The passes
If its too far round the mountain, then the best way is to go over it. Consequently
the lake district has several mountain passes of varying steepness, the most
challenging of which are Hardknott and Wrynose which link the Langdale Valley
in the central lakes, with Eskdale in the west. At 1 in 4 up, with some S bends
Wrynose is difficult, but it turns out to be just a warm up for the more challenging
Hardknott, which is 1 in 3 with S bends all the way, and no barriers to stop
you from taking a 500 foot plunge down the side.
The two main routes through
From the south east to the northwest of the region runs the A591 the main arterial
route through the central lakes. From the South, the road passes through Windermere,
Ambleside, Grasmere and Keswick before heading along the side of Bassenthwaite
Lake and up to Carlisle, the ancient border city.
The A66 takes the opposite direction, running from Penrith in the North east,
to Whitehaven in the South West. The two roads meet just west of Keswick
The 592
Probably the most scenic road in England. The A592 runs from Newby Bridge, at
the southern tip of Lake Windermere, to Penrith in the North East, where it
links up with the A66 and the M6 motorway. But if you wanted to get from Newby
Bridge to Penrith quickly you wouldn’t take the 592. This is a leisurely
road. It meanders along the shore of Windermere for 6 miles, before climbing
1500 ft to the summit of Kirkstone Pass and then dropping down to Ullswater.