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Honister Pass

B5289 · Seatoller → Buttermere · England

Length
8 miles
Drive time
20 min
Type
Mountain pass
Region
England

Before you go: ⚠ 25% gradients; narrow with rock walls — care in wet and ice

Borrowdale's brutal little pass: 1-in-4 gradients past the slate mine at the summit, then down between crags to Buttermere — one of the Lake District's steepest and most atmospheric crossings.

Seatoller to Buttermere on the B5289: a short Lakeland pass with 1-in-4 (about 25%) ramps, rock walls, and the slate mine at the summit. It is steeper than Kirkstone, less extreme than Hardknott, and narrower than it looks on a map. The surface is decent where it is not wet; in the wet it is just a steep road with little runoff. Cyclists use it. Walkers spill from the mine car park. In ice it is a different road entirely.

The Honister Slate Mine is the stop — café, car park, and the reason there is traffic at the top. Gatesgarth at the Buttermere end is the lake photograph, with a proper pull-in rather than the verge. Fuel in Keswick or Cockermouth before you come; nothing useful on the pass. Croft House Farm Café sits at the Buttermere side if the mine is busy.

Pair it with Hardknott and Wrynose if you want the full Lakes steep set, or with Kirkstone for two high crossings without the 30% ramps. The B5289 through Borrowdale is the approach; it is slow in summer behind tour vans.

First gear on the steepest bits is not pride, it is heat management. Let the mine traffic clear before you commit to a ramp you cannot see over. From Buttermere you can continue around Crummock to a gentler road, or turn back over the mine and down Borrowdale — both are better than sitting in the summit car park watching coaches. The 25% signs are not decorative; a hot clutch on a bank-holiday queue is how this pass becomes a story. Check ice like you would Hardknott, even if the length looks trivial.

Highlights of the Honister Pass

Where to stop on the Honister Pass

Drive the Honister Pass

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