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Kirkstone Pass

A592 · Windermere → Patterdale (Ullswater) · England

Length
12 miles
Drive time
25 min
Type
Mountain pass
Region
England

Before you go: Closes in heavy snow; 'The Struggle' side is 25%

The Lake District's highest pass open to traffic (454 m): from Windermere up to the 500-year-old Kirkstone Pass Inn, then a glorious descent with Ullswater filling the windscreen all the way to Patterdale.

The A592 from Windermere to Patterdale is the highest Lakeland pass open to traffic, 454 m at the top, with the Kirkstone Pass Inn sitting on the saddle. From Windermere the climb is steady; the descent toward Ullswater is the view — the lake filling the windscreen all the way to Patterdale. The Struggle, from Ambleside, is the 25% alternative up to the same inn; it is narrower and steeper, and it is optional. Surface on the A592 is generally good. The pass closes in heavy snow.

The Inn is the stop: 500-year-old, a car park, food, and the photograph of the road falling away. Glenridding has cafés at the Ullswater end. Fuel in Windermere or Ambleside before you climb. Summer weekends queue; a weekday morning does not.

Pair it with Honister and Hardknott for the Lakes steep set, or just use it as the way from Windermere to Ullswater, which is what it is.

The Struggle is a different road. If you do not want 25% between walls, stay on the A592 and you still get the pass and the lake. From Patterdale the climb is the lake behind you; from Windermere it is walls and trees then the inn. Either way the inn is the pause. The Struggle is signed from Ambleside and is a different, steeper road to the same car park — skip it in ice, in a long car, or in traffic. Ullswater steamers at Glenridding make a half-day if the pass was enough driving.

Highlights of the Kirkstone Pass

Where to stop on the Kirkstone Pass

Drive the Kirkstone Pass

Open Kirkstone Pass on the map → ⬇ Download GPX

GPX works with Garmin, TomTom, Beeline and most bike sat-navs. Free, no sign-up — these are indicative waypoints, so follow the road signs, not the arrow.

Plot it, add it to a club run with a meeting point and pit stops, then share the whole trip as one link. Free, no account, works offline.

Route research: Venture Bound

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