The best driving roads in the Lake District are its mountain passes and the two great valley A-roads that link them: Hardknott and Wrynose Passes between Eskdale and Little Langdale, Honister Pass (B5289) between Borrowdale and Buttermere, Kirkstone Pass (A592) between Windermere and Ullswater, Newlands Pass and Whinlatter Pass (B5292) west of Keswick, and the A591 from Windermere to Keswick over Dunmail Raise. Hardknott is the headline act: a single-track road with a maximum gradient of 1 in 3 (about 33%), it shares the title of steepest road in England with Rosedale Chimney Bank in North Yorkshire.
The longer answer is that these roads are wildly different animals — from a two-way A-road you could drive with a coffee in the cup holder to a Roman route the National Park Authority lists, with Wrynose and Honister, among the steepest roads in the country. Here they are, one by one.
The roads, pass by pass
Hardknott Pass and Wrynose Pass
Road: unclassified single-track road · Runs: Little Langdale – Wrynose Pass – Cockley Beck (Duddon Valley) – Hardknott Pass – Eskdale · Max gradient: 1 in 3 (about 33%) on Hardknott; up to 1 in 4 on Wrynose · Summit: 393 m (1,289 ft) on Hardknott
These two belong together. Wrynose climbs out of Little Langdale to the Three Shire Stone, where Cumberland, Lancashire and Westmorland once met, then drops into the wild upper Duddon. At Cockley Beck you either bail south down the valley or carry on west over Hardknott into Eskdale.
Wrynose is the warm-up: steep and narrow, but straighter and gentler. Hardknott is something else — a stack of hairpins, a surface that is slippery when wet, and gradients BBC Travel puts at 25% on a few hairpins and 33% on the final pitch. The Romans built a road here around AD 110 to link their coastal fort at Ravenglass with Ambleside, and the walls of Hardknott Roman Fort still sit above the Eskdale side. The tarmac is more recent: wartime tank training wrecked the old surface, and it was rebuilt after the war.
Best direction and time: sources genuinely disagree (see the FAQ). Go early, on a dry day, outside the school holidays if you can. Who it suits: confident drivers in small, well-maintained cars. Not caravans, not large vans.
Hardknott doesn't care how much horsepower you brought. It only asks whether you can keep your nerve in first gear.
Honister Pass (B5289)
Road: B5289 · Runs: Seatoller (Borrowdale) – Honister Hause – Gatesgarth (Buttermere) · Max gradient: 1 in 4 (25%) · Summit: 356 m (1,167 ft)
Honister is the pass with a slate mine on top. From Seatoller the road climbs sharply through trees beside Hause Gill, eases, then kicks up again to the summit. The descent to Buttermere is narrow but comparatively straight, with Honister Crag towering on your left. Pack a waterproof: Honister holds the UK 24-hour rainfall record, 341.4 mm, set during Storm Desmond in December 2015.
Best direction: we like Borrowdale to Buttermere — the steep climb first, then the long reveal of the valley. Who it suits: competent drivers in ordinary cars in good conditions; not one to take lightly in ice or the dark.
Kirkstone Pass (A592) and The Struggle
Road: A592 · Runs: Troutbeck/Windermere – Kirkstone Pass – Brothers Water – Patterdale (Ullswater) · Max gradient: approaches 1 in 4 · Summit: 454 m (1,489 ft), the highest pass in the Lake District traversed by road
Kirkstone is the big one by altitude and the easy one by temperament: a two-way A-road all the way over, with the view north to Brothers Water as its reward. The approach from Troutbeck was shut for eight months after a landslip at High Kingate in November 2025; Westmorland and Furness Council fully reopened it on 17 July 2026.
Then there is The Struggle — Kirkstone Road, the old lane straight up from Ambleside, which meets the A592 at a T-junction by the Kirkstone Pass Inn. It climbs most of the pass's height in roughly three miles, between stone walls, with pitches at 1 in 4 and little room to pass.
