GT3 RS...Lake District...Tomorrow

[birdcage]

Driving up the the Lake district tomorrow and staying in the hotels in 'The Trip for a bit of fun.

It's one of the few places in the UK I haven't been to, anyone recommend any good roads or must see things?

[cragswinter]

how much time you got? i did a PH Run up there earlier this year & have the route if you want it, 3 passes, all awesome roads & it makes a triangle with good places to stop for lunch

[birdcage]

cragswinter said:

how much time you got? i did a PH Run up there earlier this year & have the route if you want it, 3 passes, all awesome roads & it makes a triangle with good places to stop for lunch

There for a few days so route would be gratefully recieved!

[adamb]

Lucky you, although I wouldn't have thought of it as a great driving destination, roads too tight and too much traffic although I'd love to hear of any good ones I don't know. I'd avoid the really steep passes in a gt3 - particularly Hardknott and Wrynose. For spectacular scenery try Great Langdale, Wasdale Head, Borrowdale, Buttermere. For more driving I'd nip over to the Pennines - brilliant open traffic-free roads there.

[cragswinter]

right guys, the plan is as follows:
the meeting point is at the reghed visitors centre at 10:30 am sunday. postcode: ca11 0dq
it's situated a couple of minutes up the a66 from junction 40 of the m6 & has petrol available on site.

from there we'll head west along the A592 (turning left out of reghed) towards ullswater/pooley bridge
at the next junction turn right to follow the A592 towords glenridding patterdale
stay on the A592 running parralel to Ullswater towards the Kirkstone Pass at patterdale
follow the Kirkstone Pass past Brotherswater
follow the Kirkstone Pass to the sumit & the pub The Kirkstone Inn
at the pub take the next right towards ambleside
follow this part of the Kirkstone Pass onto kirkstone road (the struggle)

at the next junction turn right onto the A591 at Ambleside towards rydel/grassmere
follow the A591 past Rydel Water
follow the A591 past Grasmere
at the roundabout continiue straight over staying on the A591
follow the A591 over the Pass of Dunmail Rise (the twisty duel carraigeway)
follow the A591 past Thirlmere

leave the A591 just before the bustop lay-by taking the B5322 (back lane) towards st john in the vale
leave the B5322 as it meets the A66 turning left & heading west towards Keswick
follow the A66 past Keswick & Portinscale
leave the a66 at Braithwaite

at Braithwaite follow the B5292 (B55292 on some maps) past the pub signposted The Whinlatter Pass
follow the Whinlatter Pass through high lorton & up to lorton
at lorton turn left onto the B5289

follow the B5289 past Crummock Water
follow the B5289 past Buttermere
follow the B5289 signposted Honister Pass
follow the B5289 through gatescarth

at the summit of the Honister Pass is the Honister Slate Mine
We'll stop here at the car park as there's a cafe up there where we can get sandwiches & refreshments.

from here we can then follow the B5289 past Derwent Water & down into Keswick. at this point everyone can each decide what & where they want to go. to get back to the M6 the A66 runs direct from Keswick straight to junction 40 (Penrith). alternatively you can spend some time in Keswick itself or take a run back down the A591 & visit Lake Windermere. there's a reasonably priced hotel called the Bellsfield that has good parking & superb views at the back over Lake Windermere (la23 3eq)
from there you can follow the A5074 alongside Lake Windermere towards south lakeland
the A5074 terminates when it joins theA590
follow the A590 until it hits the A6
follow the A6 south until you get to Carnforth where you can join the M6 at junction 35

either way, the main part of the route taking in the three passes & all the lakes is full of great roads & views. depending on how long it will take for you to get home the second part after the lunch stop has some great roads as well but i'll leave that up for everyone else to decide on the day, if we have plenty of time & the weather is good we can carry on & see the south lakes as well if not then it's very easy to get back to the m6 from Keswick

if you want to print out a google maps version of the route then simply search for Reghed Visitors Centre ca11 0dq & you can simply follow the route from there, otherwise simply print out this e-mail & bring it with you, there aren't that many roads up here so no-one has any excuses to get lost!

