the silence and atmosphere while you munch yer energy bar. Marvelous!
  • T.C.
    T.C. Posts: 495
    thanks for advice and replies, i wiil do the ride soon, i did an 86 miler yesterday from rhaeadr up to the lakes and cwmystwyth very hard but enjoyable spin
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    I love Gospel Pass - heading to Wales in August and looking forward to it. My only gripe is that the climb from Hay is best but is also the best descent - as others have mentioned. I rode it in February last year and it was so windy at the summit that the 3 of us were hardly making headway, standing up and honking on a compact 34/23! Happy days!