Abergwesyn Pass and Devil's Staircase Walk and Cycling
This walk or cycle takes you to the Devil's Staircase in Powys, Wales.
You can start off from the public car park just east of Abergwesyn. From here you will follow a scenic country road north west to the Devil's Staircase.
This steep and rugged section of the Pass winds its way up craggy slopes and through narrow, winding bends that reveal the raw character of mid–Wales. As you begin from the lower end near the small settlement of Abergwesyn, the road quickly climbs past exposed rock and weathered stone steps, each turn offering dramatic views of the vast, undulating moorlands and deep valleys below, where the distant peaks of the Cambrian Mountains loom in a shifting tapestry of light and shadow.
You can continue your walking in the area by heading west to visit the beautiful Tywi Valley and the picturesque Llyn Brianne.
Postcode
LD5 4TP - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locationsDevil's Staircase Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Devil's Staircase Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Devil's Staircase OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Devil's Staircase Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
The Devil's Staircase descends into Cwm Irfon. High above the valley floor, the route reveals sweeping panoramic vistas; you can see far into the horizon where rolling hills meet the often mist-shrouded distance, and the rugged isolation of the landscape is punctuated by the occasional grazing sheep and the meagre vegetation clinging to the rocky outcrops. The steep gradients and hairpin turns of the Devil’s Staircase provide not only a physical challenge but also a visual feast, as the interplay of sunlight and cloud casts ever-changing patterns over the ancient land, evoking a sense of timelessness and myth.
Mountain road in Cwm Irfon, Powys. The flora along this walk is typical of upland heath and montane grassland, with resilient species such as heather, bilberry, and gorse carpeting the slopes, while pockets of hardy wild thyme and other low-growing wildflowers add splashes of colour during the brief summer months. In the more sheltered sections near small streams, mosses and liverworts form soft, green carpets over damp, rocky ground. The fauna is equally diverse; the open skies are patrolled by birds of prey like red kites and buzzards, while smaller birds, including skylarks and wheatears, add their melodies to the air. In the quieter, shadowed areas of the pass, you may even catch a glimpse of elusive mammals such as mountain hares or foxes, and an array of invertebrates thrives amid the microhabitats of the rocky crevices and moorland tussocks.
The mountain pass
Into the valley