Mercedes Road trip: Lake District

[st4]

Good evening.

Last weekend I decided to tour the Lake District. Partly because I was en route to meet friends for dinner on Saturday and another mate on Sunday in Englandshire it made sense to make a weekend of it.

It was also my long weekend off work, finishing at 3:45 on a Friday and not staring work until 2pm on a Monday gives you a lot of latitude with what you can do. Shift rotas can be good.

Anyway, I decided to leave Glasgow and aim my car for the Lake District. Given the UK weather this was not the smartest of moves. It just wasn't as nice as it was 3 weeks previous when the forum tour was.

I know my car buying habits of silver and black interiors gets the Michael taken, but I really didn't want a silver and black landscape


DSC_0151 by [e-mail], on Flickr

Here I was again, on Ullswater and just after taking this picture I got hail bombed. I had planned to rough it in the car up near Borrowdale but retreated back to the Hotel that served us so well as it was hailing and close to 3c....

I sat down to an excellent dinner at the Pooley Bridge Inn, (see I made dinner this time) and ventured back out as the weather improved.The menues changed when we were there and they were very keen to show me it, and I was only too keen to have my lamb and dauphinois potatoes


DSC_0153 by [e-mail], on Flickr

Hail, at the end of April....really. But the bloom has come out, finally, sadly not the sunshine


DSC_0158 by [e-mail], on Flickr

I arose early the next morning in search of better weather and aimed my car directly for Ambleside. We never tackled the Hardknott and Wyrose passes and I wanted to pilot the C estate up them. I've had this car for almost 10k miles and 9 months so was keen now I know it, to shake her down up here.

Firstly that great British weather....


DSC_0166 by [e-mail], on Flickr

Down at Windermere I was hopeful but the Wildlife deeply suspicious of my plans to drive up Britains steepest road. But I knew this HAD to be done.


_DSC0527 by [e-mail], on Flickr.....

LOL..

The Road is a great run, but oh my word is it steep and being damp, even my 170bhp diesel estate car was troubling its back tyres and ESP system. Mercs ESP system really does cut the power right back but on such a narrow road, are you really brave enough to switch it off...


_DSC0530 by [e-mail], on Flickr

At least I know when her MOT test comes her parking brake is up for the job and the car held itself on this alone, without having to go into P. Moving off was ok, but slightly wheel spin. Its in the corners on this road the ESP killed the joy, and its a steep road and not a massively powerful car, so needs 1st gear. My mates old GTi Golf could get up this all the way in 2nd....its a 1 in 3, a 33% gradient with hairpin bends and nasty potholes. It is a car killer.

As the Wyrose decends, you get a long view in front of you


_DSC0536 by [e-mail], on Flickr

Visibility is good, and you can really chuck a 204 sport around the bends in the valley and visibility is good. Be mindful of sheep and big bumps, but I never once chinned my C class, I've chinned both my old 211s along this road.

Sadly, my time with the C class estate has taken its toll, her shocks don't feel quite as good as they did when I got it, her front is stone chipped and generally 10k miles of me hurling her around are beginning to take its toll. She feels in her suspension just not quite as tight as a new car.

This is the gentle part of the Hardknott.....


_DSC0541 (1) by [e-mail], on Flickr

and again the ESP system did the best to kill the power and hold her back but I'm back here in the summer, hopefully it will be dry and we can motor on up, as she's a bit more compact than the last two steads I've booted up here, and a fair bit more agile.

She'll love it.

Even the view at the top.


_DSC0544 by [e-mail], on Flickr

Thanks for reading.

[clarkmagpie]

Love that road!
The views as you have shown are just incredible.

[st4]

Cheers pal.

Its a fun run, I've been up it in a Golf GTi, FWD cars for this sort of thing are quicker and my wee C220cdi doesn't quite have the power the way my old E320cdi had to get up the steep bits.

Its a unique road for its steepness and hairpins, you get it all here.

[clarkmagpie]

I have done it in both the Elise and the griff.
Maybe they are a bit low for it and the tvr a bit twitchy.
Lots of fun and sweaty palms all the way!

Hoping to pick up an RS6 soon which I think will be a hoot
As long as nothing is coming the other way...

[st4]

The potholes are quite severe, I've chinned two Merc E classes several times along here. If the road were smoother, the Elise would be truly epic.

The Rs6 will have the power and torque for the steep sections, you need plenty of that and being 4wd probably will grip well.

Just watch on the way down, heavy car and a lot of braking needed