View source for Snake Pass

{{Short description|Hill pass in the Derbyshire section of the Peak District}}
{{for multi|the novel by Bram Stoker|The Snake's Pass|the 2017 video game | Snake Pass (video game)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Snake Pass
| photo = Snake Pass - geograph.org.uk - 431557.jpg
| photo_caption = Approaching the summit from the Snake Pass Inn
| elevation = {{convert|1680|ft|m}}
| traversed = [[A57 road|A57]]
| range = [[Pennines]]
| map = Derbyshire
| map_caption = Shown within [[Derbyshire]]
| map_size = 180
| location = [[High Peak Estate]], [[Peak District]], [[Derbyshire]], England
| coords = {{coord|53.4329|N|1.8689|W|type:pass_region:GB|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Snake Pass''' is a [[Mountain pass|hill pass]] in the [[Derbyshire]] section of the [[Peak District]], crossing the [[Pennines]] between [[Glossop]] and the [[Ladybower Reservoir]] at [[Ashopton]]. The pass carries the [[A57 road]] between [[Manchester]] and [[Sheffield]], but it is no longer the main signposted route between those two cities, with traffic instead directed through the [[Woodhead Pass]] to the north.

Like several other roads that cross the Pennines, Snake Pass has a poor [[Traffic collision|accident]] record compared with roads in the UK generally, although more favourable compared with other roads in the area. It is often closed in winter because of snow, and has seen several longer-term closures owing to [[subsidence]] following heavy rain. The road remains a popular route for tourists and motorcycles, however, and sections have been used for semi-professional cycling races such as the [[Tour of Britain]].

==Route and location==
[[File:Pennine Way at A57 Snake Pass summit - geograph.org.uk - 22692.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Pennine Way]] crosses Snake Pass at its summit.]]
Snake Pass runs through the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]]'s [[High Peak Estate]], and lies within the [[High Peak, Derbyshire|High Peak]] borough of [[Derbyshire]]; much of it falls within the [[Hope Woodlands]] parish, the remainder being within the [[Charlesworth, Derbyshire|Charlesworth]] parish.<ref name=map/><ref name=cox>{{cite book |title=English Inn and Tavern Names |first=Barrie |last=Cox |publisher=English Place Name Society |year=1994 |page=36 |isbn=978-0-904889-42-0}}</ref> It is part of the shortest route by road from [[Manchester]] to [[Sheffield]].<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Failures in Earthworks: Proceedings of the Symposium on Failures in Earthworks |first=A. D. |last=Leadbetter |title=A57 Snake Pass, Remedial Work to Slip Near Alport Bridge  Chapter 3. A57 Snake Pass, remedial work to slip near Alport Bridge |editor=Institution of Civil Engineers |publisher=Thomas Telford |page=29 |date=January 1985 |isbn=978-0-7277-0243-2 |doi=10.1680/fie.02432.0003 |url=https://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/pdf/10.1680/fie.02432.0003 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The pass starts east of [[Glossop]] and climbs to the [[Pennines]] [[Drainage divide|watershed]] between the moorland plateaux of [[Kinder Scout]] and [[Bleaklow]] to a high point of {{convert|1680|ft|m}} above sea level, where it crosses the [[Pennine Way]]. After this, it passes a [[public house]] that used to be known as the Snake Inn, and descends through forest to the [[Ladybower Reservoir]] at [[Ashopton]].<ref name=map>{{cite map |title=The Peak District – Dark Peak Area |publisher=Ordnance Survey |id=OL 1 |scale=1:25 000 |year=2010}}</ref>

The name of the road matches its winding route, but actually derives from the emblem of the Snake Inn, one of the few buildings on the high stretch of road. In turn, the pub's name and sign were derived from the serpent on the Cavendish arms of [[William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire]].<ref name=dillon/> In the early 21st century, the inn was renamed the Snake Pass Inn, such that the inn now refers to the road that referred to itself.<ref name=dillon>{{cite book |title=The Pennine Way |first=Paddy |last=Dillon |page=40 |publisher=Cicerone Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-84965-359-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EEbEmUkVf8wC&pg=PA40}}</ref><ref name=turner/>

