Americans React: Hardknott & Wrynose Pass - UK's Most Dangerous Road? 

The Lakeland fells only look like they do because the whole area is grazed. Without grazing it would rapidly grow bracken and scrubby trees. The area has been farmed in this fashion since the Bronze Age. The sheep you saw are a special, local, and very ancient breed called Herdwicks. They are extremely hardy and perfectly adapted to living out on the fells, which they do year round. The cattle you saw are Belted Galloways, a Scottish breed which is equally hardy. Though I think they are usually brought down into the valleys in winter.

I don't know if americans have this but when we wave when driving it's to say "thank you" and on this sort of road everyone is going to be doing this all the time.

You really should look at more videos on the Lake District, it's a beautiful area. It's the largest national park in England there are lakes of course but probably most famous is Lake Windermere, There are also some lovely towns & villages including Ambleside, Keswick, Grasmere, Windermere & Hawkshead plus nearby Kendal. English Author Beatrix Potter of the childrens books Peter Rabbit lived there and loved the area so much she helped to preserve some of the landscape from being bought and developed on, she left 4,000 acres & 15 farms to the national trust when she died. There is the World of Beatrix Potter attraction in Bowness-on-Windermere.

The reason there are very few trees and bushes is that grazing animals eat the vegetation, seeds and shrubs before they get chance to grow , so it leaves the land quite bare 😊

I remember in my 20s walking from Ambleside over both of these passes whilst carrying about 24kg in my bergen. It was a very long, very hot and very tiring day with a few well earned pints in the evening. You didn't see lakes because that video was travelling over 2 mountain passes.... The Lake District is beautiful. Used to love walking and camping up there, sometimes wild camping.

I love your channel.The fascination and excitement,in your voices is lovely.

It's not dangerous, nothing moves fast enough to make it dangerous. These are awesome places to drive.

I just spent four days in a cottage in the Lake District really off the beaten track not far from a road like this. It is so beautiful but it's especially moving to hear people from another country talking about it in such glowing terms. I got quite emotional.

It's been decades since I last drove through both of the passes. In a clapped out 2CV6. That was a real struggle, but great fun.

The Lake District is amazing to cycle around.

Hi Guys , we always put a hand up or nod as a gesture of thanks for someone letting you pass . We are always doing it as our rds are narrow compared to the US , love a tree too Lindsay . 😊

Done this route many times and absolutely love the Lake District

Waving is raising the hand to say thank you for giving way and everyone does it across the country

Hardknott pass is one of my favourite places. On a nice summer evening, once most of the other tourists have gone, it's great to drive halfway up, then walk to the ruins of the Roman fort, and watch the sun go down over the Eskdale valley. Magical place. I used to walk up all the way, but I have Lupus and can't hike like I used to.

Very touristy. Seven of my work colleagues all bumped into each other in The Lake District, "getting away from everything" one Easter. But beautiful, I went in Autumn.🍂

I was up Hardknot pass yesterday! It was thick with fog and very slow going.

I've lived in the lake district for over 30 years and would never leave. It's a beautiful part of the UK. I've been over hard knot pass many times on motorcycle and car. Whenever family come to visit they want a guided tour. But I love to show them as I never get bored of the beauty of the lakes and fells

The gates are cattle grids. That's how the animals can't escape but can roam free. From Lyndsey (and one of my daughters is also a Sophia!) Love the videos xx

The national park designation is very different in the UK than it is in the US. Much of our national parks are privately owned - often farmland,, but the area is protected by government statute. So if you want to build anything inside a national park (or the next step down, an area of outstanding natural beauty - AONB) you will have extra layers of bureaucracy to overcome, to ensure that anything you do is in keeping with the character of the area.

The sheep are a special tough breed called Herdwicks, they know their own patch and don't wander off, each farmer has a different colour marking. In winter snow the passes are often closed by snow drifts and ice. The poles on the side of the road are depth markers for snow.

I'm lucky to be born and bred in Cumbria, home of the Lake District National Park and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, it is spectacular.

