Eskdale is the quiet, long valley on the western edge of the Lake District, running from the high fells down to the Irish Sea, and it is the sort of place where the road narrows, the sheep multiply and the mountains seem to lean in. At the top end stand the peaks of the Scafell range, including Scafell Pike at 978 metres, the highest in England, and below them the green valley floor is dotted with stone farms, drystone walls and small woods. The hamlet of Boot has a pub, a watermill and a station, and the setting is extraordinarily pretty.
The station belongs to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, a fifteen-inch gauge steam line known affectionately as La'al Ratty, which runs for about eleven kilometres from the coast at Ravenglass up the valley to Dalegarth. It was built in the 1870s to carry iron ore and later converted to carry passengers, and today the little locomotives pull open carriages through woods and fields. Riding beside the track with a train chuffing alongside is a nice experience. Ravenglass has a Roman bath house and Muncaster Castle, with its owl centre and gardens, near the coast.
The real draw for motorcyclists is what lies to the east. The road climbs out of Eskdale over the Hardknott Pass, one of the steepest roads in England, with a gradient signed at one in three on its tightest hairpins. The road is narrow, single-track in places, with passing bays, and it requires a steady hand and a clear head. At the top, at about 390 metres, the remains of a Roman fort, Mediobogdum, stand on a ledge with a view across the valley, built in the second century to guard the route to the coast. Beyond, the road continues over the Wrynose Pass to Little Langdale.
Fuel is not available in Eskdale, and the nearest options are Egremont, seventeen kilometres away, and Seascale, so arrive with a full tank. The passes can be dangerous in ice, snow or heavy rain, and they are frequently closed in winter. Come in late spring or early autumn, early in the day, to avoid the crowds. Wear a layer even in summer, because the weather here changes fast and cloud can drop onto the road. The silence at the top, with only wind and sheep, is something to remember.