List of hill passes of the Lake District
Hill passes of the Lake District were originally used by people in one valley travelling to another nearby without having to go many miles around a steep ridge of intervening hills. Historically, in the Lake District of northwest England, travel on foot or by pony was difficult because of the region's steep-sided valleys so tracks across the ridges were created taking the easiest route over passes – often, but not always, via a col. Since Roman times long-distance travel had tended to be along ridges. From the 19th century these passes and ridge routes were brought back into use when recreational hill walking become popular. Forty hill passes within the Lake District National Park are listed here, using criteria for selecting the major routes.
Background
The Lake District National Park was created in 1951 covering an area of over and, although its population is only 42,000, over 10 million visitors arrive each year, mostly attracted by the lakes and fells.Geology
About 500 million years ago in the late Cambrian and early Ordivician periods, the region was situated where the Iapetus ocean floor was being subducted under the Avalonia plate. Sedimentary material became metamorphosed to the Skiddaw slates found in the north and west. For a relatively short time of 5 million years Ordovician volcanoes ejected the Borrowdale volcanic rocks – firstly lavas (mostly andesiteGlaciation
From about 2 million years ago glacial erosion then greatly modified the landscape.Glaciers formed preferentially at existing streams which had developed at the many rock faults produced by crushing during the continental collision. The terrain was ground away leaving characteristically steep-sided glacial valleys which became ribbon lakes. On the Rossett Pass Rossett Gill is an example of a geological fault and the glacier that descended from it created the Mickleden and Great Langdale valleys below. Taken as a whole the region is characterised by mountain ridges splaying out from a central core. The intervening valleys have been made by glaciers flowing outward along the lines of the previous streams draining the dome of the Lake District.
Human history
Historically the region was suitable for sheep hill farming and from medieval times there was a substantial mining industry for rocks and minerals. The Romans had built a high-level military road north–south right through the region on its eastern edge at High Street and another road through the Hardknott and Wrynose passes for travel between forts at Ravenglass and Ambleside. Travelling between valleys was difficult on foot or by pony because of the steep passes across the mountainous ridges. With no roads suitable for wheeled traffic until the late 18th century, for long-distance transport of goods long trains of horses were used with ridge routes being preferred although Esk Hause and Stake Pass are thought to have been used in this way. However, for travel within the region, routes were best kept as low as possible consistent with avoiding excessive detours so summits and ridges were to be avoided as far as possible.In the late 18th century the region started to become popular with travellers and the "Lake Poets" began seeing the lakes and mountains as beautiful rather than horrifying. In Victorian times, encouraged by the arrival of the Kendal and Windermere Railway, a tourist trade developed. In the mid twentieth century Alfred Wainwright inadvertently encouraged further recreational use with his series of books A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells which described detailed routes to the major summits. His considerable knowledge of the district allowed him to make use of the ancient tracks although his focus was not on the ridge passes themselves.
Hill passes
The passes are indicated in the following maps that are identical except for the annotation included. Both show the regions defined by Wainwright for his books. The first map shows the passes with their sequential numbers in the table. It also marks major lakes, valleys and a few important mountains. The second map shows the passes with their names and a few major towns. The colouring of the routes is merely to separate different adjacent ones.| Reference Name | Height/ OS grid | Start: Valley/ place/ OS grid | End: Valley/ place/ OS grid | Notes | Image |
| / | Patterdale/ Bridgend/ | Thirlmere/ Dunmail Raise/ | Part way the footpath becomes an undefined type of path. | ||
