Detour #291: Weaving Along the Whinlatter Pass, UK
Take a break from the most challenging Cumbrian corners on the Whinlatter Pass.
The passes of the Lake District are notoriously narrow, steep and potholed. They get nicknames like ‘The Struggle’ and entry points are marked with warnings of extreme bends and severe gradients.
So it’s quite a relief to come across a Lakeland pass that simply flows freely through the Cumbrian countryside. It’s called the Whinlatter Pass and joins Braithwaite with High Lorton, west of Keswick.
Turn off the A66, the main east-west route across the Lake District, and onto the B5292 in Braithwaite and you’ll soon be in pretty dense woodland, which tends to mask the climb into Whinlatter Forest.
With Forestry England in charge the road is generally well-kept for tourists and, unlike many in the region, plenty wide enough for two cars at a time. The curves are gentle and not too frequent, either, so when the trees dramatically drop away to the right you can really take in the view without worrying about sudden on-coming traffic or major direction changes. And what a view it is– across the valley with Bassenwaite Lake shimmering in the distance and glorious green hills beyond.
Keep going and you’ll soon be into the heart of the forest where you can stop and explore on foot, take one of the many mountain bike trails or swing between the trees with Go Ape. There’s a decent car park, but that doesn’t stop people parking on the verges which presents probably the only remotely risky part of the route.
Onwards through the thick firs you go before popping out into to a more open landscape, the steep Whinlatter Fell to your right. You’ll barely notice the descent into High Lorton, even as you’re briefly plunged into near-darkness of a tree tunnel.
Less than six miles in length and over in a matter of minutes it’s still a welcome respite before moving on to the more extreme drives of the area.