Have travelled these passes many times, even turning around, after a snack at the Woolpack Pub, and going back over. There are some lakes near by Blea Tarn and Little Langdale Tarn. Sometimes set aside one day of our holiday, having a picnic by the Beck in Wrynose Bottom.

Those markers are to show you 1; how deep the snow is 2; where the road is 😂

The mountains would have been forested originally, large areas where cleared during the iron age from around 400BC for farming, fuel and building. What was left was cleared further for ship building and to fuel industry. Very little of the UK is covered by trees, except for a few managed tree plantations grown as a crop.

We did them both two years ago when we were on holiday in the lakes. They're challenging!

The Lake District is beautiful we go nearly every October for week and normally although it’s cold it’s been sunny we live in a town between Edinburgh and Glasgow and takes us about three hours to get so it’s not a long drive love from Scotland ❤

Our past 2 holidays have been to the Lake District and every time we've been up there my husband and I have driven this pass. The roman fort is definitely worth a stop and checking out, at the back you get views of Scafell pike. Then if you park at the hamlet/village, there's a short walk across a river via Slater's Bridge to Cathedral Quarry which is like a massive cave and lots of mine tunnels you can explore freely. You will need boots/wellies if it's been raining a lot and a headtorch to explore the dark mine tunnels though!

I did hardknott pass 3 months after passing my test in a Manual front wheel drive lol, it was pretty fun.

They're going fast because you have it on 1.5 speed, Lyndsey 😂. Cows are free roaming, but are normally put in sheds in winter. Sheep are free roaming too.

Been over Hardknott pass and we got stuck behind a car that stopped on a steep right hand bend,that was a bit scarry at the time but what great senary.Wasdale pass is a lovely drive in the lakes with the mountains in front of you the highest been Great Gable and a lovely pub to view all the senary.Look at Snake Pass in Peak District it has reservoirs at the end Ladybower and the famous Derwent Reservoir where the dambusters practiced dropping the bouncing bomb before their missions in WW2.

I think the main issue with the Hardknott/Wrynose Passes is the fact they have so many steep and blind hairpin bends where you can meet people (videos never do it justice). Some of those with a sheer drop off the edge beside you! It's a road where you have to be reasonably confident - especially in the width and length of your car. It is a beautiful bit of road though with great views from the top. Far easier to drive in Autumn or Spring too when it's not peak season for visitors and it's quieter. There's lots of gorgeous places in the Lakes. There's some of the Lakes themselves (Derwent, Buttermere and Windermere especially in my opinion), the towns (Keswick, Ambleside, Windermere etc) and then other cool places like the cave at Rydal or Cathedral Cavern.

I would say that Hardknott and Wrynose are some of the most _difficult_ roads in the UK, but not necessarily the most _dangerous_ ... the key distinction is that drivers are generally being cautious and taking them slowly. Whereas on some bigger but still twisty roads through hilly areas, you get a lot of motorbikes and hooligans going far too fast and overtaking dangerously, which puts other drivers at much more risk even if they themselves are driving sensibly. Yes, that is all part of the Lake District national park. But national parks in the UK are a bit different from the US, some of the land is privately owned and they do include towns and villages and living communities. But even on hills that may be privately owned, there is still usually public access. Yes, farmers will just have their sheep and cattle roaming the hillsides - the gates will usually denote the end of one farmer's land (and you'll get a cattle grid in the road, where a trench is dug about a foot deep and 2 or 3 feet wide across the width of the road, with metal bars across it - this allows vehicles (and people, if you're careful) to cross without any trouble but animals wouldn't be able to walk over it, so it keeps them penned in to that area and doesn't allow them to roam beyond. There are no trees because up in the mountains there is really poor soil quality and harsh weather. The Lake District actually has its own breed of sheep, called Herdwick, which is particularly hardy and can survive in the tough conditions and poor grazing. The Lake District is an absolutely beautiful place, and if you ever get the chance to visit the UK then it definitely has to be on your list of places to go. A lot of the markers you see are for footpaths - the UK has a really extensive network of footpaths, not just in national parks but all across the country, where you are allowed to walk even over privately owned land. On some roads in mountainous areas, you will also get snow poles - these are poles six feet or so tall that are placed every few yards, to help people follow the road if it gets covered in snow - but I don't think there are any on this road.

