THE TUMBLE

GOVILON, ABERGAVENNY

One of the most feared and frequently raced climbs in Wales, The Tumble offers an excellent challenge to any rider. Begin the climb as the B4246 leaves the village of Govilon and enters the Blaenavon World Heritage Site. Climb gently past some houses and up a little kick over the bridge, and then bend hard left where the road becomes steeper through the trees. Next, bending sharp right, the tarmac begins to deteriorate as you start on a long and abrasive slog, in and out from under the cover of the trees. Things get smoother once over the cattle grid, but the gradient ensures a uniformly strength-sapping ascent that will slowly wear you down. On the approach to the upper section, you’ll see some dark, almost otherworldly rock formations on your right, which give the summit an eerie, cool microclimate. Pass Keepers Pond on the right and finish just past a junction on the left.