Hardknott is the steepest road in England, with gradients of one in three and blind hairpins on single track. Kirkstone is the highest pass open to traffic at 454m, and an ordinary two-lane road. People talk about them in the same breath and they could not be more different to drive.
The loop we planned
Anticlockwise, and the direction is the whole point.
- Fuel up first. There is no petrol between Broughton and Ambleside on this route, which is about four hours of driving.
- A590, A5092 and A595 down the coast, inland at Eskdale Green. Around an hour fifteen on easy roads.
- Dalegarth Station at Boot for coffee and toilets. This matters — see below.
- Hardknott eastbound, climbing the steep Eskdale side.
- Hardknott Roman Fort near the top. Highest Roman fort in Britain, free, and the view down Eskdale is the best thing on the whole route.
- Down into the Duddon valley, over Wrynose, down to Little Langdale.
- Through Ambleside and up the A592 to the Kirkstone Pass Inn for lunch.
- Optionally down the north side to Brothers Water, then back over the top and home.
Why anticlockwise
Because it means climbing the one-in-three rather than descending it.
Most cars in our group were automatics. An automatic removes the classic Hardknott disaster — stalling a manual on a hairpin and then trying a hill start on a gradient with a drop behind you. But automatics give much less engine braking, so on a long steep descent people ride the brakes. Reviews of this pass routinely describe brakes smoking on the way down.
If you do go, select L or manual first or second gear before you start descending, and say it out loud to every driver rather than assuming they know.
The bit I would think hard about
We have a nine-seater, and I spent a while arguing with myself about taking it over Hardknott.
The transmission is not the problem. The dimensions are. Hardknott is one of the narrowest roads in England, and the consensus among people who drive it is that it is genuinely dodgy in a minibus or a wide car. The hairpins are tight enough that a long-wheelbase vehicle may not make them in one go, which means reversing on a blind one-in-three bend.
And it is effectively single track. When two vehicles meet, one reverses to a passing place sized for cars. If you are the biggest thing on the road, that is always going to be you.
If you take a large vehicle anyway, put it first in the convoy with a big gap behind, so it has clear road if it has to back up. And check your hire or insurance terms — some agreements exclude these passes specifically.
Honestly, the better answer is to do Hardknott in a small car with two or three people and let everyone else take Kirkstone. It is a more enjoyable drive that way regardless.
Kirkstone is the one everyone can do
A592 over the top, 454m, properly surfaced with real passing places and good visibility. Spectacular, and completely manageable in anything.
Take the A592 via Troutbeck, not the minor road out of Ambleside known as The Struggle, which is narrow and one in four and no fun in company.
The Kirkstone Pass Inn reopened in April 2026 after five years closed. Highest pub in Cumbria, second highest in England, sixty-eight free parking spaces opposite, clean toilets, food from noon to eight in summer. If you are arriving with a large group, ring ahead.
Practical things that will catch you out
Fuel. Already said it, saying it again. Nothing between Broughton and Ambleside.
Toilets. Dalegarth at the start, then nothing proper until Kirkstone. There are portable loos at the foot of Hardknott and that is it. That is a two hour gap, which is the single biggest constraint if you have small children or anyone with mobility issues.
The Roman fort. Parking is a few small lay-bys near the site. There is a larger car park at the bottom of the pass but the walk up from it is extremely steep. The ground at the fort itself is rough. If someone in your group cannot manage that, the view from the roadside is most of the payoff anyway.
Car sickness. Hairpins, a full vehicle, and possibly a baby. Bring bags, and put anyone prone to it in the front.
Weather. In rain or low cloud Hardknott gives you every bit of the stress and none of the view. Have a plan B — Ambleside, Kirkstone and Ullswater on wide A-roads is still an excellent day — and decide at breakfast rather than at the foot of the pass.