[birdcage]

Thank both, cragswinter that looks ace (and detailed!) it's much appreciated

[cragswinter]

it's what we're here for mate the roads are great this time of year-hardly any tourists! i did the a6 from past kendal to carlisle in the SC yesterday

[redback911]

cragswinter said:

right guys, the plan is as follows:
the meeting point is at the reghed visitors centre at 10:30 am sunday. postcode: ca11 0dq
it's situated a couple of minutes up the a66 from junction 40 of the m6 & has petrol available on site.

from there we'll head west along the A592 (turning left out of reghed) towards ullswater/pooley bridge
at the next junction turn right to follow the A592 towords glenridding patterdale
stay on the A592 running parralel to Ullswater towards the Kirkstone Pass at patterdale
follow the Kirkstone Pass past Brotherswater
follow the Kirkstone Pass to the sumit & the pub The Kirkstone Inn
at the pub take the next right towards ambleside
follow this part of the Kirkstone Pass onto kirkstone road (the struggle)

at the next junction turn right onto the A591 at Ambleside towards rydel/grassmere
follow the A591 past Rydel Water
follow the A591 past Grasmere
at the roundabout continiue straight over staying on the A591
follow the A591 over the Pass of Dunmail Rise (the twisty duel carraigeway)
follow the A591 past Thirlmere

leave the A591 just before the bustop lay-by taking the B5322 (back lane) towards st john in the vale
leave the B5322 as it meets the A66 turning left & heading west towards Keswick
follow the A66 past Keswick & Portinscale
leave the a66 at Braithwaite

at Braithwaite follow the B5292 (B55292 on some maps) past the pub signposted The Whinlatter Pass
follow the Whinlatter Pass through high lorton & up to lorton
at lorton turn left onto the B5289

follow the B5289 past Crummock Water
follow the B5289 past Buttermere
follow the B5289 signposted Honister Pass
follow the B5289 through gatescarth

at the summit of the Honister Pass is the Honister Slate Mine
We'll stop here at the car park as there's a cafe up there where we can get sandwiches & refreshments.

from here we can then follow the B5289 past Derwent Water & down into Keswick. at this point everyone can each decide what & where they want to go. to get back to the M6 the A66 runs direct from Keswick straight to junction 40 (Penrith). alternatively you can spend some time in Keswick itself or take a run back down the A591 & visit Lake Windermere. there's a reasonably priced hotel called the Bellsfield that has good parking & superb views at the back over Lake Windermere (la23 3eq)
from there you can follow the A5074 alongside Lake Windermere towards south lakeland
the A5074 terminates when it joins theA590
follow the A590 until it hits the A6
follow the A6 south until you get to Carnforth where you can join the M6 at junction 35

either way, the main part of the route taking in the three passes & all the lakes is full of great roads & views. depending on how long it will take for you to get home the second part after the lunch stop has some great roads as well but i'll leave that up for everyone else to decide on the day, if we have plenty of time & the weather is good we can carry on & see the south lakes as well if not then it's very easy to get back to the m6 from Keswick

if you want to print out a google maps version of the route then simply search for Reghed Visitors Centre ca11 0dq & you can simply follow the route from there, otherwise simply print out this e-mail & bring it with you, there aren't that many roads up here so no-one has any excuses to get lost!

I recorded some footage from an October blast. There is a map at the end of the video, some of the roads you mentioned are on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvJEQdkEv8g

These are some images of the A592, towards the top Kirkstone Pass, taken recently.

Edited by redback911 on Thursday 1st December 20:44

Edited by redback911 on Friday 2nd December 08:48

[MrCooke]

And if you look up the hill from the back of the Holbeck Ghyll you'll see mine.

[birdcage]

MrCooke said:

And if you look up the hill from the back of the Holbeck Ghyll you'll see mine.

