Detour #68: Honister Pass, Cumbria, UK
Densely packed as it is with mountains and lakes, Cumbria’s road are seldom straight. The passes of the Lake District may not reach the dizzying heights of those in Europe, but they’re so close together that within a day you could tick off a bucket list of amazing drives.
Kirkstone, Hardknott, Wrynose, Whinlatter and Honister Pass are all there for the taking. Drive every one of them and you’ll barely rack up 100 miles. Only the unpredictable and extremely localised weather can stop you, which is why on Detour’s last visit Kirkstone Pass was, er, impassable, because of dense fog, while Honister Pass was bathed in sunshine.
Honister Pass begins just a few miles south of Keswick, in the hamlet of Seatoller. As the pass begins you’ll find that the B5289 is extremely narrow, rutted and steep as you make your initial ascent through the trees and high, fern-packed banks.
Soon you’re above the tree line and into a valley between the hills, rattling over a cattle grid and seeing the road stretch out ahead of you. The sightlines here are good, but that doesn’t make it a particularly fast road – the locals put pay to that. Sheep stroll casually out in front of you, unbothered by the emergency stop they’ve just triggered. They give you a little side-eye and slowly wander off, while your heart rate is still recovering.
It is also alarmingly picturesque. In the autumn rich ochre hues cover the hillsides, contrasting with the blue skies above (if you’re lucky). At the top of the pass there’s a youth hostel, so watch out for youth in hiking boots before you tackle the steep 25 percent drop into Gatesgarth cutting through the hills like a scaled-down Scottish Highlands.
It may only be a four-mile trip, but that just means more time to explore the other passes of the Lake District. If the weather will let you.