Is the Lake District's Hardknott Pass too dangerous to drive? Travel writer SIMON HEPTINSTALL describes the joys of taking the extreme route – as some call for avoiding cars altogether

Tight hairpin bends lead to a terrifyingly steep gradient. The crumbling asphalt seems to rise before you like a tidal wave.

A stream of rainwater splashes across the middle of the road like a mountain stream.

The last time I climbed the road I reached the steepest part, reached down to shift gears, but found myself already in first. At that moment, a sheep walked nonchalantly in front of me.

On a rainy day it seems incredible that the Hardknott Pass in England's Lake District is officially classified as a normal public road. It is so steep and difficult that motorists are often warned to take huge detours that can double the distance and add an hour to the journey.

Now some are calling on motorists to avoid the road altogether.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) tells road users: 'It has steep gradients and is a single track road, so depending on the rider or driver experience it may be a road to avoid. It is not advisable to put yourself in danger.'

IAM spokeswoman Heather Butcher said: 'You can read online reviews from various sources confirming that it is a challenging road, a thrill etc, but we would advise all motorcyclists and motorists to approach such roads with caution.'

Even Cumbria Police say that 'people should not look to challenge themselves'.

'We are discouraging guests from coming over the Hardknott Pass,' says local multi-holiday home owner Greg Poole, and even Gill Haigh, MD of Cumbria Tourism, warns: 'We advise everyone to check the weather before heading out, and taking into account the time of year as the highs can be treacherous.'

A recent Tripadvisor reviewer who innocently drove up the pass with her family reported that she “thought we were all going to die.” Her ten-year-old son asked for his inhaler due to a panic attack. “Do yourself a favor and walk,” she wrote.

At the same time as all these concerns, the infamous route has become something of a landmark. Some consider it a rare example of an old-fashioned road worth celebrating.

Hardknott is a short stretch in very mountainous terrain, just behind England's highest peak, Scafell Pike, and our deepest lake, Wastwater.

The colorful owner of nearby Muncaster Castle, Peter Frost-Pennington, regularly drives via Hardknott and calls it 'one of the most exciting and incredible roads to drive, cycle or walk in the whole world', adding: 'It should be on everyone's bucket list.'

And Lakes holiday home owner Greg Poole may warn his visiting guests to take a different route, but choose to take Hardknott himself. “I love driving,” he says. 'It is exciting, challenging, beautiful, sometimes scary but never boring; you certainly won't fall asleep behind the wheel.'

The problem for Hardknott is that naive tourists take the scenic drive west from the chic atmosphere of Ambleside's tea rooms. Often they drive straight into Hardknott – one of the most challenging stretches of road in Europe, with a succession of one in three hairpin bends.

How does Hardknott Pass really drive?

The road approaching Hardknott initially rises gently from a small lake. Signs warn motorists: 'Narrow road. Heavy turns.' By then it's too late. There is no alternative route.

The road quickly becomes a series of ridiculous hairpins the width of a bridleway, with a constantly disintegrating surface and unguarded gradients of hundreds of metres.

The most difficult section of Hardknott is less than a few kilometers long, but rises 316 meters at a gradient of 25 percent. The last scary part is a breathtaking 33 percent. The sign 'unsuitable for caravans' next to it seems a humorous understatement.

These slopes are steeper than most Alpine passes and cross the famous mountain stages of the Tour de France cycling race.

A few elite cyclists manage to climb the pass. Mailonline travel editor Ted Thornhill bravely attempted the pass on two wheels last summer, telling how he had to dismount and push his bike at several points.

A 2019 Eurosport documentary followed a cyclist through a rigorous six-week training regime in preparation for Hardknott's approach. In the end, probably to the horror of the program makers, he still failed to catch up.

My own experience of Hardknott was as a car passenger with a super-confident military team on their way to climb Scafell Pike. Unaware of the dangers of the pass, we hit the switchbacks in the early hours amid torrential rain. The driving officer struggled as the wheels strained repeatedly and the engine screamed.

Amid a tsunami of special swear words we made up, but the driver stayed in the car to recover while we climbed the peak and then he took the longer route back.

My second visit was winding down – with a businessman in his new Jaguar. I had warned about the Hardknott descent, but he thought his shiny Jag could easily tackle a small Cumbrian gradient.

However, within seconds of reaching the edge of the pass, he discovered a type of road he had never encountered before. His wide luxury limousine was completely inappropriate.

He pulled up the rocky edge to catch his breath. Red-faced and silent, he made his way to the foot of the hill at a speed of several kilometers per hour.

Finally I set out to tackle Hardknott both down and up in my own car.

Yes, sometimes it feels like you're falling backwards, but when your car is 100 percent fine, the weather is good and your revs and gears are good, it's all quite fun.

For drivers in this age of health and safety, smart highways and self-driving cars, Hardknott seems like a flashback to a time when you had to concentrate as if your life depended on it (it does).

The reward for all that hectic steering and shifting is access to a mountain landscape of wild beauty. Waterfalls, steep cliffs and views must be the same as they were for the Romans who first built the road.

On either side of Hardknott, cliffs rise into the clouds, while strong mountain sheep roam confidently across the road. They don't worry about 'traffic'. To them it must seem as if the cars are the outsiders.

Devon Moods: Landscape Photography Inspired by Devon, with photographs by Gary Holpin and text by Simon Heptinstall, is now available from Amazonpriced £15.99.