Snake Pass

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For the novel by Bram Stoker, see The Snake's Pass.

The Snake Pass is the name of the A57 road where it crosses the Peak District between Manchester and Sheffield in the north of England, or more specifically to the section between the town of Glossop and the Ladybower reservoir, where the road passes over the high ground between the moorland plateau of Kinder Scout and Bleaklow. The highest point is 512 metres (1679 feet) above sea level. The road is exceptionally scenic - the view at the start of the descent into Glossop is quite remarkable, on a clear day offering beautiful views over the city of Manchester (over 10 miles away) and beyond. The road was first built as a toll road in 1820 as the most direct route between the two cities. In the 20th century, the more northerly route of the Woodhead pass, which is less steep and at a lower altitude, became the primary road link between Manchester and Sheffield.

The Snake Pass passes through the National Trust's High Peak Estate, and lies within the High Peak borough of Derbyshire.

The name of the road matches its winding route, but originally derives from the emblem of the Snake Inn which is one of the few buildings on the high stretch of road. The pub's sign is derived from the serpent on the Cavendish arms of the Duke of Devonshire. The Snake Inn has been renamed the "Snake Pass Inn", so the pub is now named after the pass which was originally named after the pub !

The road has a poor accident record.^[1] In winter, the road is often the first of the available routes between Sheffield and Manchester to be closed when bad weather affects the area.

[edit] Cycling

Snake Pass is one of only a few road climbs in the UK that are comparable in length and average gradient (approximately 7% for around 3.2 miles when starting in Glossop) to those used in continental cycle racing. For this reason it has frequently featured in the Tour of Britain along with another nearby favourite Holme Moss.

Cycling Time Trials sanctioned hill climbs are regularly promoted on this course by local club Glossop Kinder Velo. The course record currently stands at just over 13 minutes.