I have been going here for fifty years now - used to take loads of hay bales to Seathwaite on an artic. for the farmers in the Duddon Valley. The passes are no problem to a modern car, but fifty years ago some cars struggled to start again if they missed a gear on the steepest bits. Years ago we used to sit by a steep bit and watch the fun.
I rode this several times both ways in 1956 and 1957 on a 1955 Ariel 650cc bike. This video has a better impression of the steepness than the other videos I have seen but is still inclined to 'flatten' the road
I was told by a local that the inside of some of the sharper corners is even 1:2. Went up here 50 years ago in an Austin Maxi with a slipping clutch; put it in first gear and did not dare to try to change until the top.
great stuff what a motor my vauxhall astra struggled with some of the hills in Yorkshire down to 1st gear with a trail of powerful cars behind us and that was tame compared to this. tried driving a 1,2 l Punto up the Volcanos in Lanzarote until i saw another Punto burning out the clutch doing the same thing Big Up the beastie motors
Vale Street, Bristol is about 40% gradient at the bottom (22°). Driven up it in a Series 3 LWB Land-Rover and a Bedford Viva van. Sat at the bottom and spun the clutch in a VW LT-35.
Went up it a few times as a passenger in a Ford van in the early 1950s, I was about 13 at the time and helping out with a few deliveries. You could do that in those days.
I failed it in a rented transit van full of musical equipment. The clutch just would not hold and even though I had my foot flat on the accelerator, the van was still rolling backwards. We made it to about 1:53. I slammed on the brakes, told my passenger to be ready to jump, and did a ten-point turn right there. It was his idea of a joke - he knew how steep it was! To this day, I still have nightmares about it (and thank heavens that band whose gear it was never found out about it!) Damn Johnny Green!!!
The first time I drove over, nearly 60 years ago, our A50 stopped suddenly (as it like to do at awkward moments) about half way up the east side. It was misty and a bit eerie but after 10 minutes it decided to restart and we carried on. Never sure, but I think going east to west is a bit more challenging that the other way. Do you agree?
i’ve always thought west to east was more challenging personally, but i guess it’s horses for courses! either direction has its steep switchbacks to contend with
First time I drove over Hardnott and Wrynose was as a competitive section in the R.L.Brown Rally in 1977 in the dark. Timed at an average speed of 30 MPH I dropped 3 minutes.
I did it in a Ford Sierra about 25 years ago, and in an Escort a few years before that. It IS steeper than it looks in this video, but my little cars managed it.
The two passes don't just run into each other - the bit in the middle, (between the two cattle grids,) is actually The Duddon Valley, which is little more than a 'winding, bumpy road beside the river' and it seems to have been put there just to lull you into a false sense of security. You'll soon be brought back to reality though, no matter which direction you're driving Hardknott/Wrynose (or Wrynose/Hardknott!) - Just be ready for the next cattle grid as your warning!
Crossed it several times in my Mini and later Escort - Granada - Senator.. Subject back at the hotel bar was #1 Weather, #2 Menu and #3 "that bit of steep hill"....... It is not a trip to Mars for goodness sake...
there’s some really good walks up there. there’s the langdales and blea tarn at the ambleside end, hardknott fort in the middle and at the boot/eskdale end you’ve got eel tarn, great how, the scafells (if you’re feeling adventurous/energetic) and some great pubs too!
Accepted it’s more difficult than many roads but someone managed to build it in tot he first place and the more it’s neglected the bigger the repair job gets. I’ve travelled equally challenging roads elsewhere that are well maintained.
It looks a lot less steep on camera ! I wouldn’t attempt this road in a RWD car in the wet the corners are so sharp and so steep you would lose traction. The Landry did a fine job 👍🏻🇬🇧
lol did it in an '83 ex nato military series 3landy packed full of camping gear-it walked all over it-have to admit there are some awesome bits on there tho😂-and i know the road well as a local but wouldn't do it in winter conditions
@@morrislouiseeagle7161 yeah to be fair, i’m all talk from the comfort of my living room. i would probably see it in the snow and make a quicker u-turn than boris johnson
yep, i know that, i drive for a living. having right of way doesn’t always mean you have to take it though, you can just be courteous to other road users as well.
Done it three times on different BMW bikes ( 1150 GS, 1100 and 1200 RT) and also a Yamaha Fazer Fabulous scenery but you need yer wits about you. Steve
Did you actually see any of the scenery? I know the fish-eye lense effect can make it seem faster that it really is .. but you seem to be driving like you're in an F1.
@@davidhuett3579 i think, like you say, the camera is probably distorting the speed a little. getting my car, which is fully built out inside and carrying 200kg+ on the roof, to go faster than 10mph up the steepest road in england would take a miracle.
@@2planks No problems .. looks like its the camera lens. I used to have a similar problem with a GoPro 3 mounted on my Disco 2, however, I've put a GoPro 9 on my Disco 4 and the video looks better without the fisheye effect. Great video, beautiful scenery .. cheers from Western Australia.
