A542 · Wales

Horseshoe Pass

The A542 north from Llangollen, climbing round a horseshoe-shaped valley to 417 m.

StartFinish

10.5 kmLength

33Pace-note calls

0Hairpins

5Tight corners (1–2)

↑320 ↓150Climb and drop, m

≈420 mHighest point

Counts are from Turini’s pace-note engine on this route. Heights come from terrain data and can differ from signposted figures by a few tens of metres.

Where is the Horseshoe Pass?

The Horseshoe Pass is in Wales, on the A542. Also known as Bwlch yr Oernant. The route on this page: Llangollen over the pass to the A525 near Llandegla, 10.5 km.

Why the Horseshoe Pass is famous

The road curves round the head of a deep valley in a horseshoe, which gives it its name, and it has long been a meeting point for motorcyclists.

Horseshoe Pass corners

Over 10.5 km Turini calls 32 corners graded 1 to 6. That is 33 calls in all, one every 317 metres on average. Grade 1 is the tightest, 6 is nearly straight (how to read pace notes).

510

Horseshoe Pass elevation profile

From 110 m at the start to 278 m at the finish, with a highest point of about 420 m.

500 m100 m

0 km5.3 km10.5 km

Horseshoe Pass pace notes, first few km

The first 25 calls, exactly as Turini reads them, with the distance from the start.

15 mRight 5

185 mLeft 5

510 mRight 5

580 mLeft 5

655 mRight 6

790 mLeft 6

1.10 kmLeft 6

1.59 kmRight 5 opens

2.09 kmLeft 2 long

2.27 kmRight 6

2.38 kmLeft 6

2.48 kmRight 5

2.56 kmLeft 3

2.67 kmRight 5

3.02 kmLeft 4 long

4.09 kmLeft 5

4.18 kmRight 2 very long

4.34 kmLeft 3 tightens

4.51 kmRight 2

4.60 kmRight 1

4.74 kmLeft 6

5.57 kmLeft 4 very long

6.64 kmRight 6

6.78 kmRight 3

6.86 kmLeft 5

That takes you to 6.86 km. 8 more calls follow over the remaining 3.6 km.

Before you drive the Horseshoe Pass

Open all year, but often closed in winter for snow or landslides.

Sheep graze along the open upper section. The road is exposed, and the weather at the top can be very different from Llangollen.

How to drive the Horseshoe Pass with Turini

Set the route before you leave and Turini saves its notes on the phone, so it works with the screen off and no signal. On the road it reads each call about 4.5 seconds before the corner, timed to your speed, and you never touch the phone. It also works through Android Auto. If pace notes are new to you, start in Simple mode (Easy, Medium, Hard) and switch to the 1–6 scale once it feels natural.

Always drive within the law, the conditions and what you can see. Turini tells you what the map says; the road is what counts.

More roads like the Horseshoe Pass

Evo TriangleWales20.1 km · 91 calls

Cat and Fiddle RoadEngland15.2 km · 75 calls

Snake PassEngland19.7 km · 54 calls

Best driving roads in Europe · Best driving roads in the UK · All famous roads · How to read pace notes

Sources: Wikipedia: Horseshoe Pass.

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