
The Lake District Passes Clockwise

This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert Nick Carthew - (MRA Master)
Last edit: 12-03-2025
I rode this route in June 2015, The landscapes alone make this a 5***** star route.
Animation
Verdict
Duration
6h 48m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
182.59 km
Countries


The start of Hardknott Pass
In order, the passes are:
Wrynose Pass.
Hardknott Pass.
Newlands Pass.
Honister Pass.
Whinlatter Pass.
Kirkstone Pass.
Bonus: The Struggle
The Wrynose Pass is a mountain pass between the Duddon Valley and Little Langdale. The unusual name, Wrynose, comes from ‘pass of the stallion’ and referred to the fact that the steep gradients (up to 1 in 3) needed a well-muscled horse to attain the top. At the top of the Wrynose Pass is the Three Shire Stone, marking the meeting point of the historic counties of Cumberland, Lancashire and Westmorland.
The Hardknott Pass is the trickiest with tight bends on a bumpy surface all at a 30% gradient, the views from the top are well worth the effort though. The pass is described as one of the most challenging roads in Britain and shares the title of steepest road in England with Rosedale Chimney Bank in Yorkshire. There are some good remains of a Roman fort towards the end of the pass.
Newlands Pass is a three-mile-long road running along a ledge above the Newlands valley, from Buttermere to the village of Braithwaite, near Keswick. The highest point is Newlands Hause, 333 metres (1093 ft), where there is a car park, and a short walk to the Moss Force waterfalls. Newlands valley is thinly populated, consisting mainly of farms and tourist accommodation. Stair is the main settlement in the valley, and includes the Newlands Adventure Centre and the Swinside Inn, which is the only pub in the valley and is situated one kilometre to the north of Stair.
Lunch stop is at Keswick. There is a secure motorcycle park at the back of Oddfellows Arms where we had a superb lunch the but you are surrounded with other places to eat and drink if you prefer.
Honister Pass connects the eastern end of Borrowdale valley to Buttermere valley. Rising to 356 m (1167 ft) in height at the summit, it is one of Cumbria’s highest passes, with a gradient of 1 in 4. Flowing through the pass from the summit to Buttermere is Gatesgarthdale Beck. Slate mining has taken place in the Lake District for 100s of years and the last remaining mine in England is seen here on the Honister Pass. It's a great place to visit and I have included a link to their website below this review.
Whinlatter Pass winds its way through the Thornthwaite Forest, to a height of 318 m (1,043 ft) above sea level, with views over Bassenthwaite Lake. Because it travels through a forest, this pass has a different feel to the other passes. The Whinlatter Pass is a far less severe and the scenery is beautiful.
Kirkstone Pass with an altitude of 454 m (1,489 ft) is the Lake District’s highest pass that is open to motor traffic. The Kirkstone Pass Inn stands close to the summit of the pass. Formerly an important coaching inn, it now caters primarily for tourists. It is the third highest public house in England and makes a great stop for refreshments and a photo.
Now comes a bonus: The Struggle. The Struggle is so called because of the steepness of the climb, you will see this as you travel down it towards Ambleside.
The Lake District Passes has to be on everyone's list of places to visit and each pass is completely different if ridden in the opposite direction. There is a link below to a reverse of this route that is also in the MRA RouteXpert Library. The whole of the Lake District is full of beautiful roads to ride and around every corner is another fantastic view.
A video of Wrynose and Hardknott Passes that I took when I rode in June 2015 can be seen in a link below.