==History==
[[File:Snake Pass Inn - geograph.org.uk - 5577.jpg|thumb|The Snake Pass Inn was originally called the Snake Inn, but is now named after the pass itself, which in turn was named after the pub.]]
An ancient road between [[Glossop]] and [[Ashopton]] was the [[Doctor's Gate]], which follows the Shelf Brook between Shelf Moor and Coldharbour Moor.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wroe |first=Peter |date=1982 |title=Roman roads in the Peak District |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-2300-1/dissemination/pdf/102/DAJ_v102_1982_049-073.pdf |journal=Derbyshire Archaeological Journal |volume=102 |pages=49–73 |doi=10.5284/1066449}}</ref> It is marked on some maps as a [[Roman road]], though this is disputed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://glossopheritage.co.uk/ghtarchive/docgate/ |title=Doctor's Gate |website=Glossop Heritage |publisher=Glossop & District Historical Society |date=April 1983 |access-date=4 January 2020 |quote=For well over a century it has appeared on maps as a Roman road, and indeed still does, though some of us had been doubtful for many years. |first=G. G. |last=Taylor}}</ref> The route is now popular with walkers and [[mountain bike racing|mountain bikers]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Hidden Places of England |publisher=Travel |page=478 |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-902007-43-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7O-tr4LLVOQC |editor-first=Barbara |editor-last=Vesey}}</ref> In 1932, an [[Iron Age]] axe thought to be more than 2,000 years old was found near the site of this road.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000541/19321105/225/0010|title=Perfectly Shaped Axe Found near Shopton |newspaper=Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald |date=5 November 1932 |access-date=27 March 2015 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Sheffield and Glossop Road Act 1818
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for making and maintaining a Road from the Town of Sheffield, in the County of York, to join the Marple Bridge Road in the Parish of Glossop, in the County of Derby, with a Branch to Mortimer's Road, in the Parish of Hathersage, in the said County of Derby.
| year                  = 1818
| citation              = [[58 Geo. 3]]. c. xxxv
| introduced_commons    = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 8 May 1818
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = {{ubli|Sheffield and Glossop Road Act 1825}}
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = repealed
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo3/58/35/pdfs/ukla_18180035_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Sheffield and Glossop Road Act 1825
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = 
| year                  = 1825
| citation              = [[6 Geo. 4]]. c. xcviii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 20 May 1825
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = {{ubli|Sheffield and Glossop Road Act 1818}}
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = {{ubli|Sheffield and Glossop Turnpike Road Act 1851}}
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = repealed
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo4/6/98/pdfs/ukla_18250098_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Sheffield and Glossop Turnpike Road Act 1851
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for repairing the Road from Sheffield in the County of York to the Marple Bridge Road in the Parish of Glossop in the County of Derby, and the Branch to Mortimer's Road in the Parish of Hathersage in the said County of Derby.
| year                  = 1851
| citation              = [[14 & 15 Vict.]] c. cxxxiii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 7 August 1851
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = {{ubli|Sheffield and Glossop Road Act 1825}}
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
The current road further south was designed as a [[Toll roads in Great Britain|toll road]] to improve communications east of Glossop, which was expanding as an industrial town.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/6497500e-f647-4d1c-8811-03689b770720 |title=John Overend Todd Archive: Howard of Glossop Estate |publisher=National Archives |access-date=26 March 2015}}</ref> It was originally called the Sheffield to Glossop Turnpike and run by a [[turnpike trust]], the Sheffield and Glossop Turnpike Trust, and it shortened the route by 15 miles.<ref name=GHT>{{cite web |url=https://glossopheritage.co.uk/ghtarchive/turnpike/ |title=The Glossop Turnpike Roads |website=Glossop Heritage Trust |date=19 September 2020}}</ref> An [[act of Parliament]] to build the road, the '''{{visible anchor|Sheffield and Glossop Road Act 1818}}''' ([[58 Geo. 3]]. c. xxxv) was passed,{{efn|[[58 Geo. 3]]. c. xxxv,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/changes/chron-tables/local/12 |title=Chronological Tables of Local Acts (1816–1818) |website=[[legislation.gov.uk]] |access-date=6 January 2021}}</ref><ref name=turnpikelist>{{cite web |url=http://www.turnpikes.org.uk/English%20turnpike%20table.htm |title=List of Turnpike Trusts in England |website=Turnpike Roads in England and Wales |access-date=14 January 2021 |first=Alan |last=Rosevear |date=2 September 2017}}</ref> subsequently repealed and replaced in 1825 by [[6 Geo. 4]]. c. xcviii,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/changes/chron-tables/local/16 |title=Chronological Tables of Local Acts (1825) |website=[[legislation.gov.uk]] |access-date=6 January 2021}}</ref> itself replaced in 1851 by [[14 & 15 Vict.]] c. cxxxiii,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/changes/chron-tables/local/40 |title=Chronological Tables of Local Acts (1851) |website=[[legislation.gov.uk]] |access-date=6 January 2021}}</ref> ''An Act for repairing the road from Sheffield in the county of York to the Marple Bridge Road in the parish of Glossop in the county of Derby, and the branch to Mortimer's Road in the parish of Hathersage in the said county of Derby.'' The turnpike trust expired in 1875.<ref name=turnpikelist/>}} and construction was financed by the [[Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk|Duke of Norfolk]] (Lord of the Manor of Sheffield and Glossop) and the Duke of Devonshire (owner of the Ashop Valley).<ref name=Snake2Far>{{cite web |url=https://glossopheritage.co.uk/ghtarchive/snake/ |title=The Snake – A Road Too Far |website=Glossop Heritage Trust |first=Roger |last=Hargreaves |date=22 August 2021}}</ref><ref name=albert>{{cite book |title=The Turnpike Road System in England: 1663–1840 |first=William |last=Albert |page=105 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-521-03391-6}}</ref>