Best direction: up the A592 from Windermere for an open, steady climb; The Struggle uphill only, and never downhill in ice. Who it suits: the A592 suits almost everyone; The Struggle suits confident drivers in small cars.
Newlands Pass
Road: unclassified · Runs: Newlands Valley (west of Keswick) – Newlands Hause – Buttermere village · Max gradient: 1 in 4 on both sides · Summit: 333 m (1,093 ft)
Newlands is the quiet, open one — a valley road climbing to a bare saddle, with Moss Force falling beside the summit, then dropping steeply into Buttermere. It is one of three passes linking Keswick with the Buttermere valley (Whinlatter to the north, Honister to the south), which is exactly what makes it so good in a loop.
Who it suits: confident drivers who like big empty views and don't mind steep, narrow descents.
Whinlatter Pass (B5292)
Road: B5292 · Runs: Braithwaite (west of Keswick) – Whinlatter Forest – High Lorton · Steepest section: about 13.5% from the Braithwaite side, per cycling climb data · Summit: about 343 m at the top of the Braithwaite climb, per the same data
Whinlatter is the gentle pass, and that isn't faint praise. It climbs through Whinlatter Forest and is a less severe route than Newlands or Honister; from Lorton it is wider and climbs gradually, and the Braithwaite side opens up a fine view across Bassenthwaite Lake to Skiddaw. Who it suits: everyone — and it is the natural last leg of a Keswick loop.
The A591: Windermere to Keswick via Dunmail Raise
Road: A591 · Runs: Windermere – Ambleside – Rydal Water – Grasmere – Dunmail Raise – Thirlmere – Keswick · Summit: Dunmail Raise, 238 m (781 ft)
No hairpins — and yet this is the road people mean when they talk about driving through the Lakes. It skirts Windermere, follows Rydal Water and Grasmere, crosses Dunmail Raise (the only low-level route between the northern and southern Lake District) and runs beside Thirlmere to Keswick. A 2009 Garmin poll named the Windermere–Keswick stretch the most popular road in Britain. The catch: it is a busy single carriageway in season. Best time: early, or a weekday out of the school holidays.
The A592: Windermere to Ullswater
Road: A592 · Runs: Newby Bridge – Windermere's eastern shore – Bowness – Windermere – Troutbeck – Kirkstone Pass – Patterdale – Glenridding – Ullswater – Penrith · Length: just under 34 miles (55 km)
Beyond Kirkstone, the A592 is a whole route in its own right: Windermere's eastern shore, the long climb from Troutbeck, the high pass, then down past Brothers Water and along Ullswater. Driven north, it is two great lakes and the highest road in the district in one sitting.
A day loop from Keswick
Take the B5289 south along Derwent Water and through the Jaws of Borrowdale, climb Honister, drop to Buttermere, follow the B5289 along Crummock Water towards Lorton, then come home over Whinlatter on the B5292. For a harder day, swap the last leg for Newlands Pass straight back from Buttermere.
Lake District Drives' version of this loop, with side trips to Watendlath and Seathwaite, comes to about 37 miles. Don't let that fool you: the National Park Authority warns not to expect sat-nav journey times to be realistic here — tractors, sheep and people admiring the view all have their say.
Hardknott and Wrynose are better as their own expedition from Ambleside. If you'd rather not go over the top at all, the A595 coast road reaches Eskdale the long, gentle way round.
How to survive Hardknott
Know the numbers. The maximum gradient is 1 in 3 — about 33% — on tight hairpins: for every three metres forward, you climb one.
Use low gears, both ways. Go up in first on the steep pitches and commit — BBC Travel's writer warns that a missed gear change on the steepest ramps can leave you rolling backwards. Coming down, the Highway Code's general advice applies with force: select a lower gear before you reach a long downhill slope, and let the engine control your speed.
Don't ride the brakes. Long, steep descents can overheat them. Slow before each bend, then ease off, rather than dragging the pedal all the way down.
