Hardknott Pass - Cumbria

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Hi

I'm just planning some ride in the lakes for a few weeks time and someone mentioned the Hardknott pass road surface is really bad!!

I've done it a few times before and its always been fine. Can anyone update me with the conditions of a recent ride?

cheers Ali
 
Thanks a million, we'll give it a go, my mate I'm riding with seems a little nervous about it!!

Much appreciated Ali
 
If he is nervous warm him up on Honister pass and either Newlands or Whinlatter, for a nevous rider Honister is great for getting used to tight and steep stuff before you do Wrynose and Hardnott, plus you get the bonus of amazing scenery over to Buttermere and back again, plus assuming its open decent car park and cafe at the top of Honister at the slate mine.
 
Surprise View is also worth a visit if you’re going past Derwentwater, too.
 
Wrynose pass is quite tame compared to Hardknott pass, and you can bail out at Cockley Bridge if heading west.

In my opinion, Hardknott is easier if done from the West side and heading East. The reason being that the road surface is badly rippled on some of the tight uphill bends from Cockley Bridge heading west. And some of those bends are tight and steep.

The easiest way is Heading east from Boot, but there is one incredibly steeps right hand hairpin on the climb up. The inside line is extremely steep - I ahve never measured it, but looking down at it 45 degrees would not be far out. If the bike fell to the right there, there would be no ground to put your foot down. The bend comes as a surprise, having just done a few other bends, the hill climbs steeply and you breathe a sigh of relief that you have got ove rthe worst of it. Then there is an 'oh tish!' Moment when you relaise that the hillside rising steeply on your right has a road going along it, and the bend up ahead has got to double back to get to it.

Its ok, you can get round on the outside - left side - of the bend without much drama, but after rain, the water run-off deposits debris and gravel on the outside of the bend. So wait until there has been a bit of a dry spell.

You need to be in first gear, you need to have your fingers ready on the clutch and you need to be able to control the clutch while the bars are on full right lock - so nervous friend needs to have practiced that. There is no time or momentum to adjust in mid corners.

'Ride' the road on Google street view, and watch some onboard videos. Take a note of where there is a pull off just before this bend, and plan to stop there. Use the stopping place to look up the road to the hairpin and back along the road after the hairpin. You don't want to be meeting any cars anywhere up that section.
If you know that you are going to stop, then make sure you are in first gear before coming to a halt, and stop with your left foot down, and the clutch in. That way you can hold the bike on the footbrake. The front wheel will skid backwards on these inlines with any debris on the surface.

Personally - I have done it once on the bike and numerous times in the car. I wont do it again on the bike. There is too much that is left to chance for my liking. The road is full of car drivers who have bitten off more than they can chew. For some corners, in a car, you have to take the bend without being able to see the road in front. For a couple of seconds you are driving on memory of where the road went the last time you saw it. The drivers are scared. On their way down, the last thing they are looking out for is a motorcyclist trying to get up the hill in one piece. They are far too busy feeling elated at having made it up.
 
The last time I did these roads, my (now ex) wife burst into tears as she was scared sh*tless on the back of the bike. It took some persuading to get her back on the bike after I'd stopped to find out what all the wailing was all about. I thought they were great :augie:augie
 
jfheath - I know that bend of which you speak, that's one bend you really, really don't want to drop the bike into! As you say, sometimes your choice of line to soften the bend is not an option if there's something coming the other way, so it's best to be eyeballing the distant turns for oncoming. I've rode it several times and drove it once, aside from that particular bend the rest is pretty straightforward.

Anyone riding it just needs to keep one eye on the oncoming, another eye on the weather (had some insanely strong crosswinds up there a few times) and bring their slow speed control A-game.
 
I did the passes with the wife as pillion. I've done a number of European passes and most have been good, but the hardknott was not enjoyable in the slightest.
 
I did the passes with the wife as pillion. I've done a number of European passes and most have been good, but the hardknott was not enjoyable in the slightest.

I agree.

I found the Hardnott Pass to be more technically difficult than any I've experienced
in the the Swiss, French, Italian Alps.
I've only been over once on a bike which was a poor choice of make and model to tackle
said pass. Twas a HD Road King.:eek:
The direction we took finished off at the Woolpack pub in which a nerve settling pint
of lager was rather welcome.:D
Next time I do it, it will be on a bike a third the weight of a RK.:)

PS, as already posed there's only one bend that's really tricky (1 in 3), the rest is straight forward.
 
When we went it was a traffic jam, the whole things was nightmare... with some nutjob trying to drag a caravan up it....
 
I did it one April on an A10 hardtail chop! I don't know what all the fuss is about, it is just another road. Ride it like you would any other, defensively. We did have to help push an Audi out of a snow drift, he had gone off just at the frist drop down right at the top, before dropping down to the Roman fort. The summit bit, I think he must have been looking at the view! :D
 
It's shit, road is crap and not worth meeting cumpervans
 
I did it one April on an A10 hardtail chop! I don't know what all the fuss is about, it is just another road. Ride it like you would any other, defensively. We did have to help push an Audi out of a snow drift, he had gone off just at the frist drop down right at the top, before dropping down to the Roman fort. The summit bit, I think he must have been looking at the view! :D

Must admit I tend to agree.
If it's crowded then it's a pain whether you're on a bike or in a car!
Before 9am or late afternoon and you'll not meet much apart from a few walkers, cyclists, sheep and cattle.
A great morning ride east to west, stopping off at Broughton in Furness for coffee and bacon :beerjug:
 
I think jfheath has summed it up perfectly! I have done it in both directions, numerous times but normally start from Ambleside, Langdale and then head out towards Wastwater. Forward observation is absolutely paramount because as has been stated many of the ascents, descents, corners etc are blind. The road surface is in places shocking, loose gravel, pot holes, add heavy rain into the mix and oncoming traffic and if you’re not focused on the job in hand, you may come a cropper. Some of the descents are 1 in 3 which must be done in 1st gear using engine breaking with very minimal usage of the back brake.

I make a point of doing it on all my bikes, Kawasaki 1400 GTR, BMW K1600 & the GSA to keep my ‘skills’ sharp. The bad bend which has been mentioned I have found is easier to go down than up, but each to their own.
 
I've never known there to be more than a handful of vehicles over the Hardknott. Most stop for photos along it anyway so it's not like you're forced to crawl along in a convoy. Normally I'll stop between the Wrynose and Hardknott and time setting off so you're not near any other vehicles anyway. I disagree with the last few posts, it's a great road on an adventure bike. Wouldn't want to tackle it on a Road King though
 
Must admit I tend to agree.
If it's crowded then it's a pain whether you're on a bike or in a car!
Before 9am or late afternoon and you'll not meet much apart from a few walkers, cyclists, sheep and cattle.
A great morning ride east to west, stopping off at Broughton in Furness for coffee and bacon :beerjug:

From the tea room in the top end of the square, the old stables opposite have a coursing slipper and pair of greyhounds as the weather vane, if you haven't noticed? Brilliant veg shop/grocer.
 
From the tea room in the top end of the square, the old stables opposite have a coursing slipper and pair of greyhounds as the weather vane, if you haven't noticed? Brilliant veg shop/grocer.

Must admit I tend to go round the corner and about half way down the one way.
 


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