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Horseshoe Pass

A542 · Llangollen → Llandegla · Wales

Length
7 miles
Drive time
15 min
Type
Mountain pass
Region
Wales

Before you go: Can close briefly in winter snow

The great horseshoe sweep above Llangollen: a wide, well-sighted climb curling around the head of the valley to the moor top at Llandegla. A long-time weekend biker meeting spot — note the famous Ponderosa Café at the summit closed in late 2024 after 42 years, so plan food down in Llangollen.

The A542 out of Llangollen is a wide, well-sighted climb that curls around the head of the valley in one great horseshoe to the moor toward Llandegla. It is an A-road, not a lane, and that is why it became a biker meeting spot. Surface is good. It can close briefly in snow. The Ponderosa Café at the summit closed in late 2024 after 42 years; do not navigate to it for food. Eat in Llangollen (Dee Valley Café, or further into town) or at the Sun Inn in Eryrys. Fuel at the Texaco in Llangollen.

The summit viewpoint is still the photograph — pull into a proper lay-by on the horseshoe, not the old café apron if it is signed otherwise. Valle Crucis Abbey sits at the bottom if you want a five-minute stop before the climb. Weekend late mornings are busy with bikes; a weekday is quieter.

Pair it with Telford's A5 along the Dee and the B5105 through Clocaenog for the Dee Valley weekend already in the app, or with the Evo Triangle if you are heading west onto the moors.

The curve is the road. Drive it as a scenic A-road with a missing café, and fill up before you leave town. Bikers still meet at the top out of habit; the missing Ponderosa is the thing that catches people who last came in 2023. Llandegla is the moor-end village if you need a turning point without descending to Llangollen. In snow the council will close it without much ceremony — the A5 in the valley remains the way round.

Highlights of the Horseshoe Pass

Where to stop on the Horseshoe Pass

Drive the Horseshoe Pass

Open Horseshoe Pass on the map → ⬇ Download GPX

GPX works with Garmin, TomTom, Beeline and most bike sat-navs. Free, no sign-up — these are indicative waypoints, so follow the road signs, not the arrow.

Plot it, add it to a club run with a meeting point and pit stops, then share the whole trip as one link. Free, no account, works offline.

Route research: Top Gear

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