Best driving roads

Here's a list of my favourite roads around the UK and why I love them, post up yours. Let's try and get a definitive list of the best roads in the UK.

The A493 between Aberdyfi and Fairbourne:
A stunning coastal road with plenty of twists and turns, got to be careful with the racing lines though as a lot of it is fairly blind. Road surface is good and it's got some absolutely stunning views over Cardigan Bay. Great pub down in Penmaenpool to finish it off too.

The B4391 - A4212 between Ffestiniog and Bala:
A great minor road starting in the Snowdonia National Park with some great views of the slate mines around Ffestiniog. Some fantastic long sweeping curves in the road with a view of most of what's to come, so some great racing lines through the corner and you can see if it's clear or not. When you get on to the A4212 it gets a little busier, but still a great drive past Llyn Celyn.

The Hardknott Pass between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley (Cumbria):
This pass is on a minor road and can often be closed off in the winter. The surface isn't great and you're never going to pick up much speed on it. If you meet oncoming traffic...well you're knackered. However, it's the steepest road in the UK at 33% and has some of the best switchback hairpins on any road I've ever driven.

The Wrynose Pass between the Duddon Valley and Little Langdale:
On the same road as the Hardknott pass. Pretty much the same except not so many hairpins. Also there's a great pub at the end called the Old Dungeon Ghyll.

The A592 - Kirkstone Pass between Glenridding and Ambleside (Cumbria):
A pleasant but slow drive along Ullswater, however once you reach the pass, as long as you're not stuck behind someone (you won't get past), you can really power it round some great corners with decent racing lines and plenty of visibility.

The B709 through Eskdalemuir (Scotland):
Around 35 miles of some of the best driving in the UK. Not amazing road quality, but it's all intact and fairly wide for a B road. A brilliant mix of long sweeping bends and fast straights in open barren valleys, and tight turns through enclosed forestry. If you get it on a good day, you might only see a couple of cars on the whole road.

A82 between Clifton and Ballachulish (Scotland):
One of the classic roads in Scotland. As soon as you start at Clifton you go into a huge sweeping bend that doubles back on itself whilst climbing and is visible all the way round. From there you have plenty of straight of up to half a mile long and several distinctive climbing bends with good visibility.
Halfway along this drive you'll get to the moor above Glen Coe. This section is full of seriously long straights up to 1Km in length and some crazy views across this massive moor. When you find yourself driving with a small river on your left, you'll be getting towards Glen Coe. Pretty soon the road will start to get closed in with rock faces either side. It won't take long for it to open up again, and you'll see the road dropping away ahead of you into the bottom of the glen. Even more straights! Woohoo!

The A82 between Spean Bridge and Inverness (Scotland):
Another brilliant section of the A82 which follows the Caledonian Canal, Loch Lochy and the famous Loch Ness. Not really much you can say about this road except it's pretty much straight the whole way and stretches pretty much from the West all the way to the East.

The A87 from Invergarry all the way to its end in Uig on Skye (Scotland):
Some more of what the Scottish road builders do best. A mix of stunningly long straights and long sweeping bends with visibility all the way through mixed in with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

The Applecross pass between the A896 and Applecross (Scotland):
Just do it! The 10 hour drive from mid wales to this beautiful single track road alone is worth it! Pure driving bliss in the middle of nowhere culminating in a view of Raasay and Skye, one of the most incredible views in the world! And at the end is one of the best pubs in the UK serving some of the best and freshest seafood you can get along with some pretty damn tasty venison. This road takes a good hour or so to drive. It's not worth pushing it too hard until you get to the main pass as it climbs over the mountains and you get to the hairpins.

That's as many as I can think of at the moment. Post your favourite roads!

Awesome! Cheers for posting this up man - need to get a bit of a convoy on some of the Welsh ones!

No worries bro. Road Trip!

The Hardknott Pass between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley (Cumbria):
This pass is on a minor road and can often be closed off in the winter. The surface isn't great and you're never going to pick up much speed on it. If you meet oncoming traffic...well you're knackered. However, it's the steepest road in the UK at 33% and has some of the best switchback hairpins on any road I've ever driven.

The Wrynose Pass between the Duddon Valley and Little Langdale:
On the same road as the Hardknott pass. Pretty much the same except not so many hairpins. Also there's a great pub at the end called the Old Dungeon Ghyll.

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These twop are very famous in terms of road rallying. Another good road is Abergwesyn-Tregaron pass. Thats also well known for road events. I really want to drive over epynt.

