Honister Pass
The Honister Pass is a mountain pass in the Lake District which today carries the B5289 road, linking Seatoller, in the valley of Borrowdale, to Gatesgarth at the southern end of Buttermere, all in Cumberland.
At its summit, the pass reaches an altitude of 1,167 feet, making it one of the highest in the region, and it is also one of the steepest of the Lakeland passes, with road gradients of up to 1-in-4. The saddle at the watershed is known as Honister Hause, using the local word hause for such a feature.
The Honister Pass is one of three passes that link the tourist area around Keswick, including Derwent Water and Borrowdale, with the valley of the River Cocker, and such lakes as Buttermere, Crummock Water and Loweswater. From south to north these passes are:
- The Honister Pass
- The Newlands Pass
- The Whinlatter Pass
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The Honister Slate Mine and Honister Hause Youth Hostel are located at the summit of the pass.
Footpaths lead from the summit of the pass to Fleetwith Pike to the west, Grey Knotts to the south, and Dale Head to the north.
Honister Pass holds the UK 24 hour rainfall record; in the 24 hours to 6 pm on 5th December 2015, 13.4 inches (341.4 mm) of rain fell there.[1]
