The Horseshoe Pass (, "Pass of the Cold Stream") is a
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...
in
Denbighshire
Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...
, north-east
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. It separates
Llantysilio Mountain
: ''Both Llantysilio Mountain and Maesyrchen Mountain re-direct here.''
Moel y Gamelin is a hill in Denbighshire, North Wales, to the northwest of the town of Llangollen. It is the highest summit of a range which stretches eastwards from near th ...
to the west from the 565 metre (1,854 feet) mountain and
Marilyn Cyrn-y-Brain to the east. The
A542 road
List of A roads in zone 5 in Great Britain starting north/east of the A5, west of the A6, south of the Solway Firth/Eden Estuary
The River Eden is a river in Fife in Scotland, and is one of Fife's two principal rivers, along with the Leve ...
from
Llandegla
Llandegla () or Llandegla-yn-Iâl () is a village and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales. In the 2011 census, the community had a population of 567.
Name
The village's name is Welsh for the "Parish of Saint Tecla", which hon ...
to
Llangollen
Llangollen () is a town and community (Wales), community, situated on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Val ...
runs through the pass, reaching a maximum height of . The road travels in a horseshoe shape around the sides of a valley, giving the pass its English name. In 2022, a proposal for a 40 mph speed limit on the Horseshoe Pass was approved after a lengthy campaign by Llangollen's county councillors.
This route dates from 1811, when a
turnpike road was constructed across the area. As with the rest of the roads in the Clwydian Range, it is not uncommon for sheep to gather in the road, sometimes causing problems for drivers. The road is also frequently closed in winter due to snowfall or landslides.
The Pass is well known for the Ponderosa cafe at its highest point and the scenic views along the road. Both the cafe and the pass itself are extremely popular with cyclists and motorcyclists. There are many walks and routes in the immediate area that are popular with hikers, and there are a number of campsites nearby. The Ponderosa café closed in 2025.
The area was devastated by wildfires in 2018 which broke out 19 July, and continued until 25 September, damaging 715 acres of land.
Gallery
File:HorseshoePassPonderosaWinter.jpg, View of pass and the Ponderosa Cafe
File:HorseshoePassWinterScrubland.jpg, Scrubland under snow
File:Horseshoe Pass (2011.10.16).jpg, Eglwyseg
The Eglwyseg valley is an area to the north east of Llangollen in Denbighshire, Wales; it is within the boundaries of Llantysilio Community. The name also refers to a widely scattered hamlet in the valley.
Formerly the old township of Eglwysegl ...
valley from Horseshoe Pass
File:Horseshoe Pass - geograph.org.uk - 74374.jpg, Sheep in a lay-by
File:HorsesoePassViewNE.jpg, View north-east from pass
File:HorseshoePassViewSE.jpg, View south-east from pass
References
* Llandegla Millennium Action Group (2003) ''Llandegla Then and Now'', LMAG, Llandegla.
External links
Historic Landscape Characterisation - The Vale of Llangollen: Maesyrychen Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust
Horseshoe Pass walk BBC
HorseShoe Pass Denbighshire Positively North Wales
Mountain passes of Denbighshire
Roads in Denbighshire
Scenic routes in the United Kingdom
{{denbighshire-geo-stub