Hardknott Pass

Wrynose Pass
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North West
About this region
The points of the compass are an evenly spaced set of horizontal directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and geography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each separated by 90 degrees, and secondarily divided by four ordinal (intercardinal) directions—northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest—each located halfway between two cardinal directions. Some disciplines such as meteorology and navigation further divide the compass with additional azimuths. Within European tradition, a fully defined compass has 32 'points' (and any finer subdivisions are described in fractions of points).Compass points are valuable in that they allow a user to refer to a specific azimuth in a colloquial fashion, without having to compute or remember degrees.
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The Ultimate 10 Day (North) UK Tour
Starting from and returning to Harwich ferry port, this tour follows the east coast of England up to the Highlands of Scotland and returns via the Lake District. It visits 6 of the UK's national parks and explores 2 islands and visits 2 James Bond 007 film locations.
Daily highlights.
Day 1, Harwich to Wells Next the Sea:
Southwold lighthouse, Cromer Crab lunch and sleeping on a Dutch barge.
Day 2, Wells Next the Sea to Middlesbrough:
Royal Sandringham Estate, Humber Bridge, a lap of Oliver's Mount, North York Moors National Park, Whitby Abbey the inspiration for Dracula.
Day 3, Middlesbrough to Dundee:
Tees Transporter Bridge, Angel of the North, Bamburgh Castle, Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
Day 4, Dundee to Inverness:
Cairngorms National Park, Balmoral Castle, Whisky Distilleries.
Day 5, Inverness to Ullapool:
Exceptional Landscapes, Falls of Shin, Loch Drumbeg Viewpoint, Kylesku Bridge.
Day 6, Ullapool to Dornie:
Kinlochewe viewpoint, Applecross Pass, Isle of Skye.
Day 7, Dornie to Keswick:
Eilean Donan Castle (007), Glencoe Pass, Glen Etive (007), Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Day 8, Keswick to Kendal:
A tour of the Lake District National Park visiting 6 of the best passes including Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass and 7 of the great lakes including Ullswater and Windermere.
Day 9, Kendal to Matlock:
Yorkshire Dales National Park, Ribblehead Viaduct, Peak District National Park, Snake Pass, Matlock Bath (motorcycle Mecca).
Day 10, Matlock to Harwich:
Heckington Windmill, Moulton Windmill, Dutch Quarter in Colchester.
By starting from Harwich, this tour avoids the traffic congestion of the south east and London making it perfect for European visitors wanting to see some of the best landscapes and sights that the north of the UK has to offer.
The cost of the ferry from Hoek Van Holland to Harwich return for motorcycle and rider costs £139.00 (163.51 Euro) (in 2019) which includes a cabin on the outward leg.
Where possible, motorways have been avoided and scenic routes are used every day.
Enjoy.
Daily highlights.
Day 1, Harwich to Wells Next the Sea:
Southwold lighthouse, Cromer Crab lunch and sleeping on a Dutch barge.
Day 2, Wells Next the Sea to Middlesbrough:
Royal Sandringham Estate, Humber Bridge, a lap of Oliver's Mount, North York Moors National Park, Whitby Abbey the inspiration for Dracula.
Day 3, Middlesbrough to Dundee:
Tees Transporter Bridge, Angel of the North, Bamburgh Castle, Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
Day 4, Dundee to Inverness:
Cairngorms National Park, Balmoral Castle, Whisky Distilleries.
Day 5, Inverness to Ullapool:
Exceptional Landscapes, Falls of Shin, Loch Drumbeg Viewpoint, Kylesku Bridge.
Day 6, Ullapool to Dornie:
Kinlochewe viewpoint, Applecross Pass, Isle of Skye.
Day 7, Dornie to Keswick:
Eilean Donan Castle (007), Glencoe Pass, Glen Etive (007), Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Day 8, Keswick to Kendal:
A tour of the Lake District National Park visiting 6 of the best passes including Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass and 7 of the great lakes including Ullswater and Windermere.
Day 9, Kendal to Matlock:
Yorkshire Dales National Park, Ribblehead Viaduct, Peak District National Park, Snake Pass, Matlock Bath (motorcycle Mecca).
Day 10, Matlock to Harwich:
Heckington Windmill, Moulton Windmill, Dutch Quarter in Colchester.
By starting from Harwich, this tour avoids the traffic congestion of the south east and London making it perfect for European visitors wanting to see some of the best landscapes and sights that the north of the UK has to offer.
The cost of the ferry from Hoek Van Holland to Harwich return for motorcycle and rider costs £139.00 (163.51 Euro) (in 2019) which includes a cabin on the outward leg.
Where possible, motorways have been avoided and scenic routes are used every day.
Enjoy.
View Route Collection
10 Routes
3206.27 km
79h 4m
Top 10 Downloaded UK routes by RouteXpert Nick Carthew
Hello and welcome to this collection of the Top 10 MyRoute app downloaded routes in the UK.
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be ridden.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelstory of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your email.
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be ridden.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelstory of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your email.
View Route Collection
10 Routes
2902.99 km
85h 25m