Readers Roads
A5087 - From Ulverston to Barrow-in-Furness
Great driving road with spectacular sea views. Sudden changes in gradient and twists and turns make this road a real pleasure to drive on.
Lindisfarne Causeway - From Beal to Holy Island, UK
Be sure to get the tide right.. the causeway quickly floods. But as a driving road, if you want great straight road, into a nice curve and onto a sandy beach that you can drive on this is for you.
Marine Drive - From Llandudno to Great Orme, UK
A short one way, breathe taking road that circles the Great Orme, stunning climbs, cliff edge driving... a must!
A82 Scotland - From Crianlarich to Glencoe, UK
Its Epic! From the moment the road opens up the scenery will blow you away, the straights give you an excellent view of the road and mountain ranges... don't ever miss this one out.
Causeway Coastal Route - From Belfast to Londonderry, UK
Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast and Glens is a unique region with patchwork-quilt countryside, picturesque fishing villages, golden sands, towering cliffs, silent Glens, a World Heritage site and the home of golfing champions Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell. Experience the region by driving the 120 mile Causeway Coastal Route, which has been described as ‘One of the World’s Great Road Journeys’. Heading north from Northern Ireland’s capital city, Belfast, the Causeway Coastal Route leads you on an easy to navigate odyssey along the Antrim and Londonderry coastline, calling at picture postcard villages and glens with gushing waterfalls and gurgling streams. Tranquil can quickly give way to thrilling as you attempt a crossing of the awesome Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, or just gaze with sheer wonderment at the sight of a UNESCO World Heritage site the Giant’s Causeway. Quaint and colourful seaside resorts like Ballycastle, Portrush, and Portstewart offer a feast of family fun - and the Causeway Coastal Route also boasts spectacular swathes of golden sand. The past too remains an integral part of the area’s rich tapestry, with castle ruins clinging to cliff-edge promontories, and cairns and forts forged in a time when chieftains ruled, all calling out to be explored. The Causeway Coastal Route also provides areas of outstanding natural beauty with views so breathtaking they positively demand to live long in the memory. Sometimes the thrill is in the journey, sometimes it’s in reaching each destination, sometimes, just sometimes - it’s both. Planning your holiday to Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast and Glens could not be easier with various themed Causeway Coastal Route itineraries, special offers, events, places to stay and things to see. For more information visit www.causewaycoastandglens.com
A686 - From Penrith to Haydon Bridge, UK
Endless sweeping corners and long open straights. The AA named the A686 One of the Greatest Drives in Britain owing to the dramatic scenery of the Pennines mountains encountered along its route. The road is popular with motorcyclists, and due to the great number of steep bends many casualties occur along the road. It was recently voted 9th best drive in the country by Top Gear.
B500 - From Bad Peterstal to Baden-Baden, Germany
One of the best roads I've driven. 50 kilometers of almost of lovely twisting tarmac. Corners are usually fast with great view. I drove it during a hot summer evening and apart from some fellow driving enthusiasts, it was pretty quiet.
A836 - From Lairg to Tongue, UK
Single track with passing places from just north of Lairg to Tongue 45 miles north. Stunning scenery and miles from anywhere. There are many passing places just in case you meet another vehicle. I drove this road in a 44t articulated truck and loved every minute of it (both ways) In the whole 45 miles or so I only had to move over for about 6 cars 3 trucks 1 coach and a tandem!.Just stop in one of the many laybys and enjoy the solitude and peace.
Chapmans Peak Road - From Houtbay to Noordhoek, South Africa
Very nice drivers road between houtbay and noordhoek in western cape (sa) caters for a great drivers experience and a magnificent view !
A383 - From A38 to Newton Abbot, UK
Its a nice short 5 mile section of country roads I travel for work. Nice s bends and a nice long straight. Always puts a smile on my face.
The Mountain Road - From Ramsey to Douglas, Isle of Man
No speed limit, no junctions, amazing views.
A4069 Black Mountain Pass - From Upper Brynamman to Llangadog, UK
Scenery is fantastic, great corners and not too much traffic.
A-397 - From Ronda to San Pedro de Alcantara, Spain
This is just about the twistiest, most winding road I've ever found! 51km of 2nd and 3rd gear corners which just seemingly never ends. You have to stay sharp though, you'll have bikes and other lunatic locals appearing in your rear-view mirror constantly. A sudden lapse in concentration could also see you suddenly driving through several hundred feet of thin air if you leave the road! The road surface was perfect, the corners cambered just right and plenty of overtaking opportunities (depending on A: the number of hamsters under the hire car's bonnet, and B: your dedication to getting past anyone in your way) and fantastic scenery as you come down from the plateau to the coast. The road winds through mountain scrubland and pine forest to the azure blue waters of the awaiting Mediterranean.
