honnister pass

[2CRAZYCAMPERS]

please help we are off to the lake district for a long weekend

does anybody know what access is like on the honnister pass b5289

looks like a few overnight stops but not sure how wide the road is

 

[888dee]

know the roads in that part of the lakes very well.

honnister pass is not great, as the name suggests it's a mountain pass and should only be considered suitable for small vans, coach builts and a class in my opinion would be madness

hardknot and wrynose (one leads to the other) passes again would only be suitable for small vans, far to narrow with some VERY tight, steep corners which are a challenge in a car never mind a van.

you would have to be off your head to take a motorhome up those roads in my opnion.

as an indication to drive both passes (about 12 miles) takes about an hour in the car

 

[Blueboy]

please help we are off to the lake district for a long weekend

does anybody know what access is like on the honnister pass b5289

looks like a few overnight stops but not sure how wide the road is

That all depends how long your vehicle is?

I went 4 months ago wild camping there, bit of advice, if you have quite a long motorhome be sure to go down late in the evening as i did..We parked up just before the decent upto Honister Pass, there's a layby next to the stream just before a concrete Bridge With a restriction Sign saying "6'6" my advice again is to park there!

But getting out on the sunday around 11am was a bloody nightmare..lol

Lots of traffic around that time, i would also advise to take the B5289 past Crummock Water, cause Honister Pass is a nightmare in a large Vehicle, i certainly woudnt try and go over Honister Pass in mine..Good Luck Anyway.

Regards
Blueboy

 

[Blueboy]

please help we are off to the lake district for a long weekend

does anybody know what access is like on the honnister pass b5289

looks like a few overnight stops but not sure how wide the road is

P.S.

Go onto search and type in Honister Pass, you will see my thread half way down, Barryd give me some great advice, also theres a couple of pictures he kindly posted for me..

It will give you a rough idea what you are letting yourself in for..lol

Just DONT go over honister pass if your van is wider than 5ft..

 

[Firefox]

Hardknott is worse in my opinion. I have taken 3.5 tonnes over both. There's quite a procession going over sometimes as it's slow round the corners. Would take a medium panel van over, not a coachbuilt.

 

[sodoff]

Honister Pass

Buses~small ones~use Honister,it really is'nt that steep,narrow in places,do-able with care.

 

[stirlingb]

Agree with everything said about Hardknott and Wrynose (not sure about Honnister)
Have been over many times in cars but wouldn't dream of taking my mid size motorhome over. You may make it if you could guarantee not meeting on coming traffic at inapropriate places however this is unlikely as it is fairly busy at all times of year. Not worth the risk of damage and some vehicles with lengthy overhangs may well ground out on the 1:3 hairpins. My advice.....don't try it and I wouldn't say that lightly

 

[amjohn]

Harknott and Wrynose, as has been sais before, don't do it in anything bigger than a panel van, personally I wouldn't even do it in my T4. Not that I don't think the vehicle is capable, more the vehicles comming the other way. Those bends are very steep on the corners.

I once heard of an american tourist who moaned that they never saw any rhinoceros when they went over the pass !

Honister, not as bad as Hardknott, narrow in places, I have taken my T4 over here in absolutley atrocious weather, the rain was running down the road like a River, the van tyres were strugling for grip on the way up, if I has stopped it felt like I wouldnt have been able to pull away again, but as I said the water running down the road was incredible. I was well pleased with the T4s performance on that day.

I have seen larger campers try this and cause many problems for other users, my advice is dont try it in anything larger than a panel van.

Hope this helps.

 

[Boxerman]

please help we are off to the lake district for a long weekend

does anybody know what access is like on the honnister pass b5289

looks like a few overnight stops but not sure how wide the road is

There have been a few good replies regarding the road on Honister, but as yet no-one has responded about camping on the pass.

A few years ago a mate and I were backpacking around the Lake District. We had walked from Wastwater via Great Gable and stopped at the top of Honister for a brew and a snack. I'd just about got the stove going when we were "assaulted" by a NT ranger going on and on and on about us not being allowed to camp on NT property and that all the area was NT property.

Don't know what t's like now, I doubt that ranger is still around, he's probably given himself a heart attack by now - he was certainly blowing his top when he was "speaking" to us. Probably didn't help that we didn't immediately jump up and put the stove away, but told him that we would move on when we felt like it and not before.

Frank

 

[barryd]

There have been a few good replies regarding the road on Honister, but as yet no-one has responded about camping on the pass.

A few years ago a mate and I were backpacking around the Lake District. We had walked from Wastwater via Great Gable and stopped at the top of Honister for a brew and a snack. I'd just about got the stove going when we were "assaulted" by a NT ranger going on and on and on about us not being allowed to camp on NT property and that all the area was NT property.

Don't know what t's like now, I doubt that ranger is still around, he's probably given himself a heart attack by now - he was certainly blowing his top when he was "speaking" to us. Probably didn't help that we didn't immediately jump up and put the stove away, but told him that we would move on when we felt like it and not before.

Frank

As Blue Boy said, read the threads on this before (there is some controversy!)

Also as he mentioned there is a great spot to park at the bottom of the pass just before you get to the bridge with the 6ft 6 width restrictions. Come up towards the pass from Buttermere and you cant miss it (about couple of miles from memory). Or you could go up the Newlands pass from Buttermere towards Keswick and wildcamp right on the top of there, fantastic.

Both of these best approached from the north, Cockermouth Area or with care from the west side of Derwent water to avoide the 6ft 6 restriction on that side.

Good luck!
Barry

 

[biggirafe]

About 4 years ago when driving this way in a car I watched a MH get into a pickle on the pass at Honister. He grounded the back end on one of the tight bends and when he tried to reverse off the frame dug in and caused quite a lot of damage to van and road.

If your MH does not have a long overhang you should be ok, but if like me you have a rear lounge or similar I would not attempt this road and if you still want to then when its quiet enough that you can drive on the wrong side of the road when needed.

Good Luck, let us know how you get on

 

[barryd]

I guess the 6ft 6 signs are there for a reason. We did go over the Honister back in the mid 80's in a 1967 Commer Caravette with on old Norwegian rowing boat on a trailer (I wasnt driving I was sitting against the back door). There were 5 of us scattered about the van and as we neared the top the old bus slowed and slowed and was eventually dropped to 1st gear where even with the drivers foot on the floor it almost came to a halt. Just as it picked up speed again the back doors flew open and I ended up Indian jones style hanging out the back. Managed just to get back inside (just) not that anyone tried to help me, much to the amusment of my so called Pals. Happy days!

 

[smifee]

Doing the Coast2Coast walk in August with a mate. We both have vans over 7 metres. We parked one van at the end of the days walk & drove the other van to the start.

Have learnt from the mountains in France & Italy to leave a long distance between vans when travelling together. We aim to have 10 mins between us.

Wildcamped each night. Didn't overnight near Honister Pass but thought there were a couple of places where we could have. The layby mentioned looked the best.

I had to stop on the ascent giving way to a couple of cars coming the other way. Slow up from a standing start but got there despite having a FWD Fiat

Left one van at the Slate Mine & drove the other to Ennerdale Bridge. Didn't tempt fate by going back the same way though

 

[2CRAZYCAMPERS]

thanx everybody looks like a change of plan

i would welcome any good stop overs in the lakes if anybody has any