I am at L'enclume on Friday and the Holbeck Gyll on Sat so i'll give you a wave....A good drive and then a good walk and then a good meal, what could be better!

[Pesty]

Always liked hardknott pass bit hairy going up but the road opens up in a few places.

[redback911]

Pesty said:

Always liked hardknott pass bit hairy going up but the road opens up in a few places.

Some nice views from Hardknott and Wrynose but I would avoid them this time of year in the GT3. I went over both passes a few days ago and they are in bad shape at the moment. Potholes all over the place. Plus they are filled with water so if its raining you can easily miss them and some will shred a tyre.

It sounds like you have a route planned, but if it suits I would definitely recommend lunch at Chesters (Skelwith Bridge, near Great Langdales) and a walk around Tarn Hows. You can park just off the A593. Here are some pictures from Tarn Hows last week:

Edited by redback911 on Thursday 1st December 21:13

[redback911]

Keep thinking of things. If you want to experience Wild Lake District, head to Ennerdale Water. Its by far the best lake in the District in my biased opinion ;-) Also its empty this time of year.






If you are fit, then you can park up at Borrowdale and walk to Blacksail Hut on a decent fireroad. It will take 3-4hrs round trip.

Edited by redback911 on Thursday 1st December 21:26

[betternotbigger]

The best roads in the Lakes are round the edges IMO. Through the middle, traffic and tightness tend to force you to back off all the time. I used to live on Wrynose/Hardknott pass (which are wonderful places nevertheless) so trust me, I know.

You absolutely will not do better than to go from Kendal to Garsdale Head (in the Yorkshire Dales) via Sedburgh on the A684 then north on B6259 to Kirkby Stephen and then the A65 and a short stretch of the M6 to jct35 where you join the A6 back down to Kendal. The 684 is my single favourite road in England (and others here will back me up) so maybe reverese the route to save the best 'til last.

Easy to take this in (2 hours) if you're eating/staying at L'Enclume. Bloody good nosh too.

I also recommend the Coniston/Broughton triangle taking in A5092, A5084 and A593. 30 miles of stunning road. Needs a steady nerve with a lot of tight, blind corners but lovely blacktop.

[ras62]

The A595. West lakes from Egremont to Grizebeck..then onto Newby bridge. Fantastic roads, quiet and a great mix. Laugh every time I do it which isn't so often then days.

[GT03ROB]

adamb said:

I'd avoid the really steep passes in a gt3 - particularly Hardknott and Wrynose. For spectacular scenery try Great Langdale, Wasdale Head, Borrowdale, Buttermere. For more driving I'd nip over to the Pennines - brilliant open traffic-free roads there.

Hardknott is doable in a GT3 (just). It's a fantastic drive, but some of the approach roads are bit tight. The run down Wast Water to Wasdale Head is great, however at anything over walking pace you will leave a GT3 splitter behind. There are some wonderful roads in the Lakes, enjoy at any speed.

[betternotbigger]

ras62 said:

The A595. West lakes from Egremont to Grizebeck..then onto Newby bridge. Fantastic roads, quiet and a great mix. Laugh every time I do it which isn't so often then days.

Agreed. You can combine this with my Coniston triangle (they overlap at Grizebeck south of Torver) in my previous post. Wonderful stuff.

Edited by betternotbigger on Friday 2nd December 07:16

[Maersk]

Just watch for the very active scammerati.........

[redback911]

There was a short snow blizzard in Penrith today. I hiked up to Sprikling Tarn and thought about heading to Scafell Pike but turned around when snow flakes started appearing. Looks like Winter is finally here in Cumbria.

[dumpy]

+1 for the A684 One of my favourites too. The A6 kendal to Carlisle is epic in any 911! I have the privilege of working round these parts and driving them daily in my old 996. Agree best roads are around the edges. Also like the A595 from Spark bridge to Broughton during quiet times. Enjoy!
You just have to feel sorry for those doing the daily commute in grinding traffic. 3 cars at a t junction for me is total bedlam!