The inhumane Devil’s Staircase in Wales with 21% ramps
Devil’s Staircase is a set of hairpin turns hitting a 20.1% of maximum gradient, running through the Cambrian Mountains, in Wales. It’s an old drover's track stretching for about 20 miles between the small hamlet of Abergwesyn and the town of Tregar.
Where is the Devil's Staircase Wales?
The road is located on the boundary of Powys and Ceredigion counties, in the heart of central Wales, running through the Cambrian Mountains. It’s called Abergwesyn Road. It’s said to be one of the best roads in the whole Wales. The area is really remote and truly makes you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. A part of the road is known as Devil’s Staircase: a set of hairpin turns hitting a 20.1% of maximum gradient.
How long is the Devil's Staircase?
This is a single track metalled road, extremely narrow and twisty. Road surface deteriorates quite considerably at times with the centre section covered in gravel. It’s 26.55km (16.5 miles) long running from Abergwesyn (in the county of Powys at the start of the Abergwesyn valley) to Tregaron, an ancient market town in Ceredigion county. It is a delight to ride in the heart of sparsely populated mid-Wales. It's usually pretty quiet on a weekday, but can be busy at weekends.
How steep is Devil's Staircase?
The road is very steep, hitting a 20.1% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps in Devil’s Staircase. The road tops out at Abergwesyn Pass – up the perilous Devil’s Staircase and through dense conifer forests to miles of wide, desolate valleys where sheep graze unhurriedly. There are 2 routes to reach the pass. Starting at Tregaron, the ascent is 13 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 232 meters. The average percentage is 1.8 %. And starting at Abergwesyn, the ascent is 5 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 227 meters. The average percentage is 4.5 %. The descent will test your brakes to the maximum. There are two bridges across the road just before the Devils Staircase that disappear under water when it has been raining a lot.