Know the single-track etiquette. Highway Code Rule 155 covers single-track roads: pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite one on your right; give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can; and if necessary, reverse to a passing place. Rule 156 adds: don't park in passing places. On Hardknott, be aware that the wider spots are informal and not always obvious, so look well ahead and be ready to stop early.
Respect the signs. Reports describe "Narrow road. Severe bends" warnings on the approach and an "Unsuitable for caravans" sign that BBC Travel calls "a humorous understatement". Believe them.
Don't let the sat-nav decide. The National Park Authority says it plainly: don't rely only on your sat-nav, because the quickest way may not be suitable for your vehicle — caravans and lorries have become stuck on these lanes before. Hardknott is technically the most direct route from the central Lakes to West Cumbria, which is exactly why it can turn up in routes it has no business being in. (More on what happens when routing only optimises for time.)
Watch the weather. Hardknott is often closed in winter because of ice — most recently from 30 December 2025 into January 2026, alongside Honister and Newlands. Even in summer, rain, low cloud and side winds change the road completely. Check closures before you commit.
Go early. Summer weekends bring cyclists, campervans and everyone who read the same article you did. An early start means fewer cars to meet on a hairpin.
The Highway Code says give way to traffic coming uphill. Hardknott adds: and be grateful when they give way to you.
A small aside
If you'd rather describe the day you want — "Keswick, the passes, nothing silly in a low car" — than stitch it together road number by road number, brieflylost is built for that kind of brief, favouring passes, valley roads and B-roads over the fastest line.
For more trips in the same spirit, start with our UK scenic drives guide.
New to reading a map for roads like these? Our guide to finding scenic B-roads without local knowledge covers the OS cues that lead you here. For a gentler weekend, the Cotswolds scenic drives guide is the opposite of Hardknott in almost every way.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best driving roads in the Lake District?
The best-known driving roads in the Lake District are Hardknott and Wrynose Passes (Eskdale to Little Langdale), Honister Pass on the B5289 (Borrowdale to Buttermere), Kirkstone Pass on the A592 (Windermere to Ullswater), Newlands Pass and Whinlatter Pass (B5292), both west of Keswick, and the A591 from Windermere to Keswick over Dunmail Raise. Hardknott is the most extreme, with a 1-in-3 maximum gradient; Whinlatter and the A591 are the gentlest.
What is the steepest road in the Lake District?
Hardknott Pass is the steepest road in the Lake District, with a maximum gradient of 1 in 3 (about 33%). It runs between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley in Cumbria. Wrynose Pass and Honister Pass are also very steep, at up to 1 in 4 (25%).
Is Hardknott Pass the steepest road in England?
Hardknott Pass shares the title of steepest road in England with Rosedale Chimney Bank in the North York Moors. Both have a maximum gradient of 1 in 3, or about 33%, so neither can claim the title outright.
Can you drive Hardknott Pass in a normal car?
Yes. Hardknott Pass is a public road that ordinary cars use, but it is single track with hairpin bends and gradients of up to 1 in 3. It suits confident drivers in small, well-maintained cars in dry daylight. A sign on the approach warns it is unsuitable for caravans, and the Lake District National Park Authority advises checking a route's gradient and narrowness rather than relying on sat-nav alone.
Is Hardknott Pass open in winter?
Not always. Hardknott Pass is often closed in winter because of ice and snow. Cumberland Council closed it as a precaution on 30 December 2025, alongside Honister and Newlands Passes, and the fell roads reopened in January 2026. Check closures and conditions before travelling in winter.
Should you drive Hardknott east to west or west to east?
There is no single right answer, and sources disagree. The fellwalker Alfred Wainwright advised coming from the east, over Wrynose first as a warm-up for Hardknott. A 1911 cycling guide called the pass "difficult going West, cruel coming East". Whichever way you go, use first gear on the steepest hairpins, a low gear on the descent, and give way to uphill traffic where you can.
The passes will still be there tomorrow, and the day after that. Pick a dry one, start early, and take the long way over the top.
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