Check out: 'Extremely isolated, Applecross was accessible only by boat until the early 20th century, and for many years after that the only road access was over one of Scotland's most notoriously treacherous roads, the Bealach na Ba the 'Pass of the Cattle', which crosses the peninsula and reaches a maximum height of 626 m (2,054 ft), below the 792 m (2,598 ft) high Sgùrr a' Chaorachain. In 1975 the settlement was connected via a winding coastal road which travels around the edge of the peninsula to Shieldaig and Torridon. The road skirts the shore of the Inner Sound and Loch Torridon.'

You should check out Liam Brown, he hikes all over the place but he got some great video's from all over the uk and Ireland. He just takes his tarp and goes walk about.

Kirkstone pass in the lake district Cumbria England is a very step road, when it snows the road is blocked.

National Park designation in the UK means that development is much more restricted, while public access is encouraged and the natural environment is protected. Unlike in the USA, it does not mean it is government-owned or public land. The Lake District National Park is mostly privately owned. Much of it is owned by the National Trust, by Forestry England or by United Utilities (a water company which owns Thirlmere and Haweswater reservoirs and their catchment areas) but these organisations generally allow respectful public access. You can generally roam freely above the intake wall (i.e. on unenclosed land above the highest-level drystone wall on the fellsides) as long as you respect any erosion control measures but you need to stick to public rights of way through enclosed farm land in the valleys.

Me and the wife are going to the Lake District next month for a one week break. We live in the South East UK so it is about a 5 hour drive for us. My wife has never been, but I used to go there regularly with my parents (God rest their souls) many years ago and going back again with my lovely wife will be a pleasure... I can't wait. I am especially looking forward to driving the passes 😆

Hi I work as a tour guide and driver (16-seater minibus) around areas like this. I work mostly in the Yorkshire moors and dales, but the company I work for also does tours in the lakes and I will sometimes go there for private tours. A lot of our roads in these areas are very narrow roads like this, and I take the minibus down them quite often. I do enjoy having my passengers gasping in surprise and awe at how we get big vehicles down these roads, such as when I must pass a tractor. It seems a lot of people have answered your questions about whether the areas are privately owned or not (yes, a lot of it is) but something you might not know is a lot of these roads come under what is known as the national speed limit. The national speed limit on these roads is 60 mph for cars (50 for my bus and other larger vehicles) something I always tell my passengers is that just because we are allowed to do that speed does not always make it a clever idea! I do not want to make this post too long so if you want me to email you more information, point you in the direction of useful information, or potentially video of some of these areas let me know (I do come from a filming background) Long-time watcher first-time commenter Ben

The sticks on the side of the road is to tell you where the road is when the place is covered in snow

At the top of Hardknott Pass is an old Roman outpost. Imagine stationed there in the winter!

One thing to remember is that manual transmission cars are still the most prevalent type of car in the UK. A manual transmission hill start on some parts of the pass can get interesting very quickly for novice drivers

Hi guy's, The last time I drove up the Hard Knott and Wry nose Pass was in the early spring and still had snow on the ground. The Road had been closed due to snow on the top of both passes and was open to 4x4's only. The was 30 year ago and it was fun the road had been cleared of snow and only some on the hills. Parts you needed 4 wheel drive. on some of the steep climbs due to ice and slush. On my earlier visit it was a great drive and fun. The Lake District is a great place to visit and is very busy in the summer. and can be very wet at time. The guy who filmed this was lucky he had fine weather. You asked about the lakes, they are usual at the bottom of the valleys and big open areas. You will find Windermere is one of the largest and Coniston water is where the World water speed record was broken by Donald Campbell. On his last attempt he was killed when he hit some drift wood and it caused Bluebird to crash and sink killing him. Ullswater is another of the lakes and I think the nicest. Then you have Derwent water, and many more it you Google it will give some idea of all on them.