I don't wish to sound mean, but this is really little more than "a stroll in the park". Lovely scenery of course, but quite possible in a Kia Rio. To see what really challenging 4x4 mountain pass driving entails, take a look at this (a pass I traversed some years ago - It climbs/descends some 9,000 feet, or 2,750 metres): ruclips.net/video/Zcli-QQdUyk/видео.htmlsi=DTZOxIJmi14mAtOY
A other one of those land rover owners who carries luggage everywhere. Barrels and boxes strapped to the roof, serving little to no purpose, just so we are all clear he can go off road and into the wilderness. I'd be embarrassed mate.
I have been going here for fifty years now - used to take loads of hay bales to Seathwaite on an artic. for the farmers in the Duddon Valley. The passes are no problem to a modern car, but fifty years ago some cars struggled to start again if they missed a gear on the steepest bits. Years ago we used to sit by a steep bit and watch the fun.
Absolutely beautiful. I did it whit my Ford Transit van carrying 4 people.
Stunning!
I rode this several times both ways in 1956 and 1957 on a 1955 Ariel 650cc bike. This video has a better impression of the steepness than the other videos I have seen but is still inclined to 'flatten' the road
Followed a Morris minor through this pass east to west. I was driving a very unpleasant, early diesel Vectra. The Morris seemed to cope better.
I was told by a local that the inside of some of the sharper corners is even 1:2. Went up here 50 years ago in an Austin Maxi with a slipping clutch; put it in first gear and did not dare to try to change until the top.
Did it some years ago in a 1.9 laguna diesel.
No probs at all ,2nd gear driven hard lock to lock.
Loved it.
great stuff what a motor
my vauxhall astra struggled with some of the hills in Yorkshire down to 1st gear with a trail of powerful cars behind us and that was tame compared to this.
tried driving a 1,2 l Punto up the Volcanos in Lanzarote until i saw another Punto burning out the clutch doing the same thing
Big Up the beastie motors
Vale Street, Bristol is about 40% gradient at the bottom (22°). Driven up it in a Series 3 LWB Land-Rover and a Bedford Viva van. Sat at the bottom and spun the clutch in a VW LT-35.
Went up it a few times as a passenger in a Ford van in the early 1950s, I was about 13 at the time and helping out with a few deliveries. You could do that in those days.
Shot up there easily in a very snowy winters day in my Lada Niva Cossack.
Not done this one yet. I’ve done Applecross in Scotland.
Went up in a Ford Anglia many many years ago.
I failed it in a rented transit van full of musical equipment. The clutch just would not hold and even though I had my foot flat on the accelerator, the van was still rolling backwards. We made it to about 1:53. I slammed on the brakes, told my passenger to be ready to jump, and did a ten-point turn right there.
It was his idea of a joke - he knew how steep it was! To this day, I still have nightmares about it (and thank heavens that band whose gear it was never found out about it!) Damn Johnny Green!!!
hahaha that doesn’t surprise me one bit! great story to tell though.
The first time I drove over, nearly 60 years ago, our A50 stopped suddenly (as it like to do at awkward moments) about half way up the east side. It was misty and a bit eerie but after 10 minutes it decided to restart and we carried on. Never sure, but I think going east to west is a bit more challenging that the other way. Do you agree?
i’ve always thought west to east was more challenging personally, but i guess it’s horses for courses! either direction has its steep switchbacks to contend with
did you stop at the Roman remains?
First time I drove over Hardnott and Wrynose was as a competitive section in the R.L.Brown Rally in 1977 in the dark. Timed at an average speed of 30 MPH I dropped 3 minutes.
I did it in a Ford Sierra about 25 years ago, and in an Escort a few years before that. It IS steeper than it looks in this video, but my little cars managed it.
Nice Triumph Herald spotted on the journey
I ve cycled up a hill near Oxford, it was like a brick wall
Did this in my TD5 Disco 2 a few years ago
My wife dd it as a learner in our 1300 Allegro, she passed her test fine a while later. No video does it justice
The two passes don't just run into each other - the bit in the middle, (between the two cattle grids,) is actually The Duddon Valley, which is little more than a 'winding, bumpy road beside the river' and it seems to have been put there just to lull you into a false sense of security. You'll soon be brought back to reality though, no matter which direction you're driving Hardknott/Wrynose (or Wrynose/Hardknott!) - Just be ready for the next cattle grid as your warning!
Best HKP video! Still doesn't show how steep it is in real life😂
Nice please how is it call?
Thanks for the film
Here we go! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
this way is harder than coming up the other way i think
Done this many times in a variety of old bangers, no need to spend £70K, haha
Crossed it several times in my Mini and later Escort - Granada - Senator.. Subject back at the hotel bar was #1 Weather, #2 Menu and #3 "that bit of steep hill"....... It is not a trip to Mars for goodness sake...