William Fairbank, a surveyor from Sheffield, designed the road, with construction being undertaken by [[John Macadam]]. The road opened on 23 August 1821,<ref name=GHT/><ref name=nhle>{{NHLE|num=1203888 |desc=SK 19 SW Parish of Hope Woodlands Snake Road 11/19 (South Side) Milestone II | access-date=4 January 2021 |quote=The Snake Pass was a toll road sanctioned by Act of Parliament in 1818 and opened in 1821, Thomas Telford engineer.}}</ref> having cost £18,625 to build<ref name=albert/> (equivalent to £{{inflation|UK|0.018625|1821|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}{{Inflation/fn|UK}}). Upon opening, it was the highest turnpike road in England.<ref name=ddt>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000327/19241101/007/0003 |newspaper=[[Derby Telegraph|Derby Daily Telegraph]] |page=3|title=Town and County Gossip|date=1 November 1924 |access-date=27 March 2015|via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The road was immediately popular and increased toll collections of traffic heading to Glossop.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000491/18220504/028/0003 |title=Turpike Tolls to let |newspaper=Sheffield Independent |page=3 |date=4 May 1822 |access-date=27 March 2015 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref> However, improvements in the rival Sheffield and Chapel-en-le-Frith Turnpike, with [[Winnats Pass]] being bypassed in 1819 by a new route via [[Mam Tor]], removed much of the advantage of the Snake Pass route, which also suffered from a greater susceptibility to snow, leading to less than anticipated income.<ref name=Snake2Far/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://glossopheritage.co.uk/ghtarchive/traffic09/ |title=2000 Years of Traffic |website=Glossop Heritage Trust |date=5 February 2023}}</ref> Subsequent acts of Parliament extended the turnpike trust; the '''{{visible anchor|Sheffield and Glossop Road Act 1825}}''' ([[6 Geo. 4]]. c. xcviii) and the '''{{visible anchor|Sheffield and Glossop Turnpike Road Act 1851}}''' ([[14 & 15 Vict.]] c. cxxxiii). Tolls were abolished on the road in June 1870, in return for the local highway boards taking over maintenance responsibilities.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000181/18830508/006/0002 |title=Local Turnpikes Case |newspaper=Sheffield Independent |page=2 |date=8 May 1883 |access-date=27 March 2015 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The [[Local Government Act 1888]] transferred responsibility for maintenance to the new [[county council]]s: in the case of the Snake Pass section of the turnpike road, this was [[Derbyshire County Council]].

