Snake Pass slithers across the Pennines between the market town of Glossop and Ladybower Reservoir’s Y-shaped valley. This route, one of Britain's most scenic drives, opened by George VI in 1945.
Whenever it snows, it is usually the first road to close, its elevation of 1,680ft above sea level making it prone to ice.
With treacherous bends and blind summits, this patch of A57 — a Tour of Britain favourite — makes for a hair-raising wiggle, tempered only by the clearest of clear air and a glorious, undulating patchwork of moorland cooled by the gleam of the River Ashop, over which, when descending to Glossop on a fine day, you can see all the way to Manchester.
Credit: Jed Leicester
Toyota Supra: An invitation to a very special club, where fast and furious is the order of business
-
Picture round: Guess the animal in today's Country Life Quiz of the Day, November 6, 2025In today's quiz we're asking you to guess the names of these lesser-known animals.
-
Bunny Mellon: The Truman Capote ‘Swan’, muse and horticulturalist whose creations for The White House were recently lost foreverAs Tiffany & Co. pay homage to Bunny Mellon with a new Bird on a Rock collection, Owen Holmes takes a look at the most iconic garden designs of this heiress-horticulturist, from her Virginia estate to the White House to Versailles.
-
Britain’s most scenic drives: The Black Mountain Pass, Brecon BeaconsOn a quest to find the country's most glorious roads, Annunciata Elwes explores The Black Mountain Pass on the Brecon Beacons.
-
Britain’s most scenic drives: The Atlantic Highway linking Somerset, Devon and CornwallOn a quest to find the country's most glorious roads, Annunciata Elwes is wowed by The Atlantic Highway.
-
Britain’s most scenic drives: The Road to the Isles, ScotlandOn a quest to discover the country's most glorious roads, Annunciata Elwes drives along Scotland's Road to the Isles.
-
Britain’s most scenic drives: A meander through the North CotswoldsOn a quest to explore the country's most glorious roads, Annunciata Elwes takes the wheel in the North Cotswolds.
-
Britain's most scenic drives: The Cheddar Gorge, SomersetOn a quest to find the country's most glorious roads, Annunciata Elwes explores Somerset's Cheddar Gorge.
-
Britain’s most scenic drives: The Causeway Coastal Route, Northern IrelandOn a quest to find the country's most glorious roads, Annunciata Elwes explores Northern Ireland's Causeway Coastal Route.
-
Britain’s most scenic drives: The Hardknott and Wrynose Passes, CumbriaOn a quest to find the country's most glorious roads, Annunciata Elwes explores Cumbria's Hardknott and Wrynose Passes.