Looks like an epic climb. Would be great to pull up somewhere and do some hiking.
there’s some really good walks up there. there’s the langdales and blea tarn at the ambleside end, hardknott fort in the middle and at the boot/eskdale end you’ve got eel tarn, great how, the scafells (if you’re feeling adventurous/energetic) and some great pubs too!
@@2planks Brilliant Thank you. Sounds like our kind of weekend away. Just need to wait for puppy to get a bit older!
Scafell and crinkle crags are easily accessible from Hardknot.
I did it in February 2020 in my Ford Echo Sport, it was fabulous. 👍
`Did this several time sin my A35, and then in my HB Viva. No problems.
Thanks for the footage....looks wonderful but so glad i chickened out last week . Route better done in a landrover and a younger me😊
Did this with ease in my disco 3 on ice last xmas i spent most of day towing other cars out the ditch 😂
Second steepest road in England. Vale Street in Bristol is steeper.
Equally amazing is how badly maintained the road is.
An exceptionally difficult road to maintain. How do you get a truck carrying 20 tonnes of asphalt up there? 20 tonnes won’t cover much road!
Accepted it’s more difficult than many roads but someone managed to build it in tot he first place and the more it’s neglected the bigger the repair job gets. I’ve travelled equally challenging roads elsewhere that are well maintained.
It looks a lot less steep on camera ! I wouldn’t attempt this road in a RWD car in the wet the corners are so sharp and so steep you would lose traction. The Landry did a fine job 👍🏻🇬🇧
I have done his recently in the wet in a two wheel drive car, was no problem.
know it well and done it in standard cars.
Nice viewing mate
Oh, .. and also in a Kia Sedona!
What’s the big deal, crossed it in the pouring rain loads of times in my old VW Beetle. It never had a problem.
nice one paul! 💪
lol did it in an '83 ex nato military series 3landy packed full of camping gear-it walked all over it-have to admit there are some awesome bits on there tho😂-and i know the road well as a local but wouldn't do it in winter conditions
i’ve never tried it in winter conditions, been over 3 or 4 times but it’s always been decent weather. would love to have a go in the snow!
@@2planks they close off the road with locked gates when its winter conditions and with snow its very difficult to see where the road goes 😂
@@2planks we've seen people try -accident wating to happen -mountain rescue and helicopter was needed on occasions
@@morrislouiseeagle7161 yeah to be fair, i’m all talk from the comfort of my living room. i would probably see it in the snow and make a quicker u-turn than boris johnson
@@2planks 😂♥️x
you do know that If you going UP-Hill you have right of way, as folk coming downhill have gravity on their side, just saying....
yep, i know that, i drive for a living. having right of way doesn’t always mean you have to take it though, you can just be courteous to other road users as well.
I am sure Rosedale chimney is the steepest road in England
Done it three times on different BMW bikes ( 1150 GS, 1100 and 1200 RT) and also a Yamaha Fazer
Fabulous scenery but you need yer wits about you.
Steve
I have driven this road about five times, the first time in the 1980’s in a Austin Metro. Don’t understand the need for a Landrover.
All the gear and no idea.
none of the gear and no idea.
👍
14 year old volvo XC70 with 4 people and two dogs. did not even struggle. Who needs a land rover for tarmac.
Jesus you need a landy with the state on that road
Did you actually see any of the scenery? I know the fish-eye lense effect can make it seem faster that it really is .. but you seem to be driving like you're in an F1.
wouldn’t recommend looking around at the scenery while driving here, david. best to keep your eyes on the road 😉
@@2planks I would have thought it was best not to have been doing those speeds!
@@davidhuett3579 i think, like you say, the camera is probably distorting the speed a little. getting my car, which is fully built out inside and carrying 200kg+ on the roof, to go faster than 10mph up the steepest road in england would take a miracle.
@@2planks No problems .. looks like its the camera lens. I used to have a similar problem with a GoPro 3 mounted on my Disco 2, however, I've put a GoPro 9 on my Disco 4 and the video looks better without the fisheye effect.
Great video, beautiful scenery .. cheers from Western Australia.
I don't wish to sound mean, but this is really little more than "a stroll in the park". Lovely scenery of course, but quite possible in a Kia Rio.
To see what really challenging 4x4 mountain pass driving entails, take a look at this (a pass I traversed some years ago - It climbs/descends some 9,000 feet, or 2,750 metres):
ruclips.net/video/Zcli-QQdUyk/видео.htmlsi=DTZOxIJmi14mAtOY
i don’t think that sounds mean, this is just the steepest road in england, it doesn’t mean that no other roads are challenging 🤷♂️
A other one of those land rover owners who carries luggage everywhere. Barrels and boxes strapped to the roof, serving little to no purpose, just so we are all clear he can go off road and into the wilderness. I'd be embarrassed mate.
hahahahahahah! of all the things to comment about. only thing embarrassing is writing shit like this on stranger’s internet videos, bore off ya chump!