The eastern end of the pass is by the [[River Derwent, Derbyshire|River Derwent]]. The river is bridged by the Ashopton Viaduct, built as part of the [[Ladybower Reservoir]] project between 1935 and 1945.<ref>{{cite news |title=To Be Opened By H.M. The King: Full Description of the Ladybower Reservoir |newspaper=Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald |page=7 |date=21 September 1945 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000541/19450921/121/0007 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 1946 the road was designated part of the [[A57 road]].<ref name=Snake2Far/>

Although Snake Pass is still the shortest route between Manchester and Sheffield, the more northerly [[A628 road|Woodhead Pass]], which is less steep and at a lower altitude, is now the primary road link between the two cities.<ref name=sabrewoodhead/> Unlike Snake Pass, the Woodhead route is a [[trunk road]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/860488/Network_management_08-01-2020.pdf |title=Network Management Map |publisher=Highways England |date=January 2020}}</ref><ref name=sabre628>{{cite web |url=https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=A628 |title=A628 |work=Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki |access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref><ref name=sabrewoodhead>{{cite web |url=https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Woodhead_Pass |title=Woodhead Pass |work=Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki |access-date=4 January 2021 |quote=The [Woodhead Pass] crossing replaced the A57 Snake Pass in the early 20th Century, being less arduous. Indeed, the route is mostly made up of more gentle gradients and curves than the Snake Pass [...] the A628 being the major route between Manchester and Sheffield [...]}}</ref> Traffic levels on both passes remained similar until the 1980s,<ref>{{cite Hansard |house=House of Commons |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1984/mar/19/woodhead-route |title=Woodhead Route |date=19 March 1984 |volume=56 |column=335W |access-date=4 January 2021 |quote=A628: August 1973. 4,000 vehicles per day [...] July 1983. 4,000 vehicles per day [...] A57: August 1973. 4,800 vehicles per day [...] April 1981. 3,500 vehicles per day |first=Lynda |last=Chalker |authorlink=Lynda Chalker}}</ref> but the Woodhead Pass route is now favoured<ref name=sabre628/> as it connects directly to the [[M1 motorway (England)|M1]], while Snake Pass leads into the centre of Sheffield.

Despite Sheffield and Manchester being among the [[List of cities in the United Kingdom|largest UK cities by population]],<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/321814/14-802-people-in-cities-numbers.pdf |title=People in cities: the numbers |first=Tony |last=Champion |publisher=Government Office for Science |page=53 |date=June 2014 |access-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> there is no direct motorway link between the two. The [[M67 motorway|M67]] was originally proposed to be a Manchester to Sheffield motorway, but only a small section bypassing [[Denton, Greater Manchester|Denton]] and [[Hyde, Greater Manchester|Hyde]] was actually built.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2016-03-15/sheffield-manchester-route-would-be-first-major-cross-pennines-link-since-m62 |title=Sheffield – Manchester route would be first major cross-Pennines link since M62 |work=[[Calendar (British TV programme)|ITV News Calendar]] |quote=The original plan – half a century ago – was that the M67 would be the start of a trans-Pennine motorway linking Manchester with the M1 in South Yorkshire.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukma/motorways-by-region/m67/ |title=M67 Hyde By-pass and Denton Relief Road |website=UK Motorways Archive |publisher=Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation |quote=It was the intention that, in due course, the motorway would be extended as an improved route through to Sheffield.}}</ref> The [[Woodhead Tunnel]], which carried a [[Woodhead line|Sheffield to Manchester railway line]], was closed in 1981, and it was proposed to use it as part of a motorway link<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.roads.org.uk/motorway/m67/ |title=M67 |website=Roads.org.uk |first=Chris |last=Marshall |access-date=5 January 2020 |quote=The main rail line between Sheffield and Manchester [...] was run into ruin by the Department of the Environment with the intention that its tunnel could be used as an all-weather route for the motorway through the most mountainous section. It was only when one of the best intercity lines in the country had been fully closed that [...] the new motorway route was subsequently scrapped.}}</ref> but linking the cities by road would have meant constructing many costly tunnels and viaducts across the Peak District. Consequently, the plans were shelved, but reports in December 2014 announced a revival of the ambition for a road tunnel to avoid the passes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30277068 |title=Sheffield to Manchester £6bn road tunnel 'plan' announced |work=[[BBC News]] |date=1 December 2014 |access-date=27 March 2015}}</ref>

