What a Daft Idea! Conquering the Woodhead Pass Snow Storm!

Driver Jatt

What a Daft Idea! Conquering the Woodhead Pass Snow Storm!

All week I’d been passing signs. Big, yellow, electronic ones flashing a polite warning: the A628 Woodhead Pass from Manchester to Sheffield is best avoided. “Interesting weather” is coming, they said. Not a problem, I thought. It’s just a single road. There’s a whole network of motorways and A-roads throughout the British Isles I can use, right?

Well.

The stars aligned, some mischievous godly force intervened, and a last-minute job for a client in Sheffield with a “must go today” deadline found me on that very road, in the thick of that very storm. What a daft idea.

The Ascent: A Lesson in Frozen Slush

It was… interesting. The roads went from wet to a treacherous, icy slush faster than you could change the radio station. The slush was freezing as it was falling. I could hear the strained revving of engines and the helpless spinning of wheels on black ice ahead of me. Gripping the wheel, crawling along in a low gear, I had a feeling this might end up being a very long night. A cold, hungry, long night. And I hadn’t even got any food 🍲😐😭.

After a tense, slow-motion drive of slipping, sliding, and generally hoping not to become a permanent feature of the Pennine landscape, I finally cleared the pass and breathed a sigh of relief that fogged up the windscreen. Sheffield never looked so welcoming.

The Return: Bloke Logic vs. Common Sense

Job done in Sheffield, I faced the return leg. I had options. The sensible, grown-up thing to do would be to use the motorway network. Soak up the extra miles in exchange for guaranteed gritted tarmac and fewer cliffs.

But that would be boring. 💤

As blokes, we generally thrive on doing things we really shouldn’t. There’s an unwritten obligation to dash along the knife-edge between genius and stupidity. Often, the latter is the winner. However, occasionally, our stupidity compels us to knock on the door of genius.

Which is why I pointed the van back towards the Woodhead Pass.

Thankfully for me (and for everyone else on the road that evening), the snowplough and gritter had done their heroic rounds. The pass was transformed. The deadly ice was now just a crisp, white blanket. The perilous climb became a serene journey through a snow-kissed tree line and a landscape silenced by the storm. It was breathtaking. This was the reward for the earlier ordeal.

The Courier’s Verdict on the A628

Let’s be clear: I don’t recommend storm-chasing for fun. But knowing a road like this—really knowing it, in its best and worst moods—is part of the job. It’s local knowledge, but for the long hauls. It’s understanding that the “interesting weather” warning is serious, but also knowing that once it’s been treated, it’s one of the most stunning drives in the country.

PS – Google the A628 Woodhead Pass. It’s an amazing driving road with breathtaking views all year round. One day I’ll have someone with me to take proper pics. For now, this is all you get. 🤓 But if you ever need something delivered between Manchester and Sheffield and wonder if your courier knows how to handle the Pennines, you’ve found him.