Hardknott pass is the direct mountain pass to cross from the Cumbrian coast where there are several mid sized towns up to the centre of the Lake District where the lakes are without having to detour via wider roads about 20km to the north or 15km to the south of it. So its a pretty busy road despite how narrow and steep (33% gradient), both as a shortcut and for tourists. The Lake District is easier to access from inland via the East than from the coast to the West as the approach is much more gentle as you are already at altitude. Theres several large towns nestled in amongst the 16 Lakes as well.

in the UK you can graze your animals on Common Ground. this is why sheep and cattle are allowed to roam free there.

In terms of the landscape, back in the day most of the UK was covered in forest. In the north of England and in Scotland especially, we have all these majestic landscapes, but much of it is devoid of trees. In Scotland we used to have large areas of Caledonian woodland. The reason there's no trees is that they were cleared for sheep. Also the fact that all the natural predators (wolves/bears etc) were killed off by the 17th century, it now means we have massive deer herds. They eat any small saplings and the bark and kill them meaning new forests, besides forestry plantations with deer fences trees tend to be unable to grow. You should watch a video on the Caledonian woodland, a habitat native to Scotland. I recommend this video which explains the treeless landscapes: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eWe51stshKk.html

The actual lakes are in the valleys, but up on the hills you find what are called 'tarns', which are small lakes, left behind when the glaciers retreated. These tarns often contain a fish species called ' Arctic Char', which, as the name implies, are usually found much further north in Scandinavia. They are also there from when the glaciers melted. I did a week long field trip to the LD as part of my Environmental Science degree. Be aware if you visit that even on hot, sunny summer days, the weather can turn very quickly up on the hill tops, with dense fogs - and it getsn very cold! So if you go hiking, pack carefully & include wet/ cold weather gear & some food, along with your sunscreen & water! Those hills can be challenging to hike & include Englands highest mountain, Skafell Pike. The Mountain Rescue are extremely good though... ...

The gate had a "cattle grid", which means that the gate can be open, but in theory the cattle can't get past that point

The cattle grids at the gates, used to stop the cattle escaping are no barrier to some sheep. They have worked out how to roll over them to escape. Stories about "SAS sheep" can be found online. (Mainly Yorkshire Dales and Sussex Downs)

I drove to Crystal Lake in the Rockies in colorado when i was in the US in 96.... scariest drive of my life with sheer drops in the darkness returning to Denver but the place was stunning visually 😊 The gates have a 'cattlegrid' in the road to stop the sheep/cows passing through (slow the vid down and check the road surface)

Sometimes in the winter roads like this are closed due to snow

Driven over the passes several times over the years. Great fun as long as there's not too much traffic.

The two roads follow the line of the Roman road from Ambleside ( where the Romans had a lead mining operation )to Ravenglass ( where the port was), which is why there is remains of Roman fort at Boot. So if it were not for that there would be no road

So enjoyed your reaction to this video. It really is a stunning landscape. All the sheep and cattle are owned by the farmers who either own farms or rent them from landlords. The marks on the sheeps' backs are identifying narks so they don't get lost. You might find it interesting to watch a video about sheep dog trials, which is a country pursuit. Farmers use dogs to round up and control their sheep. The dogs are highly trained and compete regularly against other dogs.

What a glorious video! I love our countryside with the narrow roads, drystone walls and wandering sheep.

This is actually in Cumbria which is to the north of the Lake District. which is why the lack of water. It is, however, in the Lake District National Park. The Wrynose Pass is a mountain pass between the Duddon Valley and Little Langdale. There is a single-track motor road over the pass, which is one of the steepest roads in England, with gradients up to 1 in 3. The road continues over Hardknott Pass and on into Eskdale. British National Parks are areas of relatively undeveloped and scenic landscape across the country and remain largely in private ownership. They are not government owned or run.