In 1979, the [[Department for Transport|Department of Transport]] considered closing the road with traffic to be diverted to use the [[A628 road|A628]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/7th-september-1979/20/snake-pass-to-close |title=Snake Pass to close? |work=[[Commercial Motor]] |date=7 September 1979 |page=18}}</ref>

The road remains popular with drivers. A 2008 survey by [[Caterham Cars]] rated Snake Pass the best driving road in the UK.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thestar.co.uk/what-s-on/out-about/snake-pass-is-voted-best-road-1-254557 |title=Snake Pass is voted best road |work=[[Sheffield Star|The Star]] |location=Sheffield |date=16 September 2008 |access-date=27 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402204023/http://www.thestar.co.uk/what-s-on/out-about/snake-pass-is-voted-best-road-1-254557 |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> The following year, it was listed as one of the best roads for driving in Britain by ''[[Auto Trader Group|Auto Trader]]'' magazine, who described it as "offering unparalleled views over Manchester".<ref>{{cite news |title=England's best driving road – revealed |url=http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/car_page_content/englands_best_driving_road_revealed.html |work=[[Auto Trader Group|Auto Trader]] |date=23 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312152642/http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/car_page_content/englands_best_driving_road_revealed.html| archive-date=12 March 2012}}</ref>

==Safety==
[[File:A57 - A dangerous road - geograph.org.uk - 616076.jpg|thumb|An abandoned car left hanging off the edge of Snake Pass, 1983]]
As would be expected for a road crossing the Pennines, Snake Pass has several dangerous bends and blind summits.<ref name=turner>{{cite book |title=Bonjour – Is This Italy?: A Hapless Biker's Guide to Europe |first=Kevin |last=Turner |publisher=Veloce Publishing |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-84584-399-1 |page=17 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJdGZEgTG8gC&pg=PA17 |quote=[...] the infamous Snake Pass, which as its name suggests, is a rather dangerous, serpentine route full of flowing bends and blind crests [...]}}</ref> Like many roads in the [[North of England]] passing through similar terrain, Snake Pass has a poor safety record in comparison to other roads in the United Kingdom<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/motoring/most-dangerous-roads-uk-during-15420090 |title=These are some of the most dangerous roads in the UK during winter |first=Lucy |last=Bond
|date=15 November 2018 |quote=The Snake Pass, which has a poor accident record [...] was once the main signposted route between Manchester and Sheffield, but authorities have since thought better of directing traffic towards this treacherous trail, which is particularly vulnerable to snow and subsidence.}}</ref> but it is not as dangerous as other roads bisecting hilly terrain in this part of England. It was not among the top ten in lists of the most dangerous roads published by the [[Road Safety Foundation]] for [[EuroRAP]] in June 2007 and in July 2010, despite nine of the top ten being in Northern England.<ref>{{cite news |title='Most dangerous' roads in Britain named by safety group |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10454356 |work=BBC News |date=1 July 2010 |access-date=4 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6236636.stm |title=Britain's most dangerous roads |work=BBC News |date=25 June 2007}}</ref> 

In 2012, [[Derbyshire Police]] announced a campaign to monitor motorcyclists using the pass, who are particularly at risk of being involved in a fatal accident.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/police-in-bid-to-reduce-snake-pass-686095 |title=Police in bid to reduce Snake Pass road deaths |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=5 April 2012 |access-date=26 March 2015}}</ref>

Incidents of people being overtaken by bad weather in Snake Pass, and in particular the deaths of three walkers in 1964, led to the organisation of [[Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation|Peak District Mountain Rescue]].<ref name=rescue>{{cite news |first=Jennifer |last=Harby |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-58335440|title=The tragedy that saw the birth of the Peak District mountain rescue teams |work=BBC News |date=28 August 2021|access-date=14 August 2022 }}</ref>

