Glossop to Sheffield (A57) any chance in this season

daveyroids

I am traveling to Sheffield in a few days time to spend Christmas down there. I am making a detour to pick up my new (Ebay Bargain) commuting bike from Glossop. I drive a small 2 wheel drive Suzuki Splash and will have children in the back.

Is the A57 a well maintained road during the winter or shall I avoid it in my small city car?

I am aware I am asking about traveling by car on a cycling forum however I am picking up a bike, so hope that makes up for it.

shouldbeinbed

not a hope in hell, its a remarkably picturesque rural road that winds through the hills by some perilously long drops, it closes for winter in Spetember and reopens the following June even if it is open I would have very serious doubts about it at this time of year.

you may do better on the A628, (head out of glossop towards manchester and then follow signs to Sheffiield throught Tintwistle) it runs almost parallel but a tad further north and whilst still lethal and exposed over the moors is the more popular road with trucks and more effort is made to keep it open. you're still a braver man than me though.

Getting to Glosop will be dicey in itself if theres been recent snow.


Edit - just clocked you'll have kids in the car. seriously, if you have to make the trip across and back,consider the motorway all the way, you'll get to about 4 miles from Glossop off the end of the M67 at Hyde it'll be 30 odd miles longer ech way but I've see enough cars in ditches and holes in the wall on those roads not to consider them with my kids in any sort of bad conditions.

ex-pat scot

+1 to the Mway suggestion.
I used to drive over Snake in winter and it's lethal. Lots of bends and gaps in walls where cars have gone through.
To be honest, there are a few posts around on the cost of couriering bikes. That'd be cheaper and safer than adding 60 snowy icy miles to your already fraught journey

BG2000

shouldbeinbed wrote:

it closes for winter in Spetember and reopens the following June even if it is open I would have very serious doubts about it at this time of year.

are you getting Snake Pass muddled up with Stelvio Pass ?!

cougie

I've ridden the Snake Pass and driven it a few times - I'd not do it in the mad winter weather we have at the moment - but I'd be fairly confident it will be open in a few weeks or less.

June ????? :?:

wizzlebanger

Snake pass was classed as open this morning but 'treacherous' according to news.

In this weather, with kids in the back I'd go nowhere near it.

+1 to the motorway.

shouldbeinbed

cougie wrote:

I've ridden the Snake Pass and driven it a few times - I'd not do it in the mad winter weather we have at the moment - but I'd be fairly confident it will be open in a few weeks or less.

June ????? :?:

ok slight exaggeration on opening again (but I'd figured it would be pretty obviously a joke - september too ) but it is a summer road only if you value your safety. even when open in bad weather theres adverse camber corners and the road surface isn't the best for grip to contend with.

open and safe are 2 different things, I wouldn't go near it with my kids anytime soon

by the way if you're down this way in the summer though give it a whirl, the views are sublime.

amaferanga

Snake pass is usually closed if there's even a rumour of snow and remains closed for at least 2 weeks after the last snowfall (or rumour of snowfall) just to be safe

amaferanga

I don't think its really as bad a road as people are suggesting. There are hundreds of roads all over Scotland and the Lakes that are dicier, but the trouble is there are too many idiots with no idea how (slowly) to drive on such a road. All they see is 'A-road' so they assume they can drive at the speed limit (which is 50 mph for most the way between Glossop and Sheffield anyway).

Dan_K

Cycled over it in October and on a bad day the weather can close in at the top. We had some pretty bad fog.
I drove over it between Xmas and NY last year to go mountain biking by the reservoir.
Personally, I don't think it's any worse than the Cat and Fiddle or the silk road from Macc to Whaley Bridge.
If it's bad enough to be closed, the warning lights will tell you not to cross it. Just pay attention, don't drive like an idiot and use your own judgement. If you think it's a rough day, don't risk it.
It's a relatively well surfaced A road so don't worry too much.

jimmypippa

It's been closed at least part of this week. My daughter's school has special procedures so that the kids who live round there can doss with friends and not miss too much school.

stifflersmom

I'd stay clear of the Snake...as a picturesque alternative to the motorway, you could head from Glossop to Hayfield and then Castleton via Winnats Pass, and then to Sheffield through the Hope Valley (A625). It looks stunning at the moment.

daveyroids

I would ask because I have cycled/driven in the hills of Weardale and Cumbria where the weather can get rough. The pass looked a tempting short cut. Got a bit worried by the name of the road so thought I better ask. Have had a look at the suggestions above and will avoid at all costs even if it is open. I think the main A roads between Manchester and Sheffield will be my choice.

jimmypippa

daveyroids wrote:

I would ask because I have cycled/driven in the hills of Weardale and Cumbria where the weather can get rough. The pass looked a tempting short cut. Got a bit worried by the name of the road so thought I better ask. Have had a look at the suggestions above and will avoid at all costs even if it is open. I think the main A roads between Manchester and Sheffield will be my choice.

Probably a good idea this winter.

Another one to avoid is the Mam Nick road into Edale (it runs parallel to Winnats Pass) but there is some "nice" slope to the road, and an insubstantial wooden fence to stop you from the 150m drop... (Not vertical, but still not nice). Today the main roads have mostly looked fine. http://www.buxtonweather.co.uk/ is a good sight to look at road conditions etc round Buxton, which isn't too far out from there. The webmaster's road reports during the snow are far better than anyone else - probably because it consists of him looking out his window, and getting lots of texts and emails from other locals telling him what's happening.

EDIT: by "looking fine" I mean that I have felt almost as secure on the bike this week as in mid summer (except for the dark). The B-road I use is almost completely clear except in a couple of places, where the sides have ice/snow.