Great Dun Fell is a route that meanders through the stunning English countryside, providing amazing vistas and the opportunity to take in the area’s natural beauty. This road is a well-traveled route for both residents and visitors in the North Pennines. Even for the most seasoned drivers, the road’s narrowness, steep inclines, and hairpin twists make it difficult to navigate.
In addition to other sights you will see on your tour, Great Dun Fell is reputed to be Britain’s highest asphalted road, making it a fantastic route to drive on.
Where is the Great Dun Fell road located?
A road called Great Dun Fell is situated in the North Pennines, an area in the English county of Cumbria that has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Great Dun Fell road is a fantastic opportunity to appreciate the North Pennines’ famed rough and untouched nature up close.
The route itself starts in the little town of Knock and travels through the North Pennines’ undulating hills and valleys before arriving at the summit of Great Dun Fell, one of the highest peaks in the region. Even the most seasoned drivers will find it difficult to navigate the route since it is congested, twisting has high inclines, and makes sudden curves.
If you are looking for other nice roads in the UK, you can check the Hardknott Pass or the Lindisfarne Causeway.
You can locate this road on the map below:
Enlarge the map
Information about the Great Dun Fell road:
The Great Dun Fell has an excellent surface and is devoid of potholes. This provides for a pleasant trip, as you might imagine, but it doesn’t lack the adrenaline that drivers seek on roads of this nature. The steep grade is another aspect to consider. Even if the distance you have to drive is only 7 kilometers (4,3 feet), you will endure an average angle of 8% during this stretch.
Additionally, the area is lovely and the scenery is stunning. As you can see, this route offers every aspect that might contribute to a wonderful journey.
This mountain pass is the second-highest road in the Pennines mountain range, rising 848 meters (2780 feet) above sea level.
Great Dun Fell road preview:
You can obviously have a preview of that drive. Here is a YouTube video that shows a cyclist climbing the road:
How to get to Great Dun Fell road?
Start your journey from Penrith, a bustling town tucked away in the gorgeous region of Cumbria, England, to get to the Great Dun Fell route. Take the A686 road, which beautifully winds its way eastward, from Penrith. The beautiful Great Dun Fell will then gradually come into view.
The road will take you to the base of this magnificent natural wonder, luring you to climb to its summit and bask in its splendor. The Great Dun Fell road entices explorers and nature lovers alike to go on an amazing trip with its picturesque route and the promise of extraordinary sights.
You can visualize how to get there on this approximative map of the drive:
Is Great Dun Fell road open?
This route is marked as private and is not accessible by public transportation. Thus it is accessible to horseback riders, cyclists, and walkers.
Overall, this route is a terrific drive, but those who want a little additional challenge may find it tricky due to a difficult rise and a few curves. The journey is visually lovely as well, and because there is minimal traffic in the region, you can take in the scenery of this peaceful section of the UK. You can see that there are many reasons for you to drive to the Great Dun Fell.
Picture credit: By Helen Wilkinson, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14024436 / By Great Dun Fell by Peter McDermott, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=106957946
Discover other roads around the world: click here