==Weather==
[[File:Snake Pass retaining wall repairs.JPG|thumb|left|Repair work to one of the highway's retaining walls, June 2015]]
In winter the road is often the first of the routes between Sheffield and Manchester to be closed following snow in the area.<ref>{{cite book |title=Mountains of England and Wales |first1=John |last1=Nuttall |first2=Anne |last2=Nuttall |page=293 |publisher=[[Cicerone Press]] |year=1990 |isbn=978-1-85284-037-2}}</ref> In bad storms the entire road over the summit, including marker poles, has been buried in snow.<ref name=ddt/> [[Derbyshire County Council]], who are the [[highway authority]] for Snake Pass, class the route as a priority for gritting<ref>{{cite web |url=https://apps.derbyshire.gov.uk/applications/latest-winter-update/ |website=[[Derbyshire County Council]] |title=Gritting routes |access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref> which is pre-treated ahead of icy weather.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/site-elements/documents/pdf/transport-roads/highways-infrastructure-asset-management/winter-service-plan.pdf |website=[[Derbyshire County Council]] |title=Winter Service Plan |page=11 |first1=Paul |last1=Beckett |first2=Bronwen |last2=Terry |date=November 2020}}</ref> The local borough council, [[High Peak Borough Council]], who are not responsible for gritting, have stated that they would prefer streets in towns and villages were treated instead, as they believe that roads such as Snake Pass will be closed anyway.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.highpeak.gov.uk/sites/default/files/meetings/papers/HPBC_04_Environment_Select_Committee_20100309.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052227/http://www.highpeak.gov.uk/sites/default/files/meetings/papers/HPBC_04_Environment_Select_Committee_20100309.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |title=Environment Select Committee Meeting |publisher=[[High Peak Borough Council]] |date=16 February 2010 |access-date=27 March 2015 |quote=[...] it was suggested that [...] resources be diverted to ensure roads through towns and villages were passable, with less emphasis on roads such as the Snake Pass and Cat & Fiddle road which will inevitably be closed. |page=2 }}</ref>

In 1924, Derbyshire County Council spent £2,000 (equivalent to £{{inflation|UK|2000|1924|fmt=c|r=-3}} in {{Inflation/year|UK}}{{Inflation/fn|UK}}) installing underground telegraph wire cables beneath the road, as the above-ground installations were continually broken and disrupted following snowstorms.<ref name=ddt/> The [[Winter of 2010–11 in Great Britain and Ireland|British winter of 2010–11]] was the coldest for decades and the road was closed on numerous occasions.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Derbyshire hit by road and school closures over snow |quote=The A57 Snake Pass is closed in both directions between the Hurst Road junction in Glossop and the A6013. |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-11901184 |date=2 December 2010 |access-date=9 July 2011 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Snake Pass closed as snow returns |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/snake-pass-closed-as-snow-returns-1220905 |first=Sue |last=Carr |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=17 December 2010 |access-date=3 April 2015}}</ref>

== Subsidence ==
Snake Pass has also been closed for longer periods owing to [[subsidence]] in the local area following rain. In January 1932, the road was closed after 200 tonnes of debris fell on it during a heavy rainstorm, covering the surface in as much as {{convert|4|ft|m}} in places.<ref>{{cite news |title=Landslide on the Snake |newspaper=Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald |page=12 |date=9 January 1932 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000541/19320109/337/0012 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In January 2008, a landslip at Cowms Moor following heavy rain caused the road to be closed to all traffic between Ladybower and Glossop, although access was still available to local premises and businesses including the Snake Pass Inn.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/what-s-on/traffic-alert-landslide-closes-a57-1-235050 |title=Traffic Alert: Landslide closes A57 |newspaper=[[Sheffield Telegraph]] |date=25 January 2008 |access-date=26 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052346/http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/what-s-on/traffic-alert-landslide-closes-a57-1-235050 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |quote=The Snake Pass [...] is closed until further notice because of a landslide following heavy rain earlier this week. [...] Access to the Snake Pass Inn is still possible.}}</ref><ref name=nerc>{{cite report |url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/3724/1/OR08006.pdf |title=Walkover survey of a landslide on the A57 (Snake Pass) road at Cowms Moor, Derbyshire in January 2008 |publisher=British Geological Survey |date=16 May 2008 |access-date=26 March 2015}}</ref> A subsequent investigation by the [[British Geological Survey]] showed the road has had a history of subsidence-related long-term closures dating back to the 1930s, including a 1970s project that attempted to strengthen the layer below the tarmac with local rock fill. The road reopened in February, but with temporary traffic lights at the point of the slip restricting traffic to one direction at a time.<ref name=nerc/> In 2012, the road had to be closed several times for resurfacing and strengthening.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/snake-pass-to-close-for-three-weekends-801116 |title=Snake Pass to close for three weekends |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=29 October 2012 |access-date=26 March 2015}}</ref>

