Honister Pass Cycling Guide

​Honister Pass cycling offers one of the Lake District's most landmark, beautiful, and demanding climbs.

Direction: East to West: Seatoller to Buttermere​

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Overview

Honister is one of the Lake District's landmark climbs. Climbing out of the Borrowdale valley via Seatoller is widely considered the harder of the two ways up, serving as a stark, vertical arena where the natural geology of the fells crashes straight into centuries of gritty industrial history.

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The Details

• Distance: 2.4km

• Elevation gain: 248m

• Average gradient: 10.4%

• Maximum gradient: 25% (The opening wall past the first bend)

• At the top: Honister Slate Mine & Cafe

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History & Character

Long before it became a testing ground for modern cyclists, this high mountain pass was a vital, rugged conduit for the region's ancient industrial trade. While the low-level valleys relied on traditional farming, the sky-high crags of Honister were defined by the dangerous pursuit of "green gold": the distinctive volcanic green slate embedded deep within the mountain. Quarrying at the pass dates back to the late 17th century, when pioneering quarrymen began blasting the rock face of Fleetwith Pike. The mine's ultra durable slate quickly earned a prestigious reputation across the UK, reportedly being selected by Sir Christopher Wren himself for the roofing work at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

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Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the pass evolved into a critical branch of Cumbria’s legendary packhorse network. Before any formal road was built, long lines of fell ponies would haul heavy, crated slate down the treacherous tracks toward the Grange in Borrowdale valley. The remote, wild, nature of the pass also made it a major artery for the region's illicit trade. Notorious Cumbrian moonshiners like Lanty Slee heavily utilised the high mountain trails: most famously a high altitude packhorse route known as Moses' Trod, to smuggle illicit local spirits over the fells and away from the watchful eyes of the excise men.

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Production at the mine continued through generational booms and slumps for centuries, until severe labour shortages during the First World War forced a temporary pause. The quarrying industry eventually succumbed to economic pressures, and the mine closed completely in 1989. It sat derelict and forgotten for nearly a decade until a visionary local entrepreneur, Mark Weir, stepped in. Reopening the site in 1997, Weir miraculously transformed Honister Slate Mine into both a fully working commercial quarry again and a genuinely unique tourist destination.  In 2026 they introduced England's very first high-wire Via Ferrata climbing route on the exposed crags above. Although Weir tragically passed away in 2011, his family continues to run the mine today, and its premium slate remains actively sought after by Historic England for the meticulous restoration of Britain's most treasured historic buildings.

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What to Expect

The climb opens deceptively gently, following the valley floor for a brief stretch out of Seatoller. Do not let this flat tarmac lure you into a false sense of security as the moment the road bends sharply to the right, the true nature of Honister is revealed.

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From here, it becomes a genuinely tough, claustrophobic pitch. The road narrows significantly as it squeezes between the sheer rock faces of Honister Crag and Dale Head. You are immediately hit with sustained sections in the high teens, with the steepest, most brutal ramps touching an agonising 25%. There are no switchbacks to help you cheat the gradient here: the road goes straight up the throat of the pass.  This is the hardest part of Honister Pass and it does ease off once you reach the cattle grid at about 900m.

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This brief flattening in the middle offers a short moment of recovery to drop your heart rate before you dig in for one final, lung-burning push to the top. At the summit sits the working slate mine itself. Topping out here is one of the most distinctive experiences in British cycling, as you roll past heavy mining machinery and towering piles of green slate to reach the summit café: a highly welcomed rest stop built entirely from the very stone quarried beneath your feet.

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Guide's Experience

Honister probably doesn't get the headlines of Hardknott or Wrynose, but make no mistake, this is easily the next hardest climb in the region. Because it doesn't have that same legendary reputation for pure savagery, it's dangerously easy to underestimate. I’ll admit there are times I haven't given it the respect it deserves, and it has a nasty habit of biting you back if you switch off.

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Getting your gearing right here is absolutely critical. If you roll into the opening wall under-geared, you will find yourself deep in the red almost instantly, spending all your energy just keeping the bike upright and moving forward. I remember a memorable ride here with a friend that proved exactly how much gearing dictates your experience on these slopes. I didn't have any lower gears left on my bike (34-28), so I was forced to absolutely smash myself against the 25% section from the very first pedal stroke just to keep turning the cranks. My heart rate redlined above 180bpm from the start, and I ended up beating him to the summit by a good five minutes. I was leaning over the handlebars at the top, struggling to get enough oxygen in to recover as I waited for him to finally appear. When he eventually cruised over the line, I found out his "granny gear" cassette meant he had simply had a 'gentle pootle' up the mountain, comfortably spinning away and never once going above 160bpm. I might have won the race, but he definitely won the tactical battle.​

 

If you can manage your effort, the views on this climb are incredible. The open nature of the pass means you get an amazing visual reward as you scale it, but the absolute highlight is at the top. Reaching the summit allows you to look back over the vast majority of the winding ribbon of tarmac you’ve just conquered, all while sitting right in the dramatic, industrial heart of the working slate mine itself.

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This climb features in our Fred Whitton Epic & Classic tours.