
Where is Ffynnon Llugwy?
Wales, europe
2.54 km
554 m
moderate
Year-round
Okay, picture this: you're in Snowdonia, Wales, ready for an adventure. You're heading up to Ffynnon Llugwy, a natural lake chilling at 554m (that's 1,817ft!) above sea level. It's nestled at the foot of Carnedd Llewelyn, one of the country's biggest peaks, and it's seriously deep—45m at its deepest point!
Now, the road to get there? It's all paved, but hold on tight. We're talking *steep* and *narrow*. This ain't your average Sunday drive; the road is owned by the local utility company and is closed to private vehicles.
The climb starts from the A5 road and stretches for about 2.54km (just under 1.6 miles). In that short distance, you'll gain a whopping 262 meters in elevation. That's an average gradient of over 10%, but be warned: it hits a maximum of 15% in some spots. In short, it is one heck of a climb!
Road Details
- Country
- Wales
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 2.54 km
- Max Elevation
- 554 m
- Difficulty
- moderate
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