In February 2022, Snake Pass was closed to motor vehicles after [[Storm Eunice]] caused heavy rain leading to subsidence. Inspectors examining the road found three [[slump (geology)|slumps]] in a single mile-long section.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-60498001 |title=Snake Pass: Peak District A57 shut for at least a month |work=BBC News |date=23 February 2022 |access-date=1 March 2022}}</ref> Two weeks later, the closure was extended to bicycles, prompting protests; it was reopened on 31 March with weight restrictions and traffic light sections.<ref>{{cite news |first=Greig |last=Watson|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-60906018 |title=A57 Snake Pass: Road to reopen with weight limit |work=BBC News |date=29 March 2022 |access-date=14 August 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Dominik |last=Ochnio |url=https://www.shefnews.co.uk/2022/03/31/snake-pass/ |title=Snake Pass has been reopened with new restrictions |work=Shef News |date=31 March 2022 |access-date=14 August 2022 }}</ref> That August, the council announced it would be partially closed again to investigate collapses, while the road would be examined with a drilling rig.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 August 2022 |title=A57 Snake Pass to close for investigation into landslip |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crgex0k545mo |access-date=18 August 2022 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Harby |first=Jennifer |date=26 September 2022 |title=Snake Pass to close for landslip investigation |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-62974498 |access-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926050234/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-62974498 |archive-date=26 September 2022}}</ref> 

In May 2023, the road was closed again after  [[2021–22 European windstorm season|Storm Franklin]] brought heavy rainfall to the region, causing landslips of up to {{convert|2|metres}}. The closure extended from the turnoff at [[Ladybower Reservoir|Fairholmes]] to the summit.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=15 May 2023 |title=A57 Snake Pass: Landslip repairs will see road shut for five days |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lp8pl7gepo |access-date=22 May 2023 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Due to the ongoing costs in repairing the road, Derbyshire County Council warned in February 2025 that it may not be able to continue maintenance, risking the road's future,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lowbridge |first1=Caroline |title=Snake Pass: Could famous road close to cars? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yrnz5wxgko |access-date=5 February 2025 |agency=BBC News |date=3 February 2025}}</ref> and recent Lidar images show the ongoing challenges the road faces from subsidence.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Petley |first1=Dave |title=The growing landslide threat to the Snake Pass in northern England |url=https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/snake-pass-2 |website=Eos |publisher=American Geophysical Union |access-date=5 February 2025}}</ref>

==Cycling and hiking==
Snake Pass is a popular route for cyclists. A 1902 report on leisure cycling in the ''[[Lancashire Evening Post]]'' described the eastward journey from the summit to Ashopton as "nine miles unbroken freewheeling" and the scenery as "magnificent".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000711/19021203/068/0004 |title=Cycling Notes by Ixion |newspaper=Lancashire Evening Post |page=4 |date=3 December 1902 |access-date=27 March 2015 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The road is one of only a few road climbs in the UK that are comparable in length and average gradient (approximately 7 per cent for around {{convert|3.2|mi|km}} when starting in Glossop) to those used in continental cycle racing.<ref name=jones>{{cite book |title=Mad Dogs and Englishmen: A Year of Things to See and Do in England |page=50 |first=Tom |last=Jones |publisher=Random House |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-7535-4957-5 |quote=[...] one of only a few roads that can compete with the hill stages of Alpine cycling [...] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7OIDYUCBNl4C}}</ref> The road had been part of an {{convert|82|mile|adj=on}} "Tour of the Peak" race, involving climbing the pass twice,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000379/19430618/019/0003 |title=Cycling : Despatch from "Clubman" |newspaper=Lichfield Mercury |date=18 June 1943 |page=3 |access-date=27 March 2015 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> and has frequently featured in the [[Tour of Britain]] along with another nearby favourite, [[Holme Moss]].<ref name=jones/>