Nacimiento-Fergusson Road - From Dana Point to Legget, USA
Lots of twisting curves overlooking the Pacific Ocean throughout this 54-mile road. Particularly beautiful in this stretch near Big Sur, California. A favourite section for autocrossers, motor and bi-cyclists
Col De Turini - From Moulinet to La Bollene-Vesubie, France
Zero traffic, high altitude, gorgeous visuals, decent road surface (though very uneven), and lots of hairpins.
Aberystwyth Mountain Road - From Rhayder to Aberystwyth, UK
Great fun to drive, scenery is stunning, good visibility. Twists and Turns.Nice and quite..
A386 - From Plymouth to Bideford, UK
An amazing road to drive come rain or shine. Its 60 miles of fun, with some lovely chocolate box villages along its route. As long as you don't drive this road when its full of caravans you'll always be on to a winner.
B3212 - From Mortonhampstead to Yelverton, UK
This is a no brainer; Dartmoor's breath taking scenery and an amazing road. Nuff said.
Trail of the Dragon - From North Carolina to Tennessee, USA
It's 318 turns over 11 miles of beautiful mountainous roads.
Gospel Pass - Herefordshire - From Hay-on-Wye to Capel Y Ffin, UK
Absolutely outstanding road. Similar to the alps in many respects. View out across the Wye valley for seemingly endless miles. Twists, turns, drops, crests, bridges, small roadside pubs and fantastic scenery. Very much recommended.
A4069 - From Upper Brynamman to Llangadog, UK
Another Top Gear favourite is the A4069 in the Brecon Beacons.
Starting off in a small town it meanders into the Beacons with a wide road which you can see most traffic ahead. Beautiful sweeping corners culminate into a 180 degree hairpin bend then into a series of exciting corners.
One word of warning, the more exciting bends have a 50 foot drop so caution is advised.
Panagia to Skoulli - From Pano Panagia to Skoulli, Cyprus
This is probably one of the most technical and twisty pieces of tarmac on the island. Very challenging and hugely enjoyable. Taken non-stop it's more than 55km of sinuous 2nd to maybe 3rd gear corners. Make sure you have a full tank of fuel because the nearest petrol station is in Stroumpi a good 30km from either end of the run. This run is equally as fun if you're doing it East to West or the other way round.
To get to this road you take the Paphos to Polis road from Paphos and keep going towards Polis, you can either take a right right before the village of Stroumpi and head towards Polemi, continue on that road until you reach the village of Pano Panayia (another nice section up to here already) you then enter the village and take a left at the signs pointing to Stavros tis Psokas and Koilada ton Kedron (Cedar Valley). This is the "start" of the run, this is a very twisty section about 20km long of very twisty and narrow tarmac although they're widening it a bit now. It can be taken pretty fast if you want but you must be cautious of oncoming traffic due to the narrowness of the road. There's little traffic in general but best to be cautious, i've done this run plenty of times and i'm still careful.
Keep on this section until you reach the end of the road. Then you can either take a right which will take you to the Kykkos Monastery and the Troodos mountain range (yet another brilliant run) or you can take a left towards Stavros tis Psokas, we'll take a left for this one. What follows is another very twisty section of 2nd gear corners lasting another 15-20km. Again, the road is narrow so keep to your lane but it's still a hoot to tear down on.
You will eventually reach the Stavros tis Psokas forestry station. There's a small coffee shop and large picnic area where you can stop for a bit, we usually have a half hours' break here to let the cars -and ourselves! cool down.
Once rested enough you can then continue on that road passing the villages of Lysos and Peristerona until you reach the end of the run at the village of Skoulli on the main Paphos to Polis road. This is my favorite part of the run, the section from Stavros tis Psokas until Lysos is an absolutely epic piece of road and truly one of the greatest drivers' roads on the island. Great tarmac quality, a nice width so you dont need to worry too much about oncoming traffic and lovely scenery. This road is not frequently used so it's not uncommon to go through it without meeting a single car coming or going!
Once you reach the Polis road then you can turn left and head right back to Paphos.
