Ride.
Eskdale and the Duddon Valley, Cumbria.
- Miles: 6.6
- Start: Cockley Beck
- End: Holmrook
- Time: 25 minutes, allow up to 1 hour 30 minutes
- Suitability: all bikes and riders
The most dangerous road in the UK?
It certainly has the steepest gradient at 1in3 or 33%.
England’s toughest climb!
A single track road runs between Eskdale in the west to the edge of the neighbouring Wrynose Pass in the east.
The Hardknott Pass stands at a maximum elevation of 393 m (1,289 ft). The road descends steeply at a gradient of 30% (1 in 3) into the Duddon Valley. At the eastern end of the pass is Cockley Beck farm, built in the 1860s and owned by the National Trust. The route from Hardknott leads eastward towards the Wrynose Pass and Ambleside.
The pass is described as one of the most challenging roads in Britain. A series of hairpin bends make visibility difficult in various places, and the road surface is in poor condition and slippery when wet. The pass is often closed in winter due to ice that makes the route impassable for vehicles. Traffic ascending the pass has priority as advised by the Highway Code.
