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Lake Vyrnwy to Llangadfan and Bwlch Y Groes Soul Destroyer Loop Cycle Route



Wales > Powys > Welshpool
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Cycle Route Details
Route NameLake Vyrnwy to Llangadfan and Bwlch Y Groes Soul Destroyer Loop
Distance : miles (km)35.45  (57.05)
Duration(hh:mm)03:30
Difficulty
Posted Bycharlie bravo
Calories Burned kcal
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Cycle Route Location
CountryWales
Town/CityWelshpool
County/RegionPowys
Start LocationLake Vyrnwy Tea Shop
End LocationLake Vyrnwy Tea Shop
Cycle Steps
This clockwise road route, on a mix of A, B and country roads, is mainly on smooth tarmac. However, the real sting in the tail, between Dinas Mawddwy and Lake Vyrnwy, that rates this as A1, is that it tackles Bwlch Y Groes from the hard side. This makes it both a soul and leg destroyer. Bwlch, gained the name Hellfire Pass when, in the nineteen eighties, it fought off the valiant efforts of pro riders in the Milk Race of Britain. So Yes, It Is That Hard.
You can see the road leading up the pass from a few miles away, which is daunting enough, but as you get closer, the elevation just eats away at your mind. The climb proper starts on a nasty hairpin bend, under cover of trees, and doesn't let up till the very top. Be warned, there are no flat bits to give the legs a rest, it just keeps ramping up, with the final 500 metres or so being the worst. Definitely Not for the Faint Hearted!!!!!
Landmarks/Pubs for lunch/Sites to see?
No bike shops but plenty of pubs and cafes - the Dyffryn Restaurant in Llangadfan, Brigands Inn at Mallwyd Roundabout, Buckley Pines at Dinas Mawddwy - and then nothing but that climb. You have been warned!

Your comments?
posted by:John ParryRating : difficult :
Did this last Sunday having come from Llangurig on a Swansea to Prestatyn tour. Mega tough. The bottom hairpin is s sign of worse to come - 2+k of grunt climbing. But the drop down the other side to LLanuwychlyn is fast if you can avoid the loose surface dangers.


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