[[Cycling Time Trials]] sanctioned hill climbs are regularly promoted on this course by local club Glossop Kinder Velo.<ref name=gkv>{{cite web |url=http://www.glossopkindervelo.co.uk/index.php/cycling-events/snake-pass-hill-climb/ |title=Snake Pass Hill Climb |publisher=Glossop Kinder Velo |access-date=4 January 2020}}</ref> The record for completing the course is 11 minutes 51 seconds, which was set by [[Tejvan Pettinger]] in 2014.<ref name=gkv/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/british-racing/tejvan-pettinger-wins-glossop-kinder-velo-hill-climb-134358 |title=Tejvan Pettinger wins Glossop Kinder Velo hill-climb |newspaper=[[Cycling Weekly]] |date=31 August 2014 |access-date=27 March 2015}}</ref>

The annual [[Four Inns Walk]] has traditionally used parts of the route.<ref name=rescue/>

==Bus route==
[[File:KTD HulleysOfBaslowEvOrA.jpg|thumb|[[Hulleys of Baslow]] [[MCV Evora]] in [[Glossop]] on the final day of the [[X57 Snake]] service in January 2022]]
Between October 2020 and January 2022, [[Hulleys of Baslow]] operated the [[X57 Snake]] bus route, which ran between Sheffield and Manchester via the Snake Pass.<ref name="bus">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/transport/new-sheffield-manchester-bus-route-across-peak-district-could-be-countrys-most-picturesque-2973111 |title=New Sheffield-Manchester bus route across Peak District could be country's most picturesque |date=16 September 2020 |work=The Star |location=Sheffield |first=Robert |last=Cumber |access-date=2 October 2020}}</ref> The service was withdrawn on 9 January 2022 because low ridership made the route unsustainable.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kessen |first=David |date=26 November 2021 |title=Sheffield to Manchester bus route via Snake Pass to be withdrawn in the New Year |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/transport/sheffield-buses-hulleys-to-scrap-sheffield-to-manchester-x57-snake-pass-service-3473481 |work=The Star |location=Sheffield |access-date=20 January 2023}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
Snake Pass has been referred to several times by music groups. The track "The Snake" by Sheffield band [[The Human League]], from their 2001 album ''[[Secrets (Human League album)|Secrets]]'', is about the road.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/homes-and-gardens/places-to-live/taking-the-high-road-from-glossop-to-ladybower-6499526 |title=Taking the High Road from Glossop to Ladybower |journal=Derbyshire Life and Countryside |date=21 July 2012 |access-date=4 January 2021 |via=Great British Life |quote=The fame of the Snake Pass has spread well beyond the Peak District [...] the Human League even wrote a song about it, featuring the refrain: ‘Come and join us/Come and join us/From the valley to the hillside/From the upside to the down’. |first=Mike |last=Smith |publisher=Archant Community Media}}</ref> The [[Squarepusher]] album ''[[Selection Sixteen]]'' features a track entitled "Snake Pass", described by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' as a "monomaniacal thump".<ref>{{cite book |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/773 773] |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7432-0169-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/773 |editor-last1=Brackett |editor-first1=Nathan |editor-link1=Nathan Brackett |editor-last2=Hoard |editor-first2=Christian David |editor-link2=Christian Hoard |quote=[...] only the monomaniacal thump of "Snake Pass" delivers the goods.}}</ref>

Comic character [[John Shuttleworth (character)|John Shuttleworth]] has performed a song called "Incident on Snake Pass" about the perils of Snake Pass,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/comedy-news/john-shuttleworth-lowry-review-theatre-12511469 |title=Review: John Shuttleworth at The Lowry |first=Sarah |last=Walters |date=26 January 2017 |work=[[Manchester Evening News]]}}</ref> relating to an accident he claimed to have had, driving a [[Ford Anglia]] on the road.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/news/shuttleworth-s-on-a-roll-1-2227188 |title=Shuttleworth's on a roll |newspaper=[[The Visitor (newspaper)|The Visitor]] |date=20 October 2010 |access-date=28 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053425/http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/news/shuttleworth-s-on-a-roll-1-2227188 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |quote=I had the incident on the Snake Pass in the Ford Anglia. |first=Holly |last=Blackwell}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kinder-edale-and-the-dark-peak National Trust description of the area]

{{good article}}
{{High Peak}}

[[Category:Mountain passes of England]]
[[Category:Peak District]]
[[Category:Scenic routes in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Transport in Derbyshire]]