Lake District passes: Kirkstone to Hardknott
England’s steepest roads link the lakes: Kirkstone, Honister, lonely Wast Water and the hairpins of Hardknott and Wrynose.
- Distance
- 109 km (68 mi)
- Driving
- 1 h 30 min
- Suggested days
- 4
- Stops
- 9
- Countries
- United Kingdom
- Updated
- July 5, 2026
At a glance: 4-day road trip of about 109 km (68 mi) with 9 stops, from Windermere to Ambleside. About 1 h 30 min of driving in total.
Route description
From Windermere, the largest lake in England, take the A592 over Kirkstone Pass, the highest road in the Lake District. It descends past Brothers Water to Ullswater, where Aira Force falls through a wooded ravine a short walk from the lake road.
Cross to Keswick on the A66, a market town on Derwentwater. The B5289 then runs down Borrowdale and climbs Honister Pass, with gradients up to 25%, before dropping to Buttermere. Walk around the lake on the level shoreline path.
Wasdale is reached the long way round, via Cockermouth and the coast road through Gosforth. The dead-end road along Wast Water ends at Wasdale Head below Great Gable and Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain.
Return to the coast and head up Eskdale to Hardknott and Wrynose, where the road climbs at up to 30% through tight bends past a Roman fort. These passes are unsuitable for caravans and large motorhomes: take the A595 and A593 round to Ambleside instead. Avoid them in ice or snow, and in summer start early to meet less traffic on the single-track sections.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Windermere
United Kingdom - 212 km
Kirkstone Pass
ViewsAmbleside, United KingdomAt 454 m the highest Lake District pass open to traffic, between Windermere and Ullswater. Motorhomes should come up the A592 rather than the very steep lane from Ambleside.
- 315 km
Aira Force
NatureWatermillock, United KingdomA waterfall of about 20 m in a wooded ravine above Ullswater, crossed by stone footbridges. The car park by the lake road fills early in summer.
- 417 km
Keswick
United Kingdom - 514 km
Honister Pass
ViewsBorrowdale, United KingdomA steep, narrow pass between Borrowdale and Buttermere, with a working slate mine at the top. Gradients reach 25%, so go slowly in low gear on the way down.
- 68 km
Buttermere
NatureButtermere, United KingdomA small lake ringed by high fells, with an easy, level path of about 7 km all the way round. Parking in the hamlet is limited.
- 715 km
Wast Water
NatureWasdale, United KingdomEngland’s deepest lake, with scree slopes plunging into it and Great Gable at its head. The road along the shore is a dead end, so it stays quiet.
- 89 km
Hardknott Pass
ViewsEskdale, United KingdomOne of England’s steepest roads, with gradients around 30%. Not for caravans or large motorhomes.
- 920 km
Ambleside
United Kingdom
