Off for the weekend ... wondered if there were any good driving roads up there you guys could recomend?

go over the rhino and hardnock passes, great fun as long as you don't get granny and grandad Ford in front of you :D

[Edited by austen_wrx - 10/31/2003 10:44:06 AM]

Cheers for that Austen ,.....

like ya boing boing baggies baggies bit by the way .... Not a WBA supporter but I love the chant
Play up pompey

[Edited by TVR Gary - 10/31/2003 10:56:44 AM]

thats Hardknot pass...

the road from Windermere up to Keswick (A591) is v twisty although you can forget a quick run on the weekends, it full of grandads in beemers! Going up Dunmail Raise is good - Very wide and steep, although watch yourself when the road switches back to single lane as there are a few nasty surprises (like if going to fast, you'll go airborne and park your scoob on a drystone wall...)

just enjoy the scenery.

You might be able to see Mardale - It's a village that was flooded to make Hawswater Reservoir (everyone pi55es in it cos it supplies Manchester!) The reservoir is so low that you can actually walk around the remains for only the third time since the reservoir was made in 1936.

[Edited by messiah - 10/31/2003 10:58:36 AM]

I am up there today tom sunday and monday so i might find a clear run at it ......

cheers messiah

Forget it mate...

Down there last month and full of traffic (granny brigade) and the roads are that thin for 2 lanes that you are guaranteed to lose a wing mirror when some feckin' tour bus comes the other way :eek:

Other than the scenery anything worth going to see up there?

i can recomend a road not to go on, the M6!! :( Took me 6hrs to get to the lakes from birmingham a few weeks ago!

Baggies to replace Pompey next year??

erm... the Jennings Brewery tour in Cockermouth. Just make sure the missus is driving! Cockermouth also has William Wordsworth's old house you can visit.

Cars of the Stars in Keswick - the owner collects James Bonds bonds cars (got about 15 I think) also has Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Del Boys 3 wheeler.

other than the scenery - no, not a lot...

Aquarium of the lakes is good if you've got kids to entertain (plus i quite like it aswell!)

Baggies replace pompey your aving a laff ......scumhampton maybe .... cant believe we got them in the carling cup as well, two derbys before crimbo ..GREAAAAAT

was gonna do the M6 this afternoon ....leaving at 12.30 so hoping it wont be toooo bad

Second the A591- nice steep hill to boot it up on the way to greenod, as well as some awesome twisty dual carriageway and late braking zones to have fun in. Just watch it on the way back down the hill, the local revenue collectors like to hang around with their laser guns taxing people for doing 80mph down a hill.

where is the aquarium mate??


Wont be in the scoob or the pug, taking the 172 clio for a change.......still it should be good fun.

[Edited by TVR Gary - 10/31/2003 11:30:25 AM]

A686 from Penrith to Alston well worth doing if you get up that far. Normally fairly quiet as well.

12.30, your going to be in for a nice trip, especially in this weather!!!! If your not past brum by 12.30 its usually a nightmare. I Hope i'm wrong for your sake :). Anyway, if it doesn't get you on the way up, it will definetly get you on the way home on sunday with half term ending and all that :(.

Aquarium is at Lakeside, the southend of lake windermere.

Make sure you sign the petition against the speed limit that is being imposed on lake windermere in 2005 to stop us water skiing and generally enjoying yourself. While you are here you may as well visit the windermere action force website to see what this lousy government are up to!

http://www.waf.uk.com/

a nice little jaunt for you

head out of Keswick alongside Derwent Water heading for Seatoller - this will take you over Honister Pass which is very steep, you'll be able to have a laugh at the mountain bikers who bottle it on the way down and get off to walk. You can stop at the top the pass (some excellent views). Carry on towards Cockermouth taking in Buttermere, Loweswater & Crummock water - there's 2 shell garages in Cockermouth selling Optimax.

You can then head back towards Keswick either by the a66 or by Whinlatter Pass.

If you go to Cockermouth via the a66 theres the best bit of road in cumbria - the dual carriageway heading west running alongside Bassenthwaite lake.

