The Conwy Valley in northwest Wales proudly boasts the highest concentration of utterly hideous climbs anywhere in the British Isles. That's right - more than the Lakes, more even than the North York Moors. The sheer abundance of absolute killer roads on either side of the small, snaking river between Conwy in the north and Llanrwst in the south make it just about the perfect place for utterly destroying your legs.
The one minor downside is that half of the climbs - the ones on the western flank of the valley - are dead-ends. If, like me, you prefer your rides to be nice, flowing loops with no turning back, the nature of these roads will seriously clash with your route-plotting Feng Shui. Don't let this put you off, though, as the challenges you will face and the stories you will be able to tell later make this a must-ride destination.
