Lake District roads
Discussion
Any PH'ers living in the Lake District? I'm planning on picking up a car (RWD) on Tuesday and heading to Stranraer via Windermere and the Kirkstone Pass. It looks like night time temperatures will be below freezing apparently, sunshine during daylight. Is this one of my stupider ideas? Just want to see the area as I've never visited it before.
I drove the Kirstone pass quite a bit this winter, around mid Jan in temperatures a lot lower than that and it was OK, although a deer did its best to embed itself in the front of my trade-in car(I was staying in a hotel on ullswater over the weekend of buying a new car).
Some serious fog while I was there one day though.
Kirkstone pass is nothing like the hardcore passes like Rhynose and Hardknott.
Some serious fog while I was there one day though.
Kirkstone pass is nothing like the hardcore passes like Rhynose and Hardknott.
There are various great driving roads around the Lakes - probably the most evil mountain pass is the Hardknott closely followed by the Wrynose. There is also the Honsiter pass as well as the Kirkstone pass.
Whenever I go to the lakes I try and do the lot - the Hardknott is evil in the wet though
Whenever I go to the lakes I try and do the lot - the Hardknott is evil in the wet though
I live in the lakes. You will be fine but I certainly wouldn't hoon up kirkstone during freezing temperatures. Depending on how much much rain there has been the little streams often cross the road, and as they do it's highly likely they will freeze.
Hardknott is not a very fun road to drive imo, particularly in a low or wide car. Visibility is very poor on the steep stretches and there are some wheel killer potholes up there at the minute that you won't see unless you are sitting high up in a defender etc.
For driving the wide open swoopy roads of the Yorkshire dales and to the north east of penrith are much more fun.
Hardknott is not a very fun road to drive imo, particularly in a low or wide car. Visibility is very poor on the steep stretches and there are some wheel killer potholes up there at the minute that you won't see unless you are sitting high up in a defender etc.
For driving the wide open swoopy roads of the Yorkshire dales and to the north east of penrith are much more fun.
Edited by DaveCWK on Saturday 9th March 14:43
DaveCWK said:
I live in the lakes. You will be fine but I certainly wouldn't hoon up kirkstone during freezing temperatures. Depending on how much much rain there has been the little streams often cross the road, and as they do it's highly likely they will freeze.
Hardknott is not a very fun road to drive imo, particularly in a low or wide car. Visibility is very poor on the steep stretches and there are some wheel killer potholes up there at the minute that you won't see unless you are sitting high up in a defender etc.
For driving the wide open swoopy roads of the Yorkshire dales and to the north east of penrith are much more fun.
+1 to this.Hardknott is not a very fun road to drive imo, particularly in a low or wide car. Visibility is very poor on the steep stretches and there are some wheel killer potholes up there at the minute that you won't see unless you are sitting high up in a defender etc.
For driving the wide open swoopy roads of the Yorkshire dales and to the north east of penrith are much more fun.
Edited by DaveCWK on Saturday 9th March 14:43
Lakes roads are great for the experience on a nice day, but Wales or various places in England tend to have better roads for actually enjoying the driving.
caprirob said:
...............the Hardknott is evil in the wet though
I've manged Hardknott (and Wrynose) East to West in the snow and ice in an old Anglian estate ..............couldn't quite make it back though. Scary doesn't come close to describing it but it just had to be done/attempted! Kirkstone and Honister are a piece of cake by comparison.Garvin said:
I've manged Hardknott (and Wrynose) East to West in the snow and ice in an old Anglian estate ..............couldn't quite make it back though. Scary doesn't come close to describing it but it just had to be done/attempted! Kirkstone and Honister are a piece of cake by comparison.
I've just come home from Manchester over Corney Fell, and snow is just starting
eldar said:
Garvin said:
I've manged Hardknott (and Wrynose) East to West in the snow and ice in an old Anglian estate ..............couldn't quite make it back though. Scary doesn't come close to describing it but it just had to be done/attempted! Kirkstone and Honister are a piece of cake by comparison.
I've just come home from Manchester over Corney Fell, and snow is just startingKirkstone Pass is a nice road but I don't rate the Lake District in general for a spirited drive. It's a nice place for a cruise, but not the best place for pressing on. As mentioned, Kirkstone Pass can be treacherous in the cold. I was up there a couple of week ago at about 19:00 in the dark, with plenty of ice on the road. As mentioned, the streams that run across the road are the real dangers. They can just look like water, but they freeze as smooth as glass and can easily unstick a car.
During the day, the roads are just too busy to really enjoy driving around on. Far too many caravans, coaches full of tourists and family drivers bimbling along. Also add that on Hardknott and Wrynose, you'll often have totally unsuitable cars struggling up them like family MPV's and estates, which will soon wreck any thoughts you might have had of a spirited drive. The last time I went along Hardknott was with my dad driving and we were behind some awfully out of gear and overloaded diesel estate, it's driver dragging his clutch and slowing everyone down to a crawl.
In terms of quiet, technical roads I prefer rural Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.
That said, I enjoy a trip to the Lakes and the roads are nice, especially if you don't have great country roads on your doorstep. For some folk coming from places like London, they'll have never driven on a road like that before! Here are a couple of shots of my last trip to the Lakes, down at Near Sawrey:
and outside of Chester's On The River:
Though nothing really compares to the empty silence of Northumberland...
During the day, the roads are just too busy to really enjoy driving around on. Far too many caravans, coaches full of tourists and family drivers bimbling along. Also add that on Hardknott and Wrynose, you'll often have totally unsuitable cars struggling up them like family MPV's and estates, which will soon wreck any thoughts you might have had of a spirited drive. The last time I went along Hardknott was with my dad driving and we were behind some awfully out of gear and overloaded diesel estate, it's driver dragging his clutch and slowing everyone down to a crawl.
In terms of quiet, technical roads I prefer rural Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.
That said, I enjoy a trip to the Lakes and the roads are nice, especially if you don't have great country roads on your doorstep. For some folk coming from places like London, they'll have never driven on a road like that before! Here are a couple of shots of my last trip to the Lakes, down at Near Sawrey:
and outside of Chester's On The River:
Though nothing really compares to the empty silence of Northumberland...
Edited by Baryonyx on Saturday 9th March 18:03
There are some great roads in the Lakes, especially if you like the tight, twisty, undulating maintaining-momentum kind.
As others have said, though, traffic can be a problem, which can make for frustrating progress, unless you have a good, narrow, overtaking machine. ie. A motorbike that can cope with bumpy roads.
As others have said, though, traffic can be a problem, which can make for frustrating progress, unless you have a good, narrow, overtaking machine. ie. A motorbike that can cope with bumpy roads.
Edited by MC Bodge on Sunday 10th March 01:04
windy1 said:
The road from Windermere to Keswick can be a lot of fun late in the evening in winter when there is absolutely nothing about.
If you want a really technical twisty road that concentrates the mind try the road from Coniston to Ambleside, again late at night.
This used to be my favourite, having grown up in Ambleside, travelling to work near Coniston with my Dad.If you want a really technical twisty road that concentrates the mind try the road from Coniston to Ambleside, again late at night.
He used to boast about getting from some pub in Coniston back to Ambleside in a ridiculous amount of time back in the day.
Needless to say, I took it literally, and one day (in a bad mood) beat his time.
In his car, obviously.
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