Hardknott and Wrynose Passes (39 km)

Eskdale to Little Langdale

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Why this ride

A one-way ride of 39 km, Seascale to Windermere - roughly 40 min in the saddle. The stops in between: Hardknott Pass and Wrynose Pass. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.

Roadbook

1. Eskdale start

   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.

2. Hardknott Pass scenic · 393 m

   Hardknott Pass has a reputation among British riders that is partly earned and partly exaggerated, but the earned part is considerable. The road climbs from the Eskdale side in a series of short, sharp hairpins with gradients of up to one in three, among the steepest on any public road in England, and the surface is narrow, rough and often slick, with no barriers on the outside of the bends. At the summit, 393 metres above sea level, the road crosses a high saddle between the valleys of the Esk and the Duddon, and then drops again, nearly as steeply, to Cockley Beck. Take it slowly, in first gear, with both hands on the bars and a good look ahead.

   Beyond the challenge, the pass has a fascinating history. Just below the summit on the Eskdale side stand the remains of Hardknott Roman Fort, called Mediobogdum by the Romans, built in the second century to guard the road from Ravenglass on the coast to Ambleside. The fort commanded one of the loneliest postings in the empire, and on a clear day you can walk around the foundations of the granary, the commander's house and the bath house, with a spectacular view to the Scafell range. It is easy to imagine a legionary from the Mediterranean, standing here in the rain, wondering what he had done wrong.

   The Lake District here is at its roughest and most remote. Bare crags, bracken and heather cover the slopes, and the lakes are far below, out of sight. Herdwick sheep, the tough, grey-faced breed of the Lakes, graze the hillsides and wander across the road without concern. The weather matters: low cloud and mist can reduce visibility to a few metres, rain makes the surface treacherous, and in winter, ice and snow close the road. It is best done in dry, clear conditions, in spring or early autumn, and many riders prefer to approach from the west, climbing the steeper hairpins rather than descending them, though opinions vary.

   There are no facilities on the pass. Fuel is available in Ambleside, about twenty kilometres to the east, and at villages on the coast such as Seascale, and the Woolpack Inn at Eskdale and the café at Boot may serve food, though opening hours vary. Carry a warm layer and a drink, and make sure your clutch and brakes are in good order before you go. The pass is not for large vehicles or caravans, and drivers who ignore the warnings often cause long delays, so be prepared to wait.

3. Wrynose Pass scenic · 393 m

   If Hardknott is the show-off, Wrynose is its older, grumpier sibling. The two passes are usually ridden together, linking Ambleside and Langdale in the east with Eskdale and the Cumbrian coast in the west, but Wrynose comes first for those heading from the east, and it sets the tone. The road is single-track for much of its length, narrow, with passing places, rough edges and a gradient of one in four on some of the hairpins. At the top, at about 393 metres, there is a bare saddle of grass and boulders, and a modest stone marker in the road called the Three Shire Stone.

   The stone stands where three old counties met, Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire, and it has stood here since 1816. Today all three lie inside the modern county of Cumbria, but the stone remains, and children like to stand with one foot in each former county. The high ground around is known as Wrynose Bottom, and there is a ford where the River Duddon rises, a short walk away. Fell ponies and sheep graze freely, and they pay little attention to bikes.

   The ride from Little Langdale is a fine one, climbing through stone-walled fields, past slate quarries and then onto open fell. The road is narrow and the surface variable, with loose gravel at the sides and potholes after winter, and visibility around the bends is poor, so ride within your limits and be ready to stop. Cars and walkers come in the other direction, and in summer, the pass can be busy with coaches and cyclists, though the road is not suitable for large vehicles. Cloud is common, and rain makes the rock slippery. The best times are a dry spring day or an autumn morning, when the bracken is bronze and the air is clear.

   Wrynose Pass is beautiful in an austere way, and it gives access to some of the great walks of the Lake District, including the climb of Pike of Blisco. In the valleys, you pass dry-stone walls, small farms and old slate workings, a reminder that this was industrial country as well as pastoral. The Duddon Valley, which Wordsworth wrote sonnets about, runs from the foot of the pass.

   Windermere, about fourteen kilometres away, and Ambleside, a little nearer, have fuel stations and cafés. Check your fuel and carry water. If you plan to ride both Wrynose and Hardknott in one go, allow plenty of time and expect delays.

4. Little Langdale finish

   Little Langdale is a small, secretive valley in the central Lake District, with a hamlet of slate-roofed farms, a tarn and a stream, and it feels as if the rest of the world had been forgotten. The valley lies at the foot of the Wrynose Pass, and the road you ride in on climbs from the head of the valley to the pass, past a stone known as the Three Shires Stone, where the old counties of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire once met. The stone is a simple marker, but standing at a point where three historic counties joined is a pleasing small thrill.

   The Wrynose Pass is narrower than Hardknott, with steep gradients and tight, blind bends, and the Little Langdale side drops at around one in four. The road runs in a single track for much of its length, with passing places, and meeting a car head-on at a bend is a daily event, so use patience and good manners. The surface is generally good but can be wet and gritty, and it is not a road to rush. In winter, ice and snow can make it dangerous, and the pass is sometimes closed.

   The landscape is classic Lakeland, with grey-green fells, drystone walls and Herdwick sheep, the hardy local breed with grey wool and white faces, which Beatrix Potter, a farmer as well as an author, helped to preserve. The slate that roofs the houses was quarried in the hills, and old quarries and tunnels honeycomb the area, with the remains of a few workings visible near the road. A packhorse bridge, Slater Bridge, crosses the river Brathay on a path, a graceful old structure of slabs, and it is a gentle walk from the hamlet. The Langdale Pikes rise above to the north.

   A pub in the hamlet serves food and local beer, popular with walkers and riders, and the garden looks over the fells. Weather can change in minutes, so carry waterproofs, and note that the roads can be slow in summer with walkers and cyclists. When you finish, the soft light on the tarn in the evening makes it hard to leave.

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