What's your favourite stretch of road in the country for reasons of both scenery and driver involvement?
I nominate the mennock and dalveen passes in south-west Scotland, or the B797 and A702 respectively. The roads themselves are twisty enough to make averaging 30mph hard enough and the views as you slice your way through the valleys are quite fantastic. The B797 rises very high indeed as it takes you through Scotland's highest village and on through the interlocking spurs of the mennock pass.
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Good choices LM. In fact there are many Scottish Border routes I favour. Used to live on the 701.
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I have a couple and they are bothl Scottish:
The road over the Campsie Hills, this was the route I drove on the day I passed my driving test.
The road to the wee ferry to Skye that only takes 3 cars at a time (Glenelg?)
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M62 eastbound over the pennines. Fav bit is from the M62 summit past the farm and up to Heartshead services. Anything to avoid the dreaded Woodhead Pass getting stuck behind the lorries!
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Tim you need to get out more!
I do quite like that bit between J22 (Denshaw/Ripponden) and J23 (Outlane) though. The very high bridge, carrying a minor road, that you pass under is actually at the original ground level - the M62 was dug out and the muck used to make Scammonden dam.
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Use the A6 between Kendal and Shap where I turn right for Crosby Ravensworth.........good scenic and driving road. Like A7 M6 to Edinburgh and the drive from Dumfries up to the Clyde coast for the ferry to Dunoon. A good run on a bike is the road from the Shrewsbury by pass, up through Pontesbury to Clun where there is a nice tea shop and then on through New Invention to Knighton.
Ted
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Really, that hurts my neck looking up at it. They must have dug a fair bit out. I read some where that it took a year per mile to build over the 7 mile pennine section due to the lay of the land.
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We all seem to be going for northern England and southern Scotland!
I love the A68 through the bleak Durham moorland and then the switchback through the glorious Northumberland countryside and up over Carter Bar. Lots of speed cameras so if you go that way take your time and enjoy the scenery.
I agree about the A6 over Shap - notorious in my youth but a great road now without the lorries.
The A830 Road to the Isles is terrific for scenery but there's too much traffic to make it a 'driving' road. Same applies to the A87 and A855 round the northern end of Skye - well worth going there anyway.
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I have two nominations.
The A686, Alston to Penrith road via Hartside, nominated for rugged scenery and challenging bends. Loved by bikers but great fun if your car handles well.
The B6318, Military Road, parallel to Hadrian's Wall in Northumbria, nominated for great views, no speed cameras, rarely any Police patrols (they're too busy with the A69), long, long straights and the 2 famous deep dips, the bottoms of which are best hit at 70mph at least!
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A1(M) southbound
M1 Southbound
M6/M40 Southbound
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I keep my few favourite roads quiet.
Occasionally they get published in magazines and for months the looneys spoil it for everyone.
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>I keep my few favourite roads quiet.
Well said, Martin. I was thinking of nominating one or two in Wales. I always wonder about those newspaper articles advising thousands of people how to get away from everyone else. So now they go to Bali etc. and meet each other coming the other way... But perhaps the crunch will help here.
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A1(M) southbound...
Heh!
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Most of mine are north of the Border, but there are some excellent ones around East Yorkshire and the North Yorkshire Moors if you get off the main tourist routes.
The less busy route to Whitby via Pickering and Egton Bridge being a favourite of mine.
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but there are some excellent ones around East Yorkshire and the North Yorkshire Moors
SHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUSHHH
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Ditto!!
SHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSHHHHH!
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These routes have been knwon for years - I'm still waiting for a traffic jam on one of them!
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I think AE's nominations are the ones that take him home.
I won't name my favourites, but I must be one of the few people who likes the A9 Perth-Inverness. It's certainly a road that works, compared with most English A-roads, and I probably enjoy it because of where I'm going - the Black Isle being a favourite destination.
Edited by Manatee on 11/01/2009 at 11:05
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Leek to Buxton via the Roaches.
Wonderful views and used for magazine shoots.
Cockbridge to Tomintoul in Aberdeenshire but NOT in winter as impassible thru snow often.
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The A road that winds below Stonehenge, that really is an eerie place
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I think AE's nominations are the ones that take him home.
for which the rest of us, bus drivers in particular, are very grateful :-)
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Another vote for the Leek - Buxton road, it's stunning up there.
Favourite Sunday ride on my Suzi 380 triple is Macc - Leek (with the lovely view over Rudyard Lake), Leek - Buxton for the views and plentiful opportunities to open the taps wide, then on the Cat & Fiddle back to Macc, which needs no explanation.
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A11 Northbound
A47 Eastbound
A140 Northbound
The roads themselves are not that great (major understatement for the A140) but the ending location is fantastic :)
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> Another vote for the Leek - Buxton road, it's stunning up there.
And not far away, the A515 south from Buxton towards Ashbourne and (eventually) Lichfield. Sadly it now has a 50 limit for most of the way, and occasional mobile speed cameras.
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Like Manatee I find the A9, at least off peak, a great drive. Also north of the Border (& some) the "golden road" round the east coast of Harris and the Pentland Road from Stornoway to Bragar across the middle of Lewis.
The latter is a bit of a ghost road as some maps suggest only an unmade track. It is in fact metalled for the whole way with regular passing places. So straight and narrow that it feels rather like a railway!
More locally the B roads from Croughton via Aynho and Deddington to Chipping Norton are also a great drive. In fact the biggest secret of all is that even in Southern England there are miles and miles of de-restricted roads with either B numbers or no number wonderful scenery anf fun fun driving.
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Any road that I can drive along at the speed limit and not be held up by slow moving traffic in front of me or by traffic jams. Any road that I can maintain steady progress in a high gear without continually changing gear and throwing it around bends in the road.
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I would also like to nominate two roads for very different reasons.
First the Hardknott Pass in the Lakes for superb scenary and some challenging gradients.
Secondly the M45 between Coventry and the M1. Ideal for a quick blast because it must be the most underused motorway in the UK.
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see also Mapmaker's "My favourite A-Road" thread
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=34349
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A157 from Wragby to Louth, and the A631 from Market Rasen to Louth, both routes crossing the Lincolnshire Wolds.
Edited by L'escargot on 12/01/2009 at 13:50
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The A1065 north of Barton Mills when the sun is setting. And an F1-11 (or whatever they are) is taking off as you pass.
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The B3012 between Frimley Green and Pirbright. Only a couple of miles long, but a breathtaking series of 3rd gear left/right corners, wide, grippy tarmac and decent surface. Even has a "yump" when heading one way. Amazing on car or bike, and if Peugeot knew about this road, they could have sold a million more 306 XSis and GTIs
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Lancaster/Hawes/Bowes (just go in a straight line!) was fun on Saturday. No speed cameras; some excellent bacon in the shop at Hawes. Most exciting bit, given the frost, was a ford - that had 4' of sheet ice approaching it in both directions...
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Just after sunrise, Waterloo Bridge.
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L'escargot
Yeap, go with those two as well. Except on Cadwell bike days!
Edited by Fullchat on 12/01/2009 at 18:05
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I used to enjoy the A40 from Gloucester to Chepstow and often used this rather than the M50 to get to South Wales. A good quality NSL road with limits through built up areas with stunning views across the Severn and Forest of Dean, also handy for buying some proper cider!
I last used it about 10 years ago when I had to go to Lydney - 50 limit and speed cameras spoilt the whole stretch and I've not been on it since.
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