Quote :

The A493 between Aberdyfi and Fairbourne:
A stunning coastal road with plenty of twists and turns, got to be careful with the racing lines though as a lot of it is fairly blind. Road surface is good and it's got some absolutely stunning views over Cardigan Bay. Great pub down in Penmaenpool to finish it off too.

agree'd
right fun little bit of road that

also ...penparcau to devils bridge..so testing and so rewarding

Machynlleth to Llanidloes

claymore wrote:

Machynlleth to Llanidloes

this

GJH wrote:

These twop are very famous in terms of road rallying. Another good road is Abergwesyn-Tregaron pass. Thats also well known for road events. I really want to drive over epynt.

A cracking road! Is that the one with the devils stair case on it? If it is, I've had some great fun over there.

Thats the one!

Another great section of road:
There's a back road between Goginan and Cwmerfyn that starts off going up through the forest. Watch out though, parts of it are gated though so you'll need to get out to open them. It's got a brilliant set of hairpins on a very loose surface so you can get lots of rear end action . It's not very long, only takes about 20-25 minutes to drive, but it's really good if you fancy taking the back roads over that way.

To get there, you need to turn off the A44 just opposite the Druid Inn to drop down into the valley. Turn right at the T-junction, then the next left. Keep going until the end of the road where you then need to take a hard right. Then just stick on that road for some dirty gritty bliss all the way until you get to Cwmerfyn.

Let me have a quick word with the rally boys to find some more....

Nice one! It'd be good to build up a guide of roads based on areas.

Theres a road over the hill between haverfordwest and cardigan which is pretty good.

Also, a little different, the section of motorway just after the severn Bridge turn right towards Bridgewater, I like that section, hardly and cameras or police!

The one over the preseli mountains that cuts out fishguard?

^^^ Yeh I think thats it. Drove it for the first time in the fiesta at like 1am comming back from a meet on my way back to uni in Reading (Yes, I read the sign for carmarthen wrong!), was quite good fun!

There are actualy some alright bits of road down the Gower too, but in no way do I have the right car for them!

RustySub wrote:

Another great section of road:
There's a back road between Goginan and Cwmerfyn that starts off going up through the forest. Watch out though, parts of it are gated though so you'll need to get out to open them. It's got a brilliant set of hairpins on a very loose surface so you can get lots of rear end action . It's not very long, only takes about 20-25 minutes to drive, but it's really good if you fancy taking the back roads over that way.

To get there, you need to turn off the A44 just opposite the Druid Inn to drop down into the valley. Turn right at the T-junction, then the next left. Keep going until the end of the road where you then need to take a hard right. Then just stick on that road for some dirty gritty bliss all the way until you get to Cwmerfyn.

That is good little road Dad spun a seirra on the devils staircase, 180, he still to this day is shocked by it

Hah fairplay to your dad Chris. I think my dad and Huw (cwrt) managed to roll a car on that Goginan road years ago when they were playing at being rally drivers.

im not sure who you are rustysub.. :/ lol!

Ye dad did it on the striaght bit between the 2 corners on ice, lucky it went 180 not 90 degress I was at cwrt today, showing off my new ride hahah!

Hes Callum Stone

Callum! well fuck me! didnt know you would be on this. Get a project thread going on the disco. Your always fixing it haha!

Hes not got the disco anymore, hes got a derv astra that he took out to sea!

your joking ye mickey....poor show callum, poor show

The Disco went just over a year ago now Hmmm yeah, I did do a lot to it didn't I. Certainly would have been worth a weekly update thread. Poor show?! You're the one that had a shitty corsa and now drives a volvo 360 Pot, kettle and black comes to mind here.

haha, i loved the corsa, used less fucking feul than the volvo lol!

GJH wrote:

Let me have a quick word with the rally boys to find some more....

...And these are the replies

Beulah to Newbridge on wye.. shame about the traffic lights half way through. could be a tight squeeze without them though

Trough of Bowland
Grinton Moor
Chapel-en-le-Frith to Mam Tor (well on my GSXR anyway)
Goyt Valley
Corney Fell

start at castleside county durham,take the road for stanhope for 3/4ml turn right at healyfield through comb bridges,muggleswick.edmundbyres,ruffside then turn right onto the road round the northside of the reservoir to barleyhill, nice roads.

A686 from Melmerby to Hartside Summit and on down to Alston.

Osmotherley to Hawnby - North Yorks Moors. B6270 Nateby to Muker - Yorkshire Dales. Tan Hill - Yorks Dales.

A65 from Skipton to the M6 is pretty good fun

middleton in teesdale to brough magic road

'A' road from Leyburn to Hawes and then the 'B' road up and over the top and down to Ingleton, make this blast every other Saturday night

Skipton Bypass
Settle Bypass
Clapham Bypass

I'm just copying and pasting here by the way.