Derbyshire's Snake Pass turns 200

Opened on August 23, 1821, Snake Road was designed to be a toll road connecting Sheffield to Manchester.

The optimism and fanfare of that first August dissipated mere months later when it was clear the road was not ideally suited to winter weather – 200 years later the route is still closed for an average of 70 days out of the year.

Historian and expert Howard Smith said: “It’s a famous road. It’s an exciting road but in bad weather it’s a dreadful road. It’s always the first road in the country to be closed at the first sign of snow.

“When the road was first opened there was terrific excitement and great optimism. Once people travelled in winter it changed.

“It operated as a toll road until 1875 but it always lost money. Royal Mail sometimes had to send post to Sheffield via Leeds because they couldn’t get over Snake Road."

The idea for a new road connecting Sheffield to Manchester first came about when the War of 1812 ended and Americans resumed business with Britain.

Roughly one third of Sheffield’s workforce was connected to American trade at that time and when orders started coming in again, a road that could get goods to the ports in Liverpool faster was sought.

Howard, who has written a book about the road - called The Story of the Snake Road and the Sheffield to Glossop Turnpike Trail - added: “There was a move in 1970 to close Snake Road from Snake Inn to Glossop.

"One of the other routes was through Hope Valley - they built a bypass but it collapsed because the whole side was unstable. Snake Road was reprieved. It is a very expensive road to maintain. It’s not just the surface that needs work, parts of the road are on unstable ground. Whole sections of the road shift position. But there is no alternative.”

While the Snake Pass has many stories to tell, the one most will be familiar with is that of the Bleaklow Bomber.

The plane, a US Air Force B-29 aircraft, crashed on a routine flight while descending through cloud in 1948 and the crash scene close to the Snake Pass and Glossop can still be seen today.

Although the Snake Pass was only a small section of Snake Road, it has become a popular synecdoche to refer to the whole of the road, and it shares the name with the former Snake Pass Inn pub.

Opinion among motorists today is divided on this historic road, with some locals claiming it to be a beautiful route to visit, and others suggesting it is simply too dangerous.

Robert Jones said: “I absolutely love Snake Pass. It’s one of the best driving roads you can possibly have. It is one of my favourite places to have a drive.

“It can be dangerous - there are quite a few hairpins. I just make sure I drive safely.

"I would like to see it kept as a dominant road.”

But Steve Slack, who rarely uses the Snake Pass, said: “I don’t use Snake Pass primarily because it’s too dangerous, but also for environmental reasons.

"I think we should discourage people from using the roads..

“It’s got too much traffic to maintain. Lorries and people rushing and overtaking. I think since lockdown people have been driving faster.

"The last time I used the road was to go out walking.”

Pete and Barbara Davies said: “It is a brilliant road, it’s so spectacular.

“I always take others on Snake Pass. They are immensely impressed.”

Aileen Smith has used the road sporadically for years.

She said: “It’s a lovely road. I always found it to be pretty well maintained.

“I prefer it to a motorway, it feels safer than being on a motorway sometimes. A lot of problems are down to the drivers being unsafe on the road. I use it when going to Glossop and going to the airport. I would like to see it being kept in use.”

While some cyclists do use the Snake Pass, high winds, lack of a cycle lane, and fast-moving traffic make it a challenging endeavour.

Matt Turner, an avid cyclist, said: “I would not use Snake Road because it is a death trap. Making Snake Road safe for cyclists is not a priority. What I think is important is access to the Peak District for cyclists.

"The main problem is the short roads that you can’t use if you ride a bike. We really, really need cycle paths so that cyclists have that same sense of freedom.”