| / | Patterdale/ Grisedale Bridge/ | Grasmere/ Mill Bridge/ | |||
| / | Patterdale/ Bridge End/ | Rothay / Ambleside/ | North: A592. South: unclassified road. | ||
| / | Patterdale/ Caudale Bridge/ | Rothay Ambleside/ | |||
| / | Patterdale/ Glencoyne/ | Thirlmere/ Legburthwaite/ | |||
| / | Patterdale/ Hartsop/ | Boredale/ Boredale Head/ | Or Boardale Hause | ||
| / | Patterdale/ Patterdale/ | Martindale/ Dale Head/ | Boredale Hause is not the high point of this route. | ||
| / | Kentmere/ Kentmere/ | Troutbeck/ / | The southern part is a restricted byway that is now closed to vehicles. | ||
| / | Mardale/ Mardale Head/ | Longsleddale/ Sadgill/ | Restricted byway – open to all except motor vehicles. | ||
| / | Eamont/ Pooley Bridge/ | Lowther/ Helton/ | Wainwright does not mention a name. | ||
| / | Mardale/ Mardale Head/ | Kentmere/ Hallow Bank/ | |||
| / | Mardale/ | Swindale/ Swindale Head/ | |||
| / | Rothay/ Easedale/ | Stonethwaite/ Stonethwaite/ | |||
| / | Watendlath Valley/ Watendlath/ | Thirlmere/ Armboth/ | The traditional footpath crosses the summit of High Tove. | ||
| / | Watendlath Valley/ Watendlath/ | Thirlmere/ Wythburn/ | |||
| / | Rothay/ Grasmere/ | Great Langdale/ Chapel Stile/ | Highest of three passes. | ||
| / | Borrowdale/ Seathwaite/ | Eskdale/ Jubilee Bridge/ | Just north there is col by a shelter that is often wrongly called "Esk Hause". | ||
| / | Duddon/ Cockley Beck/ | Eskdale/ Dalegarth station/ | Unclassified public road, the gradient reaches 1 in 3 33%. | ||
| / | Duddon/ Seathwaite/ | Eskdale/ Hardknott Castle/ | |||
| / | Eskdale/ Boot/ | Wasdale/ Wasdale Head/ | |||
| / | Great Langdale/ Oxendale/ | Little Langdale/ Three Shire Stone/ | See Pike of Blisco and Cold Pike. | ||
| / | Great Langdale/ Mickleden/ | Wasdale/ Wasdale Head | There is a higher col on this pass at near Esk Hause. | ||
| / | Great Langdale/ Rossett/ | Little Langdale/ Ting Mound/ | Also called Blea Tarn road. | ||
| / | Borrowdale/ Rosthwaite/ | Great Langdale/ Mickleden/ | On the Cumbria Way. | ||
| / | Borrowdale/ Seathwaite/ | Wasdale/ Wasdale Head/ | Between Borrowdale and Wasdale. | ||
| / | Coniston Water/ Coniston/ | Duddon/ Seathwaite/ | Restricted byway – open to all except motor vehicles. | ||
| / | Duddon/ Cockley Beck/ | Little Langdale/ Fell Foot/ | Unclassified public road. | ||
| / | Bassenthwaite/ Peter House Farm/ | Greta/ Gale Road/ | Cumbria Way via Skiddaw House. | ||
| / | Newlands/ Braithwaite/ | Crummock/ Lanthwaite/ | See Coledale. | ||
| / | Borrowdale/ Manesty/ | Newlands/ Little Town/ | Lucie's path to Catbells in The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. | ||
| / | Newlands/ Little Town/ | Buttermere/ / | Unclassified road. Often called Buttermere Hause. | ||
| / | Derwent/ Braithwaite/ | Buttermere/ / | This pass is far higher and not much shorter than Newlands Hause. | ||
| / | Newlands/ Braithwaite/ | Cocker/ High Lorton/ | B5292, B road. | ||
| / | Ennerdale/ Black Sail Hut/ | Borrowdale/ Styhead Tarn/ | High point at Windy Gap. Nearby is Sty Head with four onward routes. | ||
| / | Wasdale/ Wasdale Head/ | Ennerdale/ Black Sail Hut/ | Black Sail Hut is a Youth Hostel. | ||
| / | Buttermere/ / | Ennerdale/ Whins/ | Goes near Scale Force. | ||
| / | Loweswater/ / | Ennerdale/ Whins/ | A branch off the pass going to Buttermere. | ||
| / | Borrowdale/ Seatoller/ | Buttermere/ Gatesgarth/ | B5289, B road. | ||
| / | Borrowdale/ Honister Hause/ | Wasdale/ Wasdale Head/ | An abandoned track for transporting slate. | ||
| / | Buttermere/ Gatesgarth/ | Ennerdale/ Black Sail Hut/ |
Selection criteria
The hill passes listed are routes within the Lake District National Park between two different valleys where a pathway is marked on the Ordnance Survey 1:50000 or 1:25000 map. Passes to be considered may be listed as "pass" or "" in the Ordnance Survey 1:50000 gazetteer provided also that a route crossing the ridge is marked on the map. Also included are routes described as passes in Wainwright's Guides and in other authoritative sources provided still that they go between different valleys. To be listed a pass does not necessarily have a name nor does it need to cross a col. A few have been excluded when the gain in elevation seems rather small (less than about – this particularly applies with paved roads.Citations
Volumes in Wainwright's ''Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells''
The following individual volumes are part of a boxed set:Other works cited