Top 5 Scenic Drives in the U.K.
The following is a guest post from the Car Hire U.K. team at travelsupermarket.com :
Travelling the UK by car is one of the best methods of exploring the best of hidden Britain, allowing you the chance to explore at your own pace and go off the beaten path should you wish to.
Here are some suggestions for drives and routes from all 4 corners of the UK:
Scenic Drive 1:
The Atlantic Highway
Lynmouth to Newquay (via Launceston)
Distance: 135 miles
Roads: A39, A395, A399
Useful postcodes for your satnav: PL34 0HE (Tintagel) EX39 5AP (The Big Sheep) EX31 4SG (Exmoor Zoo) PL15 8DA (Launceston Steam Railway), EX35 6EO (Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway)
Beginning your journey in the town of Lynmouth, home of a Victorian water-powered hillside railway (from £2 adults/£1.20 children), the drive along the Atlantic Highway towards Barnstaple takes you down through a section of Exmoor National Park. The national park is famous for its walking trails over miles of open moorland, keep a look out for the wild Exmoor ponies that call the moors home.
Take a small detour and join the A399 at Blackmoor Gate en route to the Atlantic Highway and pay a visit to Exmoor Zoo to visit a whole host of critters, including meerkats, penguins and an exhibit dedicated the legend of the Beast Of Exmoor – complete with black panther enclosure.
The A39 – often referred to as theAtlantic Highway – starts in Barnstaple and snakes down the coast towards the bustling seaside resort of Newquay. It’s a great opportunity to see the beautiful countryside of coastal Devon & Cornwall.
Quaint coastal villages such as Boscastle, rebuilt after the devastating floods of 2004 and Tintagel (PL34 0HE), whose castle is thought to be the birthplace of the legendary King Arthur are popular tourist destinations en route to Newquay.
During your journey along the A39, why not pop into The Big Sheep activity centre in Bideford (EX39 5AP) for a range of outdoor activities including laser tag and rope climbing?
Taking a slight detour off the Atlantic Highway, head to Launceston for a serene train ride on the old-fashioned Launceston Steam Railway (PL15 8DA), a two and a half mile route from Launceston to Newmills, with a number of walking paths and a farm park en route.
Scenic Drive 2:
Belfast to Derry, Northern Ireland
Distance: 128 miles
Roads: A2
Useful postcodes for your satnav: BT54 6LS (Ballintoy, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge) BT57 8XH (Bushmills Distillery)
The A2 in Northern Ireland stretches from Newry and beyond Belfast before ending in Derry, close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. This winding road hugs the coastline of the northeast of the country, passing through the picturesque Glens of Antrim along the way to Derry.
The A2 is a long and winding coastal road– with bustling coastal towns such as Ballycastle – a favourite holidaying spot for CS Lewis – where you can explore the rugged coastline. If you’re feeling brave, take a drive to the village of Ballintoy and take a walk across a 20-metre wide chasm on via the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge that connects the mainland to Carrick Island.
Take big footsteps during a visit to the Giant’s Causeway – which is around a 20 minute drive east of Portrush – enjoy the scenery as you travel through the stunning Glens of Antrim and even take a tour and tasting session at the world famous Bushmills Distillery (BT57 8XH), which is open 7 days a week and runs tours every half hour, just remember not to drink and drive!
Scenic Drive 3:
Conwy to Portmeirion
Distance: 38.5 miles
Roads: B5106, A5, A4068, A498
Useful postcodes for your satnav: LL48 6ER (Portmeirion) LL55 4TY (Llanberis Lake Railway) LL32 8LD (Conwy Castle)
Beginning at Conwy, home of the famous Conwy Castle, this drive takes you over the winding roads of Snowdonia National Park, giving the opportunity to take in some spectacular views en-route to the summit of Snowdon (if you’re feeling fit!) and typical welsh slate clad villages along the way.
Betws-y-Coed is a principal village located within Snowdonia, and offers an excellent starting point for your drive through the mountains, as well as being within easy reach of attractions such as Conwy Castle (15 miles) and the bizarre township of Portmeirion (22 miles) – the filming location of the cult TV show The Prisoner.
Discover Llanberis, located 17 miles from Betws-y-Coed and take a trip to the top of Mount Snowdon by steam train in just one hour.