There's more sheep in Ireland than there is people. Love the videos keep up the great work ❤️

The lack of trees apparently dates back to the Bronze Age when people cleared the trees from the hillsides and valleys to make way for grazing their animals.

The North of England (roughly north of Birmingham up to the current border with Scotland) is rugged, hilly with twisting rivers and valleys and basically uninhabited except for the areas next to the sea some rare flat areas. There are a few routes across the hills but not many. The north was covered by deep ice during the Ice Age which removed the surface down to bedrock Boulders and large rocks from here can be found scattered across the north. Roads such as in the video would have been used by traders with pack horses. Some of the buildings would have been inns etc for the traders. The term "Lake District" is a marketing term for the whole area; there is only one named lake (Bassenthwaite Lake), the others are "Waters" and "Meres", which are different words for large bodies of water. A chunk of it is controlled by the charity, National Trust. The touristy part is a relatively flat area around Windermere, centred on the town of Bowness-on-Windermere with other picturesque towns scattered around Windermere down to Morecambe Bay. Because of the relative flatness and the lower altltude the area tends to have more trees etc (Grizedale Forest). There are similar areas scattered around the north, eg; Forest of Bowland 30 miles south east, the Peak District, several areas in Yorkshire, up by Newcastle-on-Tyne. A lot of people just don't realise what the North is like!

I cycled through the lakes,taking in both of these passes as part of my ride from inverness to Birmingham. Incredibly beautiful.

There is a nice Roman fort near the top of the pass, it's a fun drive especially in a manual (stick shift). They close the pass in winter.

Check out the London to Brighton vintage car rally. Held each year around November

Hi Steve and Lindsay, a baby village is called a "Hamlet", usually just a few houses without even a church or village hall. The beautiful cattle you saw are "Belted Galloways". They originate in Dumfries and Galloway area of South West Scotland, are beef cattle, very hardy, live outside all year round and are usually very docile.

We have lots of very narrow roads where you have to pull over to let cars coming the other way pass. I remember doing this last winter to let the refuse truck pass, when I wanted to pull off my wheels were just spinning and I couldn’t move so all the bin men got out of the truck and gave me a push.

Hi Steve Lindsey that breed of cattle are called GALLOWAY. they have a white band around the middle .

Please check out the Yorkshire Dales too - for instance Malham; Aysgarth Falls; Upper Wharfdale; Swaledale etc

No, the animals are all domesticated. Farmers can let their livestock loose in the National Parks, and that helps to cut the grass. I told you before - when you come over, you can 1) take sheep for a walk on a lead 2) watch sheep dog skills tournaments 3) watch sheep racing, and place bets 4) visit a sheep auction and get in amongst them 5) visit a sheepskin museum and see all kinds of products made (e.g.I have a super soft woollen bicycle seat cover). The little girl would love most of these activities.

the gates ,are in fact a cattle grid that is put at the border of the national park

I think the Applecross pass (pass of the cattle) in Scotland is more impressive for elevation gained.

The Lake District used to be covered in trees. They were all cut down. Longer ago the UK was basically one large forest (talking Neolithic times there)

I’d never thought of Hardknott Pass as particularly dangerous (unless it’s bad weather), but perhaps it’s what you’re used to. Where I grew up, and on holiday, I have often driven single track roads with passing places so I became accustomed to keeping an eye open for passing places and reversing round corners to the last one. I think the problem is it’s become so popular there’s too much traffic for such a narrow road. I’m also however very used to sheep deciding that they absolutely have to be on the other side of the road, so although I know this was played at 1.5 my heart was in my mouth that one of them would wander out. The sheep are hefted - they know their own area of the fell. There was a lot of worry when many had to be slaughtered when we had foot and mouth (late nineties?) that they would lose their herd memories, but that seems to have been resolved. They’re not wearing cloths by the way, it’s just the natural colour of their wool.

