The road, whose hair-raising bends are often made treacherous by bad weather, was first designed as a toll road by the famous engineer Thomas Telford and financed by the Duke of Devonshire.
Opened on August 23, 1821, at the time it was England’s highest turnpike road.
One amusing tradition that takes place near the road is the annual Great Kinder Beer Barrel Challenge. The original challenge was laid down on a bleak January night when Edale shepherd Geoff Townsend complained that the Old Nags Head Inn had run out of his favourite beer. Geoff jokingly offered to fetch a barrel from the Snake Pass Inn, only three miles away as the crow flies, but with 900ft of ascent and descent in between.
The landlord challenged him to do just that, with the promise he would win its contents, and now teams race carrying barrels on mountain rescue stretchers.
9. Snow victim
An abandoned car on the roadside on the Snake Pass as heavy snowfall across parts of the UK caused widespread disruption in December 10, 2017 Photo: Danny Lawson
10. Snow danger
A crashed van is recovered on the Snake Pass as a blast of snow hit the north of England in November 2018 Photo: Danny Lawson
11. Snow spectacle
A car navigates a snowy Snake Pass in November 2018 Photo: Danny Lawson
