Discussion
Just thought I'd share my midnight drive out to the Snakes Pass the other day. Having only done it once before, I thought it'd be unpassable, however the road was fairly clear despite getting a reading of -7 on the dash.
Absolutely epic road, I would rate it higher than the Evo Triangle, the only problem being traffic is much heavier due it being a fairly major route between Sheffield and Manchester. Managed to get a completely clear run on the way back, it was very slippy but still managed to make decent progress. Probably completely covered in ice now though I would've thought.
Absolutely epic road, I would rate it higher than the Evo Triangle, the only problem being traffic is much heavier due it being a fairly major route between Sheffield and Manchester. Managed to get a completely clear run on the way back, it was very slippy but still managed to make decent progress. Probably completely covered in ice now though I would've thought.
Sam.F said:
The 50mph limit and advent of unmarked camera vans has rather spoilt the Snake compared to how it was a few years ago when I was living down that way!
I have fond memories of many "maximum attack" runs across there in my old 50bhp Polo back in the day
This.I have fond memories of many "maximum attack" runs across there in my old 50bhp Polo back in the day
I have one of those unmarked vans to thank for my first 3 points.
spogxy said:
Care to share where the sneaky bugger was hiding old chum, purely for research you understand? 
They usually sit in the lay-by on the left at the end of the long straight after Ladybower as you head towards Manchester, presumably with the camera lens trained on the brow of the hill. Sam.F said:
They usually sit in the lay-by on the left at the end of the long straight after Ladybower as you head towards Manchester, presumably with the camera lens trained on the brow of the hill.
Thank-you kindly sir, although of course I never ever exceed the designated speed limit 
t! Nothing else involved, I did it all on my own.spogxy said:
Care to share where the sneaky bugger was hiding old chum, purely for research you understand?
When I got done I'm pretty sure he was West of Ladybower, there's a long downhill straight with a right hand bend at the end.. There's a lay by on the left hand side at the bottom of the straight.Derbyshire Police used to have a completely unmarked Sprinter for the task. There were a couple of articles published here referencing them.
Lived in Sheffield for over 20 years and parents were on the other side of Manchester so used Snake Pass on numerous occasions. When its empty and dry it is pretty epic. Used to have Minis originally which struggled for power on the uphill sections and drums all rounds made the downhill into Glossop interseting.
Best run was in my MK2 GTI very early on a perfect sat morning one summer. Only saw 2 other cars and I came across them at exactly the right time to overtake safely. The series of bends just before you pass the Snake Inn (towards Manchester) were dispatched quite quickly that day.
Best run was in my MK2 GTI very early on a perfect sat morning one summer. Only saw 2 other cars and I came across them at exactly the right time to overtake safely. The series of bends just before you pass the Snake Inn (towards Manchester) were dispatched quite quickly that day.
As mentioned here previously a superb piece of tarmac now policed heavily by one of the most punitive police forces in the UK - for our own safety so many thanks to them
Ive driven it many times over many years and at one point in my life a long, long time ago (before my knowledge of the Central Line) when getting friendly with a lady I could recount its route in my imagination whilst trying to take my mind off other things LOL I know the road that well
The 50mph limit has killed it
Totally
And its vigorously policed so only the brave or stupid or those on false plates can overtake
Which is doubly frustrating when stuck in a mahoosive queue behind a blue rinser doing 34mph in a Rover 200 on a bank holiday weekend when nobody sensible will attempt to get past for fear of concealed cameras leading to the predictable heroic/suicidal manoeuvres from the committed few further down in the pack
But the 50 limits there to protect us isnt it?
cheers
Did it once so far, and plan to revisit a few times. Surprised to find out everyone I know has been on it, but anyway.
Headed from glossop and turned off at the reservoirs as part of a bank holiday weekend drive. I think we picked a pretty good time to go in my '96 Megane Coupé (2l 16v). We had traffic but they weren't toooo slow, so let them trunk forward a bit when it looked like a good section then "caught up" and didn't need to break the 50 to enjoy the really twisty sections. A really enjoyable experience, and as we came through the undulations and passing the cuttings in the rock up and down over crests and round some twists, the shadow of the sun setting was chasing with us. Gorgeous day for that, will have to try it again but it was pure luck on the timing.
Need to find a second car before going again, the diesel laguna won't cut it.
Headed from glossop and turned off at the reservoirs as part of a bank holiday weekend drive. I think we picked a pretty good time to go in my '96 Megane Coupé (2l 16v). We had traffic but they weren't toooo slow, so let them trunk forward a bit when it looked like a good section then "caught up" and didn't need to break the 50 to enjoy the really twisty sections. A really enjoyable experience, and as we came through the undulations and passing the cuttings in the rock up and down over crests and round some twists, the shadow of the sun setting was chasing with us. Gorgeous day for that, will have to try it again but it was pure luck on the timing.
