Kirkstone Pass

Kirkstone Pass is a high mountain road in the English Lake District, reaching 454 metres above sea level. The A592 climbs steeply from Ambleside in Rothay Valley to Patterdale in Ullswater Valley, with sections as steep as 1 in 4. The road passes near Brothers Water, where the view opens out below the summit. At the top stands the Kirkstone Pass Inn, once a coaching stop and now a tourist pub. It is the third-highest public house in England. The pass has long been linked to mining. Lead, copper and slate were worked for centuries around the summit. Petts Quarry, on the Ambleside side, was run by the Kirkstone Green Slate Company. Nearby Hartsop Hall lead mine shows the industry’s remains. On the Ullswater side, Caudale slate mine closed early in the 20th century and its entrances are now sealed. A large standing stone called the Kirkstone gives the pass its name. Its shadow looks like a church steeple, from the Old Norse word kirk. The climb from Ambleside is locally known as The Struggle. The pass also appears in literature and song, including Geoffrey Trease’s novel Cue for Treason and Archie Fisher’s Witch of the Westmorland.