The alternative name of Old Bwlch references its position on the historic route between Mold and Ruthin via Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd. It was superseded by the 18th-century Mold to Denbigh turnpike (now the A494 road), which crosses the Clwydian range several miles to the south, at Bwlch-y-Parc. The eastern side of Bwlch Penbarras is an almost straight ascent with no severe gradients; however, the western side of the pass is characterised by long drops, a narrower road and steep gradients: the road drops Шаблон:Convert in Шаблон:Convert with gradients approaching 25% and a sharp hairpin bend.
Leisure
The pass is a popular access point for walkers venturing to Moel Famau, and there are two Natural Resources Wales car parks to meet demand: one at the summit of the pass, and one a mile down the eastern side towards Tafarn-y-Gelyn. Access tracks climb through the forest from both car parks to Moel Famau's summit.
The steep climb on the western approach from Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd has made the pass popular with cyclists. Cycling Weekly magazine has featured it as a 'Killer Climb', and also listed it in the Dave Lloyd Mega Challengecyclosportive. Nigel Blackwell of Half Man Half Biscuit mentioned the pass in a 2012 interview when he said: "the biggest achievement for me is creating a situation for myself whereby I can get up of a morning and decide to go and tackle Bwlch Pen Barras on the bike".[1]
