Best road you've ever driven on [Archive]

Erki

25th March 2007, 00:32

There's an awesome 30 kilometres(or so) piece of road some 30(or so) kilometres to the south of me. Lots of crests, sweeping blind corners, pretty much like Rally Finland just on asphalt.

raybak

25th March 2007, 08:15

There's this 5km stretch of bitumen out near Wee Jasper just outside the Canberra Border. It is very smooth with some awesome corners, crests and dips. Very quiet bit of road, but you don't want to stuff up as there are no guard rails or fences to stop you from going over the edge.

One of my favourite rally gravel stages is Champagnes in Canberra, it has everything from big drops and twisty mountain roads to fast flowing bits. Shame we can't use it anymore as it's in the water catchment area.

Ray

Hazell B

26th March 2007, 19:06

The A something from M1 Yorkshire to Buxton, Cheshire.

Think Italian Job and you're picturing it :D

harvick#1

26th March 2007, 19:54

What was the most exicting road you have ever driven on and gives you the most pleasure?

easy, a road with a brand new surface :D

LotusElise

26th March 2007, 20:42

The Snake Pass in Derbyshire.

RaikkonenRules

26th March 2007, 21:31

The A something from M1 Yorkshire to Buxton, Cheshire.

Think Italian Job and you're picturing it :D

Think I no where you mean. Been down that road a couple of times, very exiting stuff and good scenery. Think it's A628 if you want to look it up.

BeansBeansBeans

26th March 2007, 22:16

The A59 through Blubberhouses.

ian959

27th March 2007, 05:22

The Great Ocean Road in Victoria - aside from the magnificent scenery, it is a great road to really enjoy driving your car (especially AWDs like the WRX or Lancer Evolutions).

Allyc85

27th March 2007, 20:53

any small back roads over the southern welsh mountains! Drove back the scenic route the other week and never driven with such a massive :D on my face.

FrankenSchwinn

28th March 2007, 17:17

there are NUMEROUS bad ass little roads in the mountains where i grew up but there is one that is freaking scary because of the amount of buses that go up and down the mountain and the steepness of the slope. the road leads to this place: http://www.emosson-lac.ch/

a friend of mine who rides a nice little ducati monster 620 has gone to the "tail of the dragon" and said it was just the best damn road he's ever been on: http://www.tailofthedragon.com/maps_dragon_road.html i have yet to go.

MadCat

28th March 2007, 18:37

Allyc85

28th March 2007, 19:31

hmm ive got a week off soon, I think a road trip through wales is in order!

daz90

28th March 2007, 21:12

The Cat and fiddle, only ever driven it once and a number of years ago, in a van coming back from Daresebury park hotel, and i cant even think what county it is, somewhere near Stoke though. :)

Brown, Jon Brow

28th March 2007, 21:18

The roads over Orton fell in Cumbria from Kendal to Appleby are supurb :up: ;)

J4MIE

29th March 2007, 19:58

Oh and IMO, the best bit is between Dolgellau and Builth Wells :D

I remember driving from Dolgellau down to sweet lamb (ish) a few years ago. Very nice, but my absolute favourite road is a little yellow that runs along the ridge on a hill about 2 miles up the road from here. Fantastic :cool:

But I'd more than happily settle for any gravel road in Finland :D :up:

suzy m

29th March 2007, 20:10

Hayden Fan

29th March 2007, 20:47

No road in the state of Michigan. Smooth wise, I'd go with Toronto. Nice to go fast. The smokey mountains in N.Carolina and Tennessee.

MadCat

30th March 2007, 14:02

As i've only been learning to drive since November and havent ventured out of the Warwick/Leamington/Kenilworth area yet I havent driven on the road im nominating.

That road is the A470 which stretches near enough from Llandudno, North Wales to Cardiff, South Wales http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/maps/pics/roads.gif

Its great to be a passenger on :D Nice scenary and plenty of twisting and flowing roads :D :up: cant wait to be able to drive it. Oh and IMO, the best bit is between Dolgellau and Builth Wells :D

Between posting the above and now, another one is any of the roads around the epynt military range. Once you get up into the ranges, the roads are awesome and the scenary is breath taking!

J4MIE

30th March 2007, 19:21

The section of the A77 between Girvan and Stranraer. :D Lots of bends, up and down hills, along cliffs with the sea crashing onto the rocks below etc. Loads of fun when not in the reach of the yellow vultures. :p : Unfortunately there's massive plans to 'improve' it (for that read remove the more challenging bends).

Yes, that's a brilliant road too. AND, if you've been following a lorry for the previous 30 miles at 40mph and unable to get past making you late for your ferry, it can be quite interesting :D

Between posting the above and now, another one is any of the roads around the epynt military range. Once you get up into the ranges, the roads are awesome and the scenary is breath taking!

