Why this ride
curated scenic road. Lake District, stone walls, mountain views. 40 km from Windermere to Penrith, about 42 min of riding. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Kirkstone Pass Road
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 40 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 42 min
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Hardknott and Wrynose Passes
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 10 km this is Hardknott and Wrynose Passes, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Rider note
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 10 km
- Named road
- Hardknott and Wrynose Passes
- Pass
- Kirkstone Pass
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Windermere
Planning note
Kirkstone Pass Road point 1 sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Kirkstone Pass Road point 2.
2. Near Ambleside
At 454 metres, the Kirkstone Pass is the highest pass in the Lake District that you can ride over, and the inn at the top, a squat stone building that has been serving travellers for centuries, claims to be one of the highest pubs in England. The pass gets its name from a large rock near the summit that looks a little like a church steeple, the kirk stone, and it is a natural stopping place where riders gather on summer weekends to admire the views and each other's bikes.
Read the complete Near Ambleside write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kirkstone Pass Road point 2 comes up 12 km in. Next is Kirkstone Pass Road point 3.
3. Near Penrith
The northern shore of Ullswater, between Pooley Bridge and Glenridding, is one of the gentlest and most beautiful roads in the Lake District. The A592 runs along the water's edge, under old trees and past grassy shores, with the lake on one side and the wooded slopes of Gowbarrow Fell on the other, and at every bend there is a new view of the water and the fells at its southern end. Ullswater is the second-largest lake in the Lake District, long and winding, often called the most beautiful of them all.
Read the complete Near Penrith write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
40 km in you reach Kirkstone Pass Road point 3.