The Snake Pass is the name given to the remote, higher reaches of the A57 road where it crosses the Peak District between Manchester and Sheffield in the north of England. More specifically, the name usually refers to the section between the town of Glossop and the Ladybower Reservoir, where the road passes over the high ground between the moorland plateaux of Kinder Scout and Bleaklow (the highest point is 512 metres (1,680 ft) above sea level).
Like many other A-roads in the North of England that traverse undulating terrain such as the Peak District or the Pennines, the road has a poor accident record.[1] However Snake Pass was not in the list of the top 10 most dangerous roads published in July 2010, despite nine of the top ten being in Northern England.[2] In winter, the road is often the first of the available routes between Sheffield and Manchester to be closed due to snow in the area. There are areas where the road surface has very poor skid resistance and a number of bends have adverse camber.
Contents |
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. Much of it falls within the Hope Woodlands parish.
Snake Pass was listed as one of best driving roads in the UK by Auto Trader magazine in 2009.[3]
The name of the road does match its winding route, but actually derives from the emblem of the Snake Inn, one of the few buildings on the high stretch of road. In turn, the pub's name and sign was derived from the serpent on the Cavendish arms of the Duke of Devonshire. In recent times, the Snake Inn was renamed the "Snake Pass Inn", so the inn named the road which became more well known and so then named the inn.
Like many roads in the North of England that go through the undulating terrain such as the Peak District, Lake District and Pennines, Snake Pass has a poor safety record in comparison to other roads in the United Kingdom. However, Snake Pass is not as dangerous as other roads that bisect hilly terrain in the North of England.
On 25 January 2008, a landslip due to heavy rain caused the road to be closed to all traffic between Ladybower and Glossop, although access was still available to local premises and businesses including the Snake Pass Inn.[4] On 11 March 2008, the road opened again, but with temporary traffic lights at the point of the slip restricting traffic to one direction at a time. The repairs were completed in August 2008.
Snake Pass is often closed in the winter months as the bending roads become icy and little grit is placed down to combat the problem. The British winter of 2010–11 was one the coldest for decades and the road was closed on numerous occasions.[5][6]
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 (5.1 km) 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 12 minutes 16 seconds.
The music track "The Snake" by The Human League, from their 2001 album Secrets, is entirely about the Snake Pass.
The Autechre EP Anvil Vapre features track names deriving from locations around the Snake Pass.