If you think the epynt roads are good, maybe you should visit Otterburn sometime to see some proper roads ;)

Gurl Racer

30th March 2007, 23:38

Targa NZ Roads.... hehe. Gotta love being on closed roads. If any of you ever come to NZ, be sure to check out the Taranaki roads.. lots of crests and bumps.. but then the Hawkes Bay roads are just as good ;)

Civic

31st March 2007, 06:32

Ortega Highway in Southern California. Enter "Ortega Highway, CA" in Google Maps. It's about 30 miles of twisty roads through a mountain range.

Zico

3rd April 2007, 16:21

Scotland... From Alexandria head for Loch Lomond take the A82 to Glencoe then the stunning A827 to Aberfeldy, descending into the valley the road snakes ahead in very fast smooth esses, I think its because you are coming down into the valley you can see so far ahead and pick your lines with perfection and confidence, most incredible road Ive ever driven.

The road through Glencoe is also worth a mention, its one of the most eerie places on earth, absolutely still, silent with breathtaking scenary and often with low lying mist.

Easy Drifter

5th April 2007, 21:53

Banff-Jasper Highway. Interesting road, unbielveable scenery, Columbia Icefields, wild life galour, deer, elk, wolves, bear, bighorn, eagles etc.
Fun road: Muskoka 13 Bala to Severn Bridge.

don hodgdon

7th April 2007, 20:35

There have been so many great ones over the years, from the Italian Alps to the always fantastic California Highway One, but the road that gives me the most smiles per mile is Angeles Crest Highway, Hwy 39, above Los Angeles.

grassrootsracer

9th April 2007, 00:13

Tail of the Dragon is awesome (US Highway 129 on the Tennessee/North Carolina border). Pretty much any decent road in the Smoky Mountains/Appalachians is fun. There are a few fun roads back home in Marietta, GA: Riverside Drive, Bishop Lake Road, and Little Willeo. All have some fun corners, serious elevation changes, and nice pond/riverfront scenery.

CharlieJ

10th April 2007, 12:55

The road through Glencoe is also worth a mention, its one of the most eerie places on earth, absolutely still, silent with breathtaking scenary and often with low lying mist.
Not on an Easter weekend,it's not! Nose to tail with tourists! ;)

Mark

10th April 2007, 13:08

The road through Glencoe is also worth a mention, its one of the most eerie places on earth, absolutely still, silent with breathtaking scenary and often with low lying mist.

This pic is on Rannoch Moor, just before you get into Glencoe, the Glen itself is probably one of the best roads in the country.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/85/236713287_550feb4bc5.jpg

viper_man

11th April 2007, 17:41

The Snake Pass in Derbyshire.

Agreed

GridGirl

13th April 2007, 13:17

Is Snake Pass the road that goes all the way to Machester?

I recently drove a JCB Tractor on the road that they build on Top Gear.

Allyc85

13th April 2007, 22:11

lol its still passable then? ;)

Iain

15th April 2007, 21:58

This pic is on Rannoch Moor, just before you get into Glencoe, the Glen itself is probably one of the best roads in the country.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/85/236713287_550feb4bc5.jpg

Is this the same bit of road?

http://www.tomandlaura.fotopic.net/p39980340.html

schmenke

16th April 2007, 17:57

Spectacular drives:

The coastal Route 1 from San Fransisco to Los Angeles.
The Cabot Trail through Cape Breton Island.

El Sween

17th April 2007, 00:14

A281 between Horsham and Guildford is good fun.

wilberforce

17th April 2007, 22:01

Yes, that's a brilliant road too. AND, if you've been following a lorry for the previous 30 miles at 40mph and unable to get past making you late for your ferry, it can be quite interesting :D

If you think the epynt roads are good, maybe you should visit Otterburn sometime to see some proper roads ;)

Agreed, even the run up to Otterburn along the A68 north of the A69 is a barrel of laughs and not for the faint hearted.

Have you got the bottle not to brake before the crests?

Ian McC

17th April 2007, 23:17

The coastal Route 1 from San Fransisco to Los Angeles.

Wonderful drive, would suggest it to anyone :)

wilberforce

18th April 2007, 21:53

Take the road out of Oban going North then turn left at Ledmore junction and round to Lochinver but turn right through what appears to be a council depot and on round Clashnessie & Drumbeg. Kind of takes your breath away.

Jack Harrington

19th April 2007, 04:07

You folks have given me enough ideas, for a lifetime of vacations! Thanks!! When I first read the title of the thread, the first thing that came to mind was, I can't pick just one. If I do this again tomorrow, I'd probably have a different answer, but today the answer is the road around Lago Atitlan, Guatemala. It was dirt all the way around, the last time I was there. That may have changed, since it's been about ten years, since I've been there. It passes through about a dozen villages, and Lake Atitlan appears different from every one of them. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking all the way around.
P.S. And the best part(THEN) was no speed limit, or law enforcement. Have at it!

Mark

14th August 2007, 11:44

donKey jote

14th August 2007, 12:26

Yup, that was one of my favourites :D :up: :up:

Daniel

14th August 2007, 12:51

As i've only been learning to drive since November and havent ventured out of the Warwick/Leamington/Kenilworth area yet I havent driven on the road im nominating.

