For those of us who extract the greatest pleasure from our mutual hobby by donning a pair of driving gloves and steering our classic cars down a twisty backroad, there are luckily a myriad of excellent roads scattered across the globe. Roads so legendary that those who know… well, they know. You merely have to casually mutter the name of one these roads and an entire room full of enthusiasts will immediately fall quiet as everyone nods approvingly to each other while eyes sparkle with excitement.
Of course everyone knows the Stelvio Pass in Italy. But even restricting ourselves to just Europe, there are still more involving roads out there such as the French Col de la Bonnette, the Swiss Furka Pass, the Austrian Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse and not least the Romanian Transfagarasan. In the UK, it seems to be the Scottish North Coast 500 which everyone gets excited about. Annoyingly, during the four years I lived in the UK, I never got around to heading north for this epic experience. But I’m not complaining, because instead I had the entire Peak District literally in my back garden and I most certainly made the most of it!
But since departing the UK in mid-November of last year, I obviously haven’t had the chance to get back into my favourite playground. Perhaps more importantly, I had also left my beloved NullZwei in the UK – safely tucked up in a mate’s lock-up. It was almost a year since I had last seen my 02 and to be honest, I wasn’t dealing with my withdrawal symptoms particularly well. So recently – while Covid-19 restrictions were at their lowest – a grabbed the chance and quickly arranged to dive into Manchester for a quick extraction exercise.
Amazingly, after 11 months of hibernation, I checked the oil and coolant, hooked up the battery, gave the carburettor a small shot of petrol straight into the barrel and my trusty old BMW fired up at only the second twist of the ignition key. As she idled perfectly with the choke pulled half way out, I must confess that even I was a bit perplexed that it had proven quite that easy. I had planned for at least a couple of hours to coax her back to life before heading for the ferry, so I now found myself comfortably ahead of schedule. There was only one thing to do about it. I needed my driving gloves…
I felt right at home in my NullZwei as I headed out of Glossop eastbound and straight onto the famous 14 miles of the Snake Pass. On several occasions has this stretch of tarmac been voted the most engaging driving road in all of the UK, and it’s easy to see why. The undulating road climbs to a high point of 1680 ft. as it crosses the Pennines before descending into dense woodlands as you approach the Ladybower Reservoir. I can’t possibly count how many times I’ve enjoyed the many thrills of the Snake Pass, yet I still can’t tire from it. The Snake Pass is simply epic!
But the Peak District is after all the biggest National Park in the UK, so there’s so much more to it. Hook a right just after Ladybower and head south for Castleton. I still had time to spare, so rather than the shortest way there, I got myself onto the narrow Carr Lane and then took the picturesque Edale Road leading me deep into the tranquillity of Hope Valley. From there it’s another twisty and undulating climb up to Mam Tor, and once you’ve caught your breath again it’s only a short sprint over to the jaw dropping Winnats Pass. Trust me when I tell you that there is nothing quite like the view out your windscreen as you turn that corner in first gear and slowly start the 20% descent down through the pass. I’ll let the pictures do the talking but even they can’t possibly portray just how beautiful this part of England is…
Please do the pictures justice – click on them to view them in full size…
There are so many other fabulous roads within the Peak District. The full length of Mortimer Road up past Strines Inn and onto Woodhead is another all-time favourite of mine which never fails to put a smile on my face. Then there are the roads in and around Monsal Dale as you head for a pub lunch in idyllic Bakewell, and if driving through the stunning grounds of Chatsworth house doesn’t make you feel somewhat special, then you simply have no soul.
But I was now running out of time. Much as I longed to continue exploring my old playground, I had to instead make a dash for Heathersage and up past Surprise View car park before leaving the wonderful Peak District behind me as I approached Chesterfield and continued east for my night ferry from Harwich.
I can truthfully say that the roads and scenery of the Peak District will always live within my heart. I’ve enjoyed more intoxicating drives out there than in any other single area. Sadly, I may not live there anymore and as such this may have been my last drive through the Peak for a while, but I’ve promised myself that I will be back for more – some day…
ViaRETRO bonus info: If you like me just can’t get enough of the Peak District, you may want to revisit these two older articles as they are equally packed with pictures from my favourite playground:
Driver’s Paradise on Peaks & Dales Run