The lake district

[tony]

we are back from the lake district.here are some of the routes/passes we done.
kirkistone pass think it was the nicest.
the hard knott & wrynose pass you want all your wits about you 1 sharp bend & v.steep hill up out of it i was in 1st gear & the front wheels were slipping on the wet road.
another bend was so sharp i had to reverse even though i went wide.
hey we done it.
the honister pass was closed for roadworks.
done both sides of lake coniston.
windermere very much out to get what they can from the tourist.
a layby a couple of miles from windermere overlooking the lake you had to pay after the 1st hour. i never saw that before.
a lot of the n.t. forestery parks with no facilities there were parking metres.

those are my views on the lake district im sure others have their own.

tony

 

[oldish hippy]

ok you done them but the problem being is what you did them in was a amercan rv and what size was it just so we have some idea before we tackle them or find a route around them and what was the engine size please

 

[tony]

we done them in a '04 chasson 5.8m in length with a fiat 2.8 engine under the bonnet.
we spoke to 1 camper couple at the other end who were debating if they would do it , dont know if they did.
i imagine it would be very busy in the summer.

tony

 

[barryd]

Hardknott, Wrynose and Honister passes all have 6ft 6" restrictions on them so if your van is over this then your breaking the law. That said I have seen coach builts go over the Honister and its not that bad but the Hardknott and Wrynose I would not attempt in anything longer than 5-6 metres.

 

[Sparks]

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[GeoffB]

Funnily enough we were discussing getting to Eskdale via the passes a couple of nights ago, thinking of the vdub rally in Eskdale next April. Decided we wouldn't try it, even in a newish VW T5. I first went over the Hardknott Pass in an RAF land-rover and was scared even in that, it hasn't got any better over the years!

 

[mark61]

T5's are made for those kind of roads, go on give the van a treat.

 

[barryd]

T5's are made for those kind of roads, go on give the van a treat.

Yes a T5 No bother but a 7.5 metre coach built? Not a good idea. Ive been over all sorts of passes in Europe up to 10000ft including the highest road in Europe in our Kontiki but the Hardknott and Wrynose although small are just way to tight and steep for a big van. You might get away with it but in my experience you nearly alway meet some idiot who either get stuck or is having a flap getting up (or down).

 

[mark61]

Yes a T5 No bother but a 7.5 metre coach built? Not a good idea. Ive been over all sorts of passes in Europe up to 10000ft including the highest road in Europe in our Kontiki but the Hardknott and Wrynose although small are just way to tight and steep for a big van. You might get away with it but in my experience you nearly alway meet some idiot who either get stuck or is having a flap getting up (or down).

Yes, I know those roads well, just dawned on me that my current van hasn't done them. Which means a visit to the lakes is long overdue.

 

[Smaug]

We did in the 70's in our 2ltr Transit long wheelbase, but that was only 17'6 long & 6'6 wide. Dying to try it in the current Cariocca 635 some time (21' x7'6), we've done plenty of single track Welsh & N I Passes in it already.

 

[Sand55]

I will NEVER go over Hardknott Pass again ! The last time we did, in our Ford Focus ( only small ), it was a nightmare. It was in summer, and although signs read not suitable for large vehicles, we met up with some large monsters ! It was awful, as the big vehicles just came at you, regardless. We were often on the very, very, edge of the road, with a huge drop off the " mountain ". We had to pull the wing mirrors in, to stop scraping along walls, it was that bad. There is NO WAY that I would attempt it in a motorhome. Too much to lose. Pity, as there are some lovely places up there, but the journey far outweighs the scenery. It was a very busy summer.

 

[Sparks]

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[barryd]

If you venture down a road with a 6ft6 restriction how would you stand insurance wise or even with the police if you have a prang? I think we have all probably done it but I try not to. Just wondered.

 

[Smaug]

If you venture down a road with a 6ft6 restriction how would you stand insurance wise or even with the police if you have a prang? I think we have all probably done it but I try not to. Just wondered.

Just don't have a crash, why would you want to? There are plenty of passing places, so keep your eyes open & pull in early or be prepared to reverse back to one.

 

[mark61]

Because crashes only happen because people want them to. :lol-053:

I don't think the pass has a 6'6" restriction though.

 

[Flykiller64]

Living just near it I would never go over Hardknott in anything bigger than a Transit as I've seen the mess of vehicles rolling off it and down the hill - its not pretty. No matter how experienced you are there will always be some idiot on the pass who is a crap driver and I have been called up there many times to rescue people who are stuck on the road and incapable of going forwards or back because they are muppets

 

[Smaug]

Because crashes only happen because people want them to. :lol-053:

I don't think the pass has a 6'6" restriction though.

Those are your words not mine, but let me explain, because you don't seem to have understood what I said.

Mostly accidents happen because one or more drivers is not paying attention. Steep hills & narrow roads generally tend to focus the mind so people go carefully. The vast majority of accidents happen in 30mph zones & relatively close to home, where people assume they are safe & the roads are familiar - so they relax & pay much less attention. If YOU are paying attention & driving carefully & defensively, your chances of getting into an INCIDENT are significantly reduced (BTW there is no such thing as a Traffic Accident any more).

 

[scampa]

Those are your words not mine, but let me explain, because you don't seem to have understood what I said.

Mostly accidents happen because one or more drivers is not paying attention. Steep hills & narrow roads generally tend to focus the mind so people go carefully. The vast majority of accidents happen in 30mph zones & relatively close to home, where people assume they are safe & the roads are familiar - so they relax & pay much less attention. If YOU are paying attention & driving carefully & defensively, your chances of getting into an INCIDENT are significantly reduced (BTW there is no such thing as a Traffic Accident any more).

True, and they are now called "Road Traffic Collisions" (RTC's).

The police and insurance companies didn't like the old term "Road Traffic Accidents" (RTA's) because it could imply that nobody was to blame, which didn't help with their prosecutions or liability claims!

 

[lakeland]

The Hardnott and Wrynose Passes are amongst the best roads in the Lake District, although you have to watch out for your brakes overheating, especially if you have an automatic gearbox. The roads are very narrow and very steep with some belting bends (usually on the steep bits) but I don't recall any width restrictions.
I do remember a 16 tonne truck with a draw-bar trailer trying to get over from the Eskdale side once, it got nearly as far as the summit before its crash bars on the side grounded, it spent the night there before the recovery company got to it.
I've been over on two and four wheels, even towed a trailer tent over with a Land Rover Discovery TDi. Like much of the Lakes the Hardnott and Wrynose Passes are not places for inexperienced or nervous drivers, I wouldn't like to take anything larger than a 3.5 tonne Transit over though.
Biggest problem is likely to be the rear overhang dragging on the road surface on the steep bends.

 

[Cliffy]

I have done Hard Knot pass quite a few times in a car and once in a long wheel based mini-bus (had to reverse to get around one bend. I have been lucky to have never encountered anyone coming the other way whilst on the steep bit. I would not attempt to do it in my (6 Metre Long) motor home with the big overhang and light load on the front wheels.

The most exciting pass I have been over was Applecross in Wester Ross, Scotland more challenging than the French Alps.

The last time I was in Wast Dale I noticed that Motorhomes (not caravans) are now allowed on the NT campsite there. The road in is not steep but you will need to turn the wing mirrors in and breath in when/if anything comes the other way especially if it is a delivery van going to the fantastic hotel and pub at the end of the dale.

I agree that Windermere is over commercialised Wast Dale is bliss.