One of the main reasons for the lack of trees is because of the sheep over grazing. In the valleys the fields are private land, at about 100-500 feet up the valley side there is normally a fence or stone wall circling the valley, below the wall you have to stay to the footpaths/trails above the walls everyone has free access

I have hike over that road a few times on my annual visit each year to Hike in the Lake District. Fantastic views all arround you and the bonus if the Roman Fort on the Western side.

I live 16 mile away from both, I've been over both in all manner of vehicles, work vans etc, in all kinds of weather, I've seen Campers, Caravans, Wagons, Cars and Mini Buses dangling over the edges, all good fun like

I lived in a small village that the area looked more or less exactly like this (there were only 200 people), the sheep weren't fenced in at all, and there were hundreds of deer that just walked around everywhere (they weren't scared of people, and wouldn't run away). People's houses all had cattle grids because of the sheep being everywhere, and I had to lift out sheep a few times from them in the house I was living. The lack of trees are because they were cut down for pasture space for animals, they also don't tend to grow above a certain height (about 1,600ft I believe in UK), but many were just cut down for animals and farming, as mountains and hills aren't good for much else, hard to cultivate for growing food, but perfect for animals to graze. 70% of our ancient woodlands have been lost, and now only 2.5% of the UK is ancient woodland, and 13% woodland as a whole. Many forests and woods I used to enjoy as a child no longer exist in the extent they did, some have gone completely, which always makes me kind of sad.

My Uncle who farmed in Devon, would claim, whenever he met a car coming up a single track road, that tractors don't have a reverse gear. He would then make them reverse all the way back to the passing place behind them. His favourite road to do this, was the road known locally as corkscrew. You can imagine what that was like. To be fair to my uncle, farming can be pretty uneventful for the most part, so sources of amusement were few and far between.

You guys absolutely need to do a video on the Lake District (the lakes are beautiful, but the hills and valleys are even more spectacular). I am so lucky to have moved here recently. The great thing is all bus trips across the region are just $2.50USD (1.5 hr ride through all these hills and valleys!). The walls are called 'Dry Stone Walls'. They are built without mortar/cement. Some of them stretch for miles. Truly a beautiful region.

The gates are for shutting the road in winter and high winds etc. Used to live near there in the 80's. In parts the road is so steep when the road was wet you would just spin the tyres when trying to pull away, best not to stop. Difficult in summer when it's busy.

Yay, I remember driving over both of those quite a few times as a kid. Very nice scenery. Incidentally Hardknott pass has signage saying it's unsuitable for all vehicles in winter conditions (or words to that effect), so you really shouldn't be driving it at all in winter.

Worth visiting the small Roman fort at the top of Hardknott Pass. It retains its original parade ground where the soldiers would have paraded for inspection. It's a very remote place even today, but in Roman times the soldiers from southern Europe must have thought they had been posted to the end of the world. Some of them would have remained in the area after their service under the Eagle ended, moving down the hill to marry a local girl in the nearby village, perhaps.

And you wonder why we have good quality meat!

I rode over a mountain pass in the US called the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road on a Harley a few years ago - it passes from the California coast line on Highway 1 over the Santa Lucia Mountains, rising to about 2800 feet at the top, and is the only road which crosses the range. It was very similar to some of the roads in the Lake District, Scottish Highlands & North Wales - I have been over the lakeland ones in this video by motorcycle. I'm not enough of a masochist to cycle them, but have a friend who lives there and does regularly! The main difference is that they are a lot busier, and steeper in places. The Nacimiento Fergusson gets to a 13.9% gradient whereas the Wrynose pass gets to 25% on one section and a bit of Hardknott a fairly ridiculous 33%. I prefered the US one to be honest, much quieter. The drops are worse though! If you want to really see the mountains, this is great video of Helvellyn: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oA6bJhGHLV0.htmlsi=mYr9vTJyim0OZ-6y Helvellyn is not the tallest in the lakes (Scafell Pike is), but it is probably the most famous and photographed thanks to the dramatic views when climbing the Striding Edge. It is also surprisingly deadly for what is merely a hill by global standards. The weather can turn very harsh without much warning.