That road is the A470 which stretches near enough from Llandudno, North Wales to Cardiff, South Wales http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/maps/pics/roads.gif

Its great to be a passenger on :D Nice scenary and plenty of twisting and flowing roads :D :up: cant wait to be able to drive it. Oh and IMO, the best bit is between Dolgellau and Builth Wells :D
There is a better road than the A470 which goes from Betws y Coed to Denbigh over the moors :) Then there's the horseshoe pass to Llangollen. If you ever read an issue of Evo a lot of their driving is done on those two roads.

Iain

14th August 2007, 13:21

'Best' is a difficult concept to pin down, but one of the most challenging roads in England is Wrynose and Hardknott passes, in the Lake District west of Ambleside. Apart from the obligitory spectacular views it's also one of the most challenging drives in the county.

Here is a picture of Hardknott pass, best viewed in full resolution to see the entire road as it snakes up the hill.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1194/1036271103_5a62bb0291_o.jpg (1.4mb)

I forgot I'd been on that road. :eek: Went on it to get to Ambleside back in 2002. On the return journey, as it was dark and wet, I kept going until I got to the A66 and just headed Eastbound that way. :p :

Brown, Jon Brow

14th August 2007, 16:11

I need to go for a drive on this road http://www.topgear.com/content/timetoburn/sections/galleries/other/around_the_world_in_80_drives/10/

Drew

14th August 2007, 16:43

http://www.topgear.com/content/timetoburn/sections/galleries/other/around_the_world_in_80_drives/13/

I've been on that road, it's a nice drive there. Open, no speed cameras and no traffic - perfect :)

Daniel

14th August 2007, 19:43

Been on this one. And I've probably driven the one that Drew is talking about too :)

http://www.topgear.com/content/timetoburn/sections/galleries/other/around_the_world_in_80_drives/19/

Almost did this the other day but didn't have enough time :(

http://www.topgear.com/content/timetoburn/sections/galleries/other/around_the_world_in_80_drives/77/

Now this is the best bit of road in North Wales :)

http://www.topgear.com/content/timetoburn/sections/galleries/other/around_the_world_in_80_drives/06/

This one is frigging nice too :)

http://www.topgear.com/content/timetoburn/sections/galleries/other/around_the_world_in_80_drives/09/

3 of those top 13 roads are in sunny North Wales :)

Brown, Jon Brow

30th October 2007, 19:24

I stumbled across a terrific road only a few miles away from my house today.

The minor Lancaster Road is a very straight and very bumpy road but has a very good road surface. It really tests your car despite being arrow straight.

http://www.multimap.com/maps/#t=l&map=53.87762,-2.84034|13|4&loc=GB:55.12278:-2.737

Then a bit further north the A588 is a very twisty road but you can see through the corners.

Allyc85

30th October 2007, 19:32

The A396 from Tiverton to Minehead. Really twisty and blind most of the time with corners that open and tighten to keep you on your toes. The only problem is unless your a loon its very hard to overtake :(

MrJan

30th October 2007, 20:13

Good shout. Easy to make a a mistake though. If you can get a good run then the road to Tivvy from Exeter is quite good (except the villages and those bloody bridges). My old man has driven that road so many times that he knows you will get air at one point if you're doing 70 in a Mini :D

Look forward to the Somerset Stages every year because it means going up that road to Minehead :up:

Malbec

31st October 2007, 01:08

B1176 from Stamford to Grantham. You'll never get more corners on such a short stretch of road.

RaikkonenRules

31st October 2007, 08:12

B1176 from Stamford to Grantham. You'll never get more corners on such a short stretch of road.

Far too many villages on that road though. :( Very narrow too. Seriously a few years ago I went to a cricet match with my school againsnt a school round there and the coach we were on just struggled to get round any of the corners on this road. :p :

cosmicpanda

31st October 2007, 10:12

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1423546

I have to say that State Highway One through the Far North of New Zealand just grows more and more spectacular as you drive further north. It combines narrow, twisty gravel roads in the best tradition of Rally NZ, one lane bridges, lots of coast, nice fast flowing tarmac roads, the lot. Although they are sealing the gravel now, unfortunately :(

Anyway, that link I gave you takes you to a sattelite view of Cape Reinga, which is pretty much the furthrest that SH1 goes to. Work your way down south from there if you're interested.

The Whaanga Coast and similar roads are spectacular too but they have the disadvantage that they're not relaxing - in fact, they're rather terrifying at times. Fun to watch the WRC through there, though. :D

Crypt

31st October 2007, 20:07

Pacific Coast highway in CA, USA.

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

Oh yea, the "Green Hell".

Firstgear

2nd November 2007, 20:51

Pacific Coast highway in CA, USA.

I'd agree with that, as well as the Banff to Jasper highway that someone has mentioned already.

Two others:

Needles Highway in the Black Hills of South Dakota - Clogged with tourists, but beautiful scenery.

Chain of Craters Road on the Island of Hawaii - Beautiful, quiet (quiet because the towns it used to go to were buried by lava) road that ends at the ocean where it was covered by a lava flow. Hiking around on the lava at the end of the drive is also a unique and eerie experience.