Just did Hardknott Pass..

[chris1984_99_99]

Had to come over for a medical for work and thought i'd spend the weekend driving around the Lake District. Then suddenly appeared the hardknott pass...a 1 in 3 gradient ascent to madness. Anyway I did it in the Z3 between 1st and 2nd gear for the most part, and to add to it all, in torrential rain with the wipers on at the fastest setting! Here's some pic's from along the way!

[wonderloaf]

Excellent pics, especially the third one.

[weedram]

I remember going up hardknott in the rain and mist, all you could see was the headlights of cars coming down the pass, it was like watching the flight path of incoming planes at heathrow. Great drive though, hope you enjoyed it!

[PCSAM]

up here wee call that a motorway
nie pics . the road looks in good condition ,no potholes acting as Chicane

[Trevsky]

Excellent bit of road but not for faint hearted. I always try to fit that and Wrynose Pass in whenever I go to the Lakes. You have to careful of 'less talented' drivers coming the other way, if you need to reverse there are some awfully nasty rocks to damage your pride and joy on.
Would make part of a good route for a Z outing.

[motco]

I did that first in a 1976 Leyland Princess HL 2200 Auto in about 1980. I had never encountered another hill that made it change down to first gear before. Mind you, that was before I went over the Pass of the Cattle to Applecross in Scotland. Wouldn't have dared to take the old Princess over either pass if it hadn't been a company car. Terrific roads, both of them - I'm jealous.

<looks at diary...>

[pingu]

I used to live at the bottom of the pass near Boot (I worked at Brook House if you know Eskdale well). Been over Hardknott and Wrynose in all kinds of weather. Once on ice when the wheels were going forward the car was going backwards. Another when SWMBO was directing from in front of the car with hand signals - all I could see was her arm from the elbow - the rest of her was in the fog. Had brake fade down the far side of Wrynose at near to the NSL when I was chasing my boss in his Transit . Fun days for a 20 year old who thought he had no fear until that day .

What way did you go out? I think that Ulpha is a worst exit from Wrynose Bottom (a 1-in-4 descent with 180 turns and a T-junction at the bottom with gullies on both sides of the road).

[EnthuZiaZT]

Ominous looking pics, Chris, brings back memories, but in a Range Rover, not quite so adventurous as in a Z3 in a torrential downpour!

We also stayed in Boot, Pingu, in a cottage next to the stream that becomes 'white water' after a storm. My sister used to holiday in Boot every year and became quite a local, her little Lakeland/Jack Russell terrior died when they were up there and they buried him in near the bottom of the stream and marked it with a little cross made by a local woodworker. I often wonder if tourists think that it's like Bedgelert in Wales!!

[Zed Carer]

Went over both Harknott and Wrynose last year as part of a boy's weekend with my nephew. Fotunately we had better weather and very little traffic Nephew is over from Ireland at the moment and we're off over to Cumbria on Wednesday so he can have another go at power kiting.

Did Wrynose and Hardknott going east to west many years ago 5 up in a 1.4 Citroen BX - the brakes were smoking by the time we got down to Eskdale!

[Gazza]

Would make part of a good route for a Z outing.

We did it as part of 'The Lakes Lash' http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... 21&t=22250

[Robert T]

up here wee call that a motorway

No, no, motorways are the ones with green lines down the middle.

I have yet to do Hardknot despite growing up in the Lakes. I did Wrynose in the zed a while back, in similar weather.

I remember being told of my Grandad attempting Hardknot in, I think, an old Austin, and it didn't have the power to get up it, so he had to come back down, presumably backwards!!!

Cheers R.

[pingu]

up here wee call that a motorway

No, no, motorways are the ones with green lines down the middle.

I have yet to do Hardknot despite growing up in the Lakes. I did Wrynose in the zed a while back, in similar weather.

I remember being told of my Grandad attempting Hardknot in, I think, an old Austin, and it didn't have the power to get up it, so he had to come back down, presumably backwards!!!

Cheers R.

Did he knott (see what I did there?) have a starting handle and do the hill like Katie in Ice Cold In Alex?

[c_w]

I recall in the late 90s inadvertantly driving up a road that was impossibly steep, not sure if it was the Hardnot pass, it could have been steeper as some sections were ridiculous. I was in a newish for then Rover 420SDi and it made it seem fairly easy as it had a lagless gutsy motor. Cannot remember where it was in the Lakes though!

[Deano1712]

I did the pass a couple of months ago in wet weather. It was about the worst driving experience of my life! I was in my E92 330d and the damn TC was cutting power so violently it was jerking up the hills. At one point on a steep hairpin bend the car cut so much power it actually came to a complete dead stop. I had to apply the handbrake and restart gently and fortunately it pulled away ok. It was a bit embarrassing with an oncoming car stopped looking at me wondering what on earth I was doing!

I'm sure it would be more fun in the M but its so narrow there arn't many sections where you can actualy get a move on.

[pingu]

I'm sure it would be more fun in the M but its so narrow there arn't many sections where you can actualy get a move on.

There's not much traffic at 2am . The only problem is that your lights don't dip low enough .