Detour #92: By Jimny! It's the Gatesgarth Pass, UK
A proper 4x4 adventure in the heart of the stunning Lake District – just make sure you plan ahead and read the small print first, says Dan Trent.
Detour is about escapism and – hopefully – inspiration to head off and live the dream yourself. But indulge a disclaimer before getting too carried away about the amazing adventure that is driving Gatescarth Pass. Because you can’t just rock up and do it on a whim.
It may surprise you to hear you can even drive off road in the Lake District at all, given how strident the voices against powered vehicles in the countryside seem to be. But credit to the National Park, local councils and passionate campaigning by off-road groups like the Green Lane Association and Trail Riders Fellowship for reaching an agreement to maintain access while protecting the precious environment.
Accordingly, Gatescarth is only open to motorised two- and four-wheelers for one day a month during summer periods and, even then, for a maximum of 12 4x4s on each of those days regulated by a permit system. There’s also a strict 100-inch wheelbase limit, limiting it to Defender 90s and smaller Japanese 4x4s like the Suzuki Jimny we took. Oh, and you also have to do it with at least one other vehicle but in a group of no more than four. Such demands mean you need to apply a long way ahead of your planned visit. Not the work of a moment, then. But worth it.
Our journey starts at the delightful Tebay services on the M6. Here our bog-stock Jimny on standard 15-inch wheels and skinny road tyres meets our three friendly compadres, recruited from the BigJimny forum and bringing some much-needed off-roading expertise.
It’s only a short hop from Shap on the M6 to the narrow lanes leading to Haweswater and the Mardale Head starting point, the permit system mandating a one-way north to south route. Our merry convoy trundles along the lakeside, the twisting road clinging to the hillside while on the opposite side of the water Laythwaite Crags looms impressively in the morning light. For most drivers the road ends here but, permits in hand, we present ourselves to the friendly marshal manning the gate at the start to the off-road section, nervously asking him if he thinks our dinky little Jimny is up to it. He peers over the bonnet of his Defender, shrugs and says we should be fine.
We’d know straight away if not, there being no gentle warm-up as the track immediately climbs steeply over loose stones that ping and clatter off the Jimny’s underside as it scrabbles for grip. Frankly you’ll probably get over the pass quicker on foot but the sense of adventure and privilege of being able to drive in terrain this epic is what makes this drive special.
Stops for gates provide an excuse to pause and take it all in, each one opened with a combination supplied by the marshal and locked behind us as we go. Haweswater is already receding into the distance as the trail flattens slightly across a grassy plateau but ahead a proper challenge looms with a sequence of steep, rocky hairpin bends over chunky bedrock steps. The Jimny is lacking in technical bells and whistles, relying on little more than a low-range gearbox and a puppy-like enthusiasm for romping its way over ground that looks way beyond its modest size and ride height. There’s the odd thump of chassis on rock but never more than a little scrabble of tyre before forward progress resumes, even with a wheel or two dangling in thin air.
Frankly I’m hamming it up, entertaining myself by going for the trickier looking lines for the hell of it. For all the winches and welcome experience of our fellow Jimny drivers it’s clear Gatescarth is no Rubicon Trail in terms of technical challenge but for a have-a-go off-roader it’s the perfect combination of terrain tough enough to be fun without ever being scary, and scenery so stunning you’re never left short-changed.
Forget fears of open hostility from other countryside users, too. We encounter plenty of hikers, mountain bikers, fell runners and motorcyclists – the latter also running on the permit system – and without exception everyone is friendly and happy to share in the joy of being in such a beautiful environment. Mutual respect, it seems, can get you a long way.
Over the summit the path to hiking hotspots like Nan Bield Pass and High Steet branches off while the Gatescarth track heads down in the shadow of the imposing Harter Fell, the scale of the landscape truly breathtaking. Steep hairpins down provide another decent test, but it’s nothing self-restraint and engine braking in low-range can’t handle. While you wouldn’t want to risk the family SUV or a school-run crossover on terrain like this the Jimny is totally up to the job, though you can’t afford to be too precious about bouncing it over the rocks.
Through the last gate and into the final section toward Sadgill, the view down Long Sleddale is pinched between the fells on either side, shafts of sunlight picking out a patchwork of vivid green fields on the valley floor in a contrast to the dark rock of the surrounding hills. As the crow flies we’re but a few miles from the M6 but it truly feels like a different world.
The roll down to the end of the run is little more than a gravel track spiced up with a few water splashes but it’s a chilled way to finish. And then the maps come out and the more experienced heads among us suggest lesser known – but still legal – routes you can explore beyond the pass…
For updates and the latest information on the pass see here.
Words Dan Trent Twitter | Instagram
Photography Sim Mainey Instagram