Horseshoe Pass – Valle Crucis Abbey loop from Ruthin

Horseshoe Pass – Valle Crucis Abbey loop from Ruthin

Moderate

riders

Horseshoe Pass – Valle Crucis Abbey loop from Ruthin

02:40

44.0km

850m

Road cycling

Moderate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 18, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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2.76 km

The Shelf Climb (100 Greatest Cycling Climbs #86)

Highlight (Segment) • Climb

A great climb from the B5429 above Ruthin onto the southern end of the Clwydian Range of hills. It tops out at about 340m above sea level just east of Moel y Waun at 412m. The climb starts at 82m so it's 258m of ascent in about 5km.
Best ascended rather than descended as the road surface isn't great so you wouldn't want to go very fast anyway.

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17.1 km

Horseshoe Pass

Highlight • Mountain Pass

The Horseshoe Pass is a mountain pass in Denbighshire, north-east Wales. It separates Llantysilio Mountain to the west from the 565 metre mountain and Marilyn Cyrn-y-Brain to the east. The A542 road from Llandegla to Llangollen runs through the pass, reaching a maximum height of 417 metres.

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19.5 km

Descent from Pentredwr to Valle Crucis Abbey

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

Very fast down hill as you go past the Abbey. Make sure you have serviced your brakes

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21.1 km

Valle Crucis Abbey

Highlight • Religious Site

Valle Crucis was truly Welsh from the moment it was founded in 1201 by Prince Madog ap Gruffydd and the ‘white monks’ of the Cistercian order.

Its Latin name (Valley of the Cross) refers to the nearby ninth-century Pillar of Eliseg, erected for the glory of a Welsh chieftain. Monks had names like Tudur and Hywel.

Such home-grown sympathies might well explain the damage suffered during the wars of the English king Edward I and the uprising of Owain Glyndŵr. But it remains one of our best-preserved and most atmospheric medieval abbeys.

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21.5 km

Horseshoe Pass (Bwlch yr Oernant) Climb from Llangollen

Highlight (Segment) • Mountain Pass

At just under 6 km long with an average gradient of 5% and fantastic scenery this climb is really good and rewarding challenge for any cyclist. The first 1.5 km is a gradual introduction to the climb before a couple of steeper ramps need to be overcome. Once you're over these the road sweeps left taking you onto the horseshoe section, where again the road kicks up a couple of times before finally easing off as you kick on towards the summit. If you look right you will see the road below from where you have came and how much you have climbed. The tarmac is quite rough and pitted but still well worth it for the views and the sense of satisfaction when you reach the summit for a coffee and The Ponderosa Cafe.

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