I suppose desolation is relative, the west of Ireland in parts seems desolate, but really you’re never that far (maybe no more than 10 miles) from a town or village, anywhere you go on this island.
I’m quite amazed to hear that: I’d always assumed it was called the Snake because it is twisty. Wikipedia agree with you but I may just put it to our local forum (Sheffield) and get back to you 
Now that I think about it, you are fairly likely to find a pub out in the bleakness so long as there was a coaching route. Rannoch moor has reputedly the oldest inn in Scotland.
The road between Edmundbyers and Stanhope is pretty desolate, and looks even more so on Streetview as their car goes through a moorland fire. I used to cycle along there back in the day. For fun. Not during fires though.
Another way to find the less touched places - hostel clusters. Once you discount the cities that you’ve heard of, the YHA and its Scottish cousin the SYHA are mostly in out of the way places that are pretty.
I’d suggest the Northern Pennine Moors, thing is, its not even all that pretty to look at, utterly bleak around places such as Meltham and Saddleworth.
If you go up either side of the M62 its as bleak as hell, or around the moors above Holmfirth, Woodhead pass etc. These are not really tourist spots either since they are not visually appealing unless you are a walker, birdwatcher or mountain bike rider.
I go up there quite regularly, nice to get away from folk.It’s usually cold and wet, that drizzly summat and nowt sort of rain
http://stigvista.co.uk/pa/walks/dkpeak/blackhill/blackhill.htm
Fisherfield forest is pretty remote, below Ullapool in Scotland. Some of the most remote Munros in Scotland there. Also the location of the officially most remote spot in the UK mainland, with remote being defined as distance from a tarmac road.
How far?
A mere 7 miles…
I’ve been to Inisheer, one of the Aran Islands off Galway in Ireland. It is desolate as fuck, but it does have a pub!
I was so surprised at this that I had to check it. Looks about right. Extraordinary.
Awesome, this is a great set of suggestions with some interesting surprises.
Anyone been to Connemara or Ballycroy National Park in Ireland?
My ex is from Connemara so I’ve spent a lot of time there. There’s basically a coast road on the outside and two main roads crossing in the middle in a +, and that’s about it. Lots of villages along the main roads, and lots of nothing in between. Parts of it look like the surface of Mars - just red scrub and rocks as far as you can see. And mountains to the north. And lakes.