A57 · England

Snake Pass

The A57 across the Peak District between Sheffield and Manchester, climbing from Ladybower Reservoir to 510 m between Kinder Scout and Bleaklow, then down to Glossop.

StartFinish

19.7 kmLength

54Pace-note calls

0Hairpins

1Tight corners (1–2)

↑310 ↓290Climb and drop, m

≈510 mHighest point

Counts are from Turini’s pace-note engine on this route. Heights come from terrain data and can differ from signposted figures by a few tens of metres.

Where is the Snake Pass?

The Snake Pass is in England, on the A57. Also known as A57 Snake Road. The route on this page: Ladybower Reservoir to Glossop, 19.7 km.

Why the Snake Pass is famous

It opened in 1821 as a turnpike, the highest in England at the time, and its long bends over open moorland have made it a favourite with drivers and motorcyclists.

Snake Pass corners

Over 19.7 km Turini calls 52 corners graded 1 to 6. That is 54 calls in all, one every 365 metres on average. Grade 1 is the tightest, 6 is nearly straight (how to read pace notes).

312

621

Snake Pass elevation profile

From 218 m at the start to 232 m at the finish, with a highest point of about 510 m.

600 m200 m

0 km9.9 km19.7 km

Snake Pass pace notes, first few km

The first 25 calls, exactly as Turini reads them, with the distance from the start.

5 mRight 4 long

240 mLeft 6

730 mBridge

1.73 kmRight 4 long

4.75 kmLeft 6

4.88 kmLeft 3 tightens

5.34 kmRight 5

5.42 kmLeft 4

5.88 kmLeft 6

6.36 kmLeft 6

6.47 kmRight 6

6.62 kmLeft 6

7.02 kmRight 6

7.14 kmLeft 3 opens

7.27 kmRight 4 long tightens

7.45 kmLeft 4

7.71 kmBridge

8.47 kmLeft 6

8.94 kmRight 6

9.16 kmRight 6

9.36 kmRight 3 tightens

9.47 kmLeft 3 long

9.61 kmRight 6

9.81 kmRight 5

9.89 kmLeft 6

That takes you to 9.89 km. 29 more calls follow over the remaining 9.8 km.

Before you drive the Snake Pass

Open all year, but often the first road between Sheffield and Manchester to close in snow, and it has had long closures for subsidence.

The weather on the tops is often worse than in the valleys, and there are few places to stop. Watch for sheep and cyclists.

How to drive the Snake Pass with Turini

Set the route before you leave and Turini saves its notes on the phone, so it works with the screen off and no signal. On the road it reads each call about 4.5 seconds before the corner, timed to your speed, and you never touch the phone. It also works through Android Auto. If pace notes are new to you, start in Simple mode (Easy, Medium, Hard) and switch to the 1–6 scale once it feels natural.

Always drive within the law, the conditions and what you can see. Turini tells you what the map says; the road is what counts.

More roads like the Snake Pass

Cat and Fiddle RoadEngland15.2 km · 75 calls

Horseshoe PassWales10.5 km · 33 calls

Evo TriangleWales20.1 km · 91 calls

Best driving roads in Europe · Best driving roads in the UK · All famous roads · How to read pace notes

Sources: Wikipedia: Snake Pass, Wikipedia: A57 road.

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