I've done this route many times (I live not too far away). At the top of Hardknott is a Roman fort (you can see it on Google Earth). They also do some quite brutal bike races that go over it (and several other passes). Regarding trees, they are above the treeline, and the ground is not very good for them as it's basically bedrock with a thin soil topcover, as well as some quite savage weather at times. Many of the cars you see will be hillwalkers\fell runners etc. parked up whilst they go off and wander.

It's a national park *and* private land. I know that in the US a national park is completely undeveloped, wild country, but the whole of Great Britain has been shaped by human hands for thousands of years, since before national parks were invented, and only a few tiny pockets haven't been developed. Here a national park is just a rural area in which very little further development is permitted. The sheep are allowed to wander untended during the summer, and are rounded up for the winter.

There are towns, villages and farms within the Lake District National Park such as Keswick ("Kezzik") and Ambleside where you'll find the most tourist accommodation. Lake Windermere and also Coniston Water are the most visited lakes, Coniston because of Donald Campbell's land speed record there in the 60's. Dry stone walls are a northern craft. There's no cement holding them together just stone on stone and they'll last decades .

I'd suggest also looking at the Snake Pass and Woodhead Pass in the High Pennines, both are often closed during the Winter and both frequently have issues with the road surface collapsing, both are clogged with traffic trying to get between Manchester and Yorkshire/Derbyshire.

So I am currently binge watching a lot of your videos (so not getting much housework done) There is one thing I would love to see you react to and that is PMQ's. I would love to see what you think of the way our leaders interact with each other.

Good views. The gates are cattle grids. They stop the cows and sheep from getting out of the hill farmers land.

Dry wall structures are very common in the Lake District. As are slate roofs.

The joy of family holidays for me as a kid was not knowing if we were going to the Isle Of Wight, Wales or the Lake/Peak District. We would try to guess by the route my dad was taking, but he was sneaky so we never knew where we were going, amazing times. Have so many great memories hiking all over the British Countryside. These holidays were chosen as a good place for me, as a kid with very bad lung problems, to goto for the clean air. Absolutely beautiful country we have over here.👍

I spend my working life repairing dry stone walls around Lancashire and Cumbria. You should definitely look into the Herdwick sheep breed

The gates are cattle grids to prevent them from going from one area to another for sheep and cattle

My husband and i drove up this many years ago. I can tell you its terrifying

Those farms have been there long before it became a national park. The Lake District is privately owned, but mostly by organisations such as The National Trust who are interested in preserving the heritage. The farms will likely be mostly common land farms, owned by The National Trust but permitted to be farmed upon as part of preserving the identity of the area,

I went over both these a few weeks after passing my driving test (back in the mid '90s). Scared the absolute crap out of myself. There's also a cycling event, the Fred Whitton Challenge, that goes up Hardknott and Wrynose (and several other really tough passes). The really nasty part is that both of them are at the 100 mile mark.

I did it @ few times over the years on my motorcycle fantastic road for motorcycles

It can be terrifying to be caught out in a thunder storm in places like this, while hiking because most of the plant life is only ankle to waist height, so on flattish areas your the tallest thing from miles around

I was in the Lake District for a week about 4 weeks ago and drove this road every day

Horseshoe Pass in wales is another you should check out. It's called horseshoe pass because of a sharp bend at the top. Coaches and Vehicles above a certain length can't use the road as they probably won't make the bend... ... Beautiful views though ☺

We’re on hols in the Lake District RIGHT NOW! I want to find this pass but hubby is like… NO.WAY.!!!!! 🤪 I think some of the mountains are so rocky as you get higher up, they’re an inhospitable environment for tree roots. Also, cattle and sheep grazing might eat small saplings so they never get to grow into a tree.

At the start of the Neolithic era, Cumbria was densely forested. Then, around 6,000 BC people switched from hunting and gathering to farming. Pollen traces show people cleared forests to herd sheep, graze cattle and grow grains. By about 1,000 BC, just 13 per cent of Britain was wooded, about the same as today.