This road might not be as picturesque as others but it surely is one of THE roads to test your skills behind the wheel. I HIGHLY recommend this road to anyone! Just try to rent something half-decent if you're thinking of making a few of these mountain runs, this would be an absolute blast with something like an MX5.
I've shot several videos of one of runs on this road, playing around with a mate with an S2000, part one of that is here: www.youtube.com On the video we're taking the road from West to East which is the opposite from what i described above. The video starts from a kilometer or so from the village of Lysos and we're heading towards Stavros tis Psokas.
I also have this route mapped out for sharing here: www.maps.google.co.uk The actual run is the blue line.
Peyia - Latchi - From Peyia to Latchi, Cyprus
This is a road in Cyprus in the Paphos area. It's a lovely scenic route with a nice variety of corners starting from the village of Peyia and ending at the village of Latchi. From wide fast sections to twistier and more technical parts, this road is a good all-rounder and one of my favorite runs. It also offers some great views of the Polis of Chrysochou bay if you're going Peyia - Latchi or equally nice views of the sea near the St. George area if you're doing it Latchi - Peyia. From Paphos you take the road to Coral Bay and then continue straight on St. George avenue. You pass the turn to Peyia and then turn right on the sign that mentions "Latchi" among other villages. You keep on that road until you reach Latchi. At the end there is an intersection, turning left takes you to the Latchi harbour and the Baths of Aphrodite and right takes you to Polis of Chrysochou. On this run you will pass near or through the following villages: Peyia, Kathikas, Pano Arodes/Kato Arodes and Prodromi before reaching Latchi. It's a great road which i highly recommend if you're based in Paphos.
B6265 - B6160 - From Skipton to Leyburn, UK
It's in amazingly good condition for the Dales, with all cambers, great view ahead of oncoming traffic, beautiful scenery, and some dry stone walls for the engine to bounce back off. The journey can be continued on up to Leyburn to the east on the A684 or you can turn west. Though I can't personally vouch for the westbound A684 from that point do you really think you will be disappointed in the Dales?
A93 - From Blairgowrie to Braemar, UK
Not only twists its way through the awesome scottish countryside but several changes in elevation too. Needs to be respected as dips and tightening corners can catch out if not paying attention. Surface is good but some bumps (it is in the wilds of the Highlands). The climb up to Glenshee reveals stunning scenery and then the drop down and along the glen until you reach Braemar. The return trip can be enhanced by taking the B950 to kirkmichael and then the A924 North to Pitlochry. Just the place for a nice fish supper to end an enjoyable run.
A4069 - From Llangadog to Brynamman, UK
This road has pretty much everything. Elevation changes, lots of visibility so you can really enjoy it, it really works your suspension and brakes etc. Its just a nice flowing road with some tight twisty sections too. Its a great test of your ability as a driver and how well your car is setup.
Bells Line Of Road, Blue Mountains - From Sydney to Lithgow, NSW, Australia
Living in Sydney for ten years prior to November 2010 this was a favourite daily drive out. Get started early in the morning to beat the rush out of town, take a picnic, plenty of water and some essential spares then enjoy 30-40 kilometres of amazing country roads, through rain tall forests, deep gullies and twisty climbs. Many picnic spots and amazing lookouts on the route where you'll meet all sorts of interesting people and machinery. (Photo source - http://motorcycleparadise.blogspot.com/ )
Great Ocean Road - From Torquay to Allansford, Victoria, Australia
Having lived in Melbourne for a while this was a favourite weekend away drive, sleep, drive adventure. This 243 kilometre highway is at times carved into sheer cliffs that drop away into the ocean, offering commanding views of the waves from Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean swelling and crashing onto the rocks and beaches below. Frequented by fast cars and bikes at the weekend remember to take the across land route on the way back for fast flowing 'B' roads through forests and farm land. (Text based on http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/) (Pic from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GreatOceanRoad1-Gaz.jpg)
A35 - From Honiton to Bothernhampton, UK
It's not exactly the Ronda road but every time I drive this I'm always surprised how pleasant it is. It's 20 miles or so, so not too long. If you're lucky to catch it when is quiet it's lovely, when it's busy it's still pretty nice.
A470 & A458 - From Welshpool to Barmouth, UK
A great drive to think about if you're heading east though Wales. It's less dramatic than the photo I've added might suggest but a lovely drive never the less. Top Gear magazine published it as a road to drive before you die so it must be pretty good!
A3083 - From Helston to the Lizard, UK
I love this road, nothing to it, just fun.