Honister Pass
https://www.photobucket.com/albums/0...y/72925084.jpg

https://www.photobucket.com/albums/0...y/5f193eb9.jpg

Nice pics messiah - going upto the lakes next weekend to visit my family - nice steady run up the A65 from Yorkshire, past Devils bridge due to all the tax/licence collectors, then for some fun in the hills. First time up there with the scoob.

yee haa

yeah nice pics messiah.

I'm going up again next weekend to do a bit of mountain biking (i won't be getting off to walk :p) and give the scoob a blast :D

[Edited by austen_wrx - 10/31/2003 11:56:37 AM]

whereabouts you going macca / austen_wrx?

[Edited by messiah - 10/31/2003 12:10:40 PM]

Another vote for Honister Pass.

Also, take the road from Bowness to Newby Bridge. Can you say twisties ? :)

Cheers

Ian

:D

I can't remember the road names but the roads around Coniston are quite good, for fast road driving.

For a nice Swiss/Italian meal go to the Ticini Tratoria in Bowness, Ole ith wall for a good pint.

A591 coming back from Keswick to Windermere has a superb duel carriageway bit that twists through trees etc. Feels very wierd, but good fun.

Another vote for the hardknott pass:D:Dfrom west to east direction.
If you want to link some fun minor roads to it i can reccomend leaving the A595 just past the turnoff for the A593. Its a unclassified road you should look for signposted Ulpha. From there you follow signs for Eskdale green and Boot which are at the start of the hardknott pass.
Those minor roads are nice and twisty but fairly open in places and the road surface is fairly good.
I had some fun on them myself about a month ago:D

Have a fun weekend.

A591 from Keswick to W/mere is indeed a great road, just watch out for the scamera van parked 1/2 mile after said twisty bit!
Was there yesterday, also there are scamera's on the A686 Penrith to Alston road at weekends, lots of bikes use it as a playground, its one of the best roads around, be careful on the Bowness to Newby Bridge road, lots of coaches around at the minute and its not very wide to say the least!

I'm fortunate to drive these roads everyday, give me a wave if you see a noisy grey 200sx on your travels.

:)

Edited to say if you're planning on doing a lot of quick driving you had better get up early, loads of numpty's all doing 20mph nose to tail everywhere round here at the minute, does my nut in, very few overtaking places on most of he roads.

[Edited by AbnormalAnimal - 10/31/2003 3:01:46 PM]

I agree messiah the a66 west from the m6 has a superb 3-5 mile twisty section blind rises and tasty bends there are usually no surprises so if your feeling brave you can try and stay on the optimax right the way through I think it starts about 3 miles from the motorway. Great pics Ill get some of mine on when I fettle this computer only had it a week.

I was meaning a section alongside Bassenthwaite lake about 5 miles outside Keswick.

There's a scamera position at Mungrisedale - 4 miles outside Keswick heading towards Penrith - got me 2 months ago! :(

Yup, Wrynose, Hardknott, Honister passes are deffo the ones to go for.

Why does everyone say go for Hardknott and Wrynose:confused: They are generally packed with tourists and are now getting into a bad state of repair with large holes down the verges.
You're better going for a circular run from Keswick. Head west on the A66 and head over Whinlatter pass. When you get to Lorton, turn left and head for Buttermere. Then head over either Newlands pass or Honister pass. Newlands is my choice for a run as much of the eastern side is downhill, has good visibility and some pretty quick sections.

Just got back from my weekend guys and girls and your recomendations were great
We did

Wrynose pass
Hardnott pass .... stopped for look at roman fort
Honister pass
Passes were great ...perhaps not for fast driving but for the experience great ... oh and not too many granny drivers about either
Also did
Scarfell pike .... climbed most of the rascal, getting too late to do it all.
Boughness for food, beers football
Our Hotel was in newby bridge ...The lakeside, which is dead opposite the aquarium so we had a look in there too...

Great weekend and thanks to you guys and girls we found most of the good roads ....

Cheers people.

gary