Ffordd Pen Llech is the name of the steep and winding road in the north-western town of Harlech in Wales. Recently, it was declared the steepest street in the world, according to the Guinness World Records.
Ffordd Pen Llech has a gradient of 37.45% at its steepest point
The criteria for earning this top record listing involves ticking about 10 boxes on the Guinness list, but according to Lonely Planet, Ffordd Pen Llech was exempt from one of the rules, owing to its grand old age. The street is over 1,000 years old, and ascends 50 metres along its 330-metre length. At its steepest, Ffordd Pen Llech has a gradient of 37.45 per cent.
The main drawcard for the town of Harlech, in Snowdonia National Park, is the 13th-century Harlech Castle. Ffordd Pen Llech, however, has gained quite a bit of popularity in recent years, attracting ambitious cyclists and runners and tourists who find the strip of road rather ‘Insta-worthy’. At certain parts on the road, signs warn motorists that the narrow, winding incline is not suitable for cars.
The previous record belonged to Baldwin Street in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, but locals in Harlech campaigned for Ffordd Pen Llech to be measured against the best of ’em.
‘We’ve been navigating this sort of terrain for centuries here in Harlech, so we’ve got calves of steel and nerves of steel too,’ local resident Sarah Badham told Guinness World Records.
On Saturday 20 July, Harlech will be having a Steepest Street Party to celebrate its world record.
Image: Screenshot via Guinness World Records
