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.

Shallam01

April 19, 2019

Road cycling

I highly recommend getting to Ruthin first from wrexham. The road up is hard to minera but there are some quiet options. Once past llandegla mountain bike centre the road is flowing and then You get the amazing nant y Garth pass, a swoopy, fast downhill into Ruthin. Stop there for a cake then take the road out past the hospital which takes you up to the shelf. From there you get some great options to head for llanarmon or llandegla. Finally there is an amazing downhill on the Ruthin road from bwlchgwyn all the way back to wrexham.

Lol Pro And Her Dog 🇬🇧 🐕🌻

April 7, 2024

Road cycling

This one is 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs #86, and is located near the Wales cycling hub of Ruthin. If you're traveling to do climbs in this area, you can use Ruthin as your home base. The Shelf cycling climb has some nice open views of rangeland as you climb and is comfortable throughout, with an average 5.4% and maximum grade of only 8.6% for the steepest kilometer.

5.4% average grade with 51% at 5-10% grade and 4% at 10-15%. The steepest 500 meters is 8.5%.

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Best routes to The Shelf Climb (100 Greatest Cycling Climbs #86)

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1. The climbs & passes of the Clwydian Mountain Range loop

58.7km

03:46

1,160m

Hard road ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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2. Chester to Bwlch Penbarras loop

78.0km

04:12

1,050m

This difficult 48.4-mile road cycling loop from Chester to Bwlch Penbarras features steep climbs and striking views.

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3. Clwydian Range from Wrexham loop — Clwydian Range and Dee Valley

153km

07:57

2,000m

Hard road ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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Hard

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Informations

Distance 4.97 km

Uphill 260 m

Downhill 0 m

Weather

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Wednesday 4 March

13°C

4°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 18.0 km/h

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Take Me There

Location: Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, Denbighshire, North Wales, Wales, United Kingdom

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The Shelf Climb (100 Greatest Cycling Climbs #86)

1. The climbs & passes of the Clwydian Mountain Range loop

2. Chester to Bwlch Penbarras loop

3. Clwydian Range from Wrexham loop — Clwydian Range and Dee Valley

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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