Need to find a second car before going again, the diesel laguna won't cut it.
Derbyshire Police even went as low as having a horse box parked in various lay bys with a camera mounted in the back of it. There were articles about them in Motor Cycle News a couple of years ago. I don't know if they still use these tactics. Certainly very sneaky, and not what you would call a good use of "resources".
nightflight said:
Derbyshire Police even went as low as having a horse box parked in various lay bys with a camera mounted in the back of it. There were articles about them in Motor Cycle News a couple of years ago. I don't know if they still use these tactics. Certainly very sneaky, and not what you would call a good use of "resources".
A very poor use of racehorses, I reckon!This shows the location of the Snake camera van at the end of the reservoir and in the woods just beyond.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwrYyiKskk4
At the end of the video, the biker pulls into a layby. Another camera van sometimes lurks further up the hill on the left after a couple of straights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwrYyiKskk4
At the end of the video, the biker pulls into a layby. Another camera van sometimes lurks further up the hill on the left after a couple of straights.
RRS_Staffs said:
As mentioned here previously a superb piece of tarmac now policed heavily by one of the most punitive police forces in the UK - for our own safety so many thanks to them
Ive driven it many times over many years and at one point in my life a long, long time ago (before my knowledge of the Central Line) when getting friendly with a lady I could recount its route in my imagination whilst trying to take my mind off other things LOL I know the road that well
The 50mph limit has killed it
Totally
And its vigorously policed so only the brave or stupid or those on false plates can overtake
Which is doubly frustrating when stuck in a mahoosive queue behind a blue rinser doing 34mph in a Rover 200 on a bank holiday weekend when nobody sensible will attempt to get past for fear of concealed cameras leading to the predictable heroic/suicidal manoeuvres from the committed few further down in the pack
But the 50 limits there to protect us isnt it?
cheers
I am very sorry to say ,Ive driven it many times over many years and at one point in my life a long, long time ago (before my knowledge of the Central Line) when getting friendly with a lady I could recount its route in my imagination whilst trying to take my mind off other things LOL I know the road that well
The 50mph limit has killed it
Totally
And its vigorously policed so only the brave or stupid or those on false plates can overtake
Which is doubly frustrating when stuck in a mahoosive queue behind a blue rinser doing 34mph in a Rover 200 on a bank holiday weekend when nobody sensible will attempt to get past for fear of concealed cameras leading to the predictable heroic/suicidal manoeuvres from the committed few further down in the pack
But the 50 limits there to protect us isnt it?
cheers
You Are 100% correct , we are the oppressed
Snake is ok, but it's too busy and in too poor a state of repair to be fun, even without the speed restrictions.
I have had two memorable drives on it though - firstly in my 1974 Viva, in about 1994 I think. That car was seriously slow uphill; it was heavy and only had a 1256cc engine in it, so I was duly overtaken by two suits in two what weere then very modern Mondeos. I continued plodding on the uphill bit, but then came the downhill bits. Now a Viva HC isn't a smart handling car by any means, but they're not *that* bad, and the back end is very communicative about when it's going to let go, and it does it quite gently, so I pressed on - I could see the Mondeos again! Then, beautifully, they caught up with a removal lorry and had to slow down - whereas I caught up with the three of them with a stack of momentum just as an opportunity to overtake came, so I got all three of them in one go. In a Viva HC. The downhill run to Glossop was fun, but I did manage to hold the two of them off until the M67
The other one was a run in the SportKa - a hugely underrated machine - on a Friday rush hour. The need to be in Manchester by 7pm having left Sheffield at 6pm plus a judicious amount of luck in catching traffic where it was safe to overtake saw me barrel-rolling under the shutters at Richer Sounds in Prestwich to collect my new tv just as they started to cash up
I have had two memorable drives on it though - firstly in my 1974 Viva, in about 1994 I think. That car was seriously slow uphill; it was heavy and only had a 1256cc engine in it, so I was duly overtaken by two suits in two what weere then very modern Mondeos. I continued plodding on the uphill bit, but then came the downhill bits. Now a Viva HC isn't a smart handling car by any means, but they're not *that* bad, and the back end is very communicative about when it's going to let go, and it does it quite gently, so I pressed on - I could see the Mondeos again! Then, beautifully, they caught up with a removal lorry and had to slow down - whereas I caught up with the three of them with a stack of momentum just as an opportunity to overtake came, so I got all three of them in one go. In a Viva HC. The downhill run to Glossop was fun, but I did manage to hold the two of them off until the M67
The other one was a run in the SportKa - a hugely underrated machine - on a Friday rush hour. The need to be in Manchester by 7pm having left Sheffield at 6pm plus a judicious amount of luck in catching traffic where it was safe to overtake saw me barrel-rolling under the shutters at Richer Sounds in Prestwich to collect my new tv just as they started to cash up
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