The train takes you on a journey of 4.7 miles up from Llanberis village to the summit of Mt Snowdon – the highest mountain in Wales and England – where you can relax and take in the views in the Hafod Eryri visitor centre. Return tickets cost from £25 for adults and £18 for children* There are also opportunities to purchase single tickets to the summit if you choose to walk down the trails of Snowdon on the way back to your car.
If you’re feeling energetic and would rather walk up the trails of Snowdon en-route to the summit, there are a number of trails leading to the summit, which can take approximately 5 hours on foot if you follow the path that accompanies the railway trail.
*prices shown based on a return journey from Llanberis to the Summit
Scenic Drive 4:
Glasgow to Inverness (via Fort William)
Distance: 170 miles
Roads: A9, A82, A827, A93
Useful postcodes for your satnav: IV63 6TU (Loch Ness Exhibition Centre) PH33 6SQ (Nevis Range) PH18 5TL (Blair Castle)
The vast Scottish Highlands are a majestic, timeless region where the weather can change in minutes and huge Munro’s (mountains over 3,000m) dominate the skyline for miles around. Notable attractions en route from Glasgow to Inverness include the world famous Loch Ness, where there is an exhibition centre dedicated to the legend of the Loch Ness Monster (entry from £6.50 for adults and £4.50 for children) as well as playing host to the RockNess dance music festival in June, where music fans gather to party on the banks of the Loch.
The A82 takes you along the shores of the stunning Loch Lomond in the Scottish Highlands. The largest freshwater loch in the UK is over 24 miles long and has around 60 small islands within this area, many of which are accessible by boat – including Inchconnachan, which has a small colony of wallabies that are a popular tourist attraction.
Loch Lomond is a popular location for fans of boating and watersports – with everything from canoes to jet skis present on the loch. For those who like a different kind of driving, there are a number of golf courses in the area, including the Loch Lomond Golf Club – considered to be one of the Top 100 finest golf courses in the world.
Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain at 4,409ft, and it’s snow-capped peaks are visible along the route up to Inverness. A popular stopover is the town of Fort William, which lies on the shores of Loch Linnhe and at the foot of Ben Nevis.
Fort William provides an ideal base for winter sports enthusiasts, with the Nevis Range ski centre providing the opportunity to ski and mountain bike on the slopes of Aonach Mor. Alternatively you can simply enjoy the views from the Mountain Discovery Centre after taking a gondola ride 650m up the mountain, where you can find spectacular views of the surrounding lochs as well as the slopes of Ben Nevis.
Driving from Fort William to Inverness takes you further up the A82 for around 65 miles along the shores of Loch Ness, providing the opportunity for spectacular views as you drive alongside the home of the fabled Nessie.
Scenic Drive 5: Lake District
Circular Route: Kendal to Kendal (via Keswick & Glenridding)
Distance: 67.8m
Roads: A5284, A591, A66, A5091, A592
Useful postcodes for your satnav: LA22 9SQ (Dove Cottage – Wordsworth Museum) CA11 0US (Ullswater Steamers)
The Lake District National Park is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and is a popular location for those who like to explore nature during their drives. The A591 from Kendal to Keswick, linking two of Cumbria’s most popular tourist towns, winds for 29 miles through the national park and provides spectacular views of the Lakeland fells and along the banks of Lake Windermere and Lake Thirlmere on the way to Keswick.
Along the route you’ll find the village of Grasmere, where poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge were inspired by the beauty of the village and the surrounding countryside. Indeed, two of Wordsworth’s former houses – including Dove Cottage – now act as museums to help preserve his works and are open to the public (£7.50 adults/£4.50 children)
Travel east from Keswick along the A66 before hopping onto the A5091 and drive down a winding country road towards Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, where you can take trip on one of the ‘Steamers’ that offer tours of the lake from the village of Glenridding (tours from £5.60 for adults and £2.80 for children*), or take a leisurely walk along one of the many Lakeland fell trails in the area, looking down onto the beauty of the Lakes as you go.
Glenridding also offers a base for those who wish to take a walk up to the summit of Helvellyn, the third highest mountain in the UK at 3,117ft. If the Striding Edge of Helvellyn sounds a little too strenuous, there are plenty of easier walking trails from Glenridding, just pose the question in the Tourist Information office in the village.
*prices shown based on a single trip from Glenridding or Pooley Bridge to Howtown
Written by the <a href=”http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/cheap-car-hire/uk/”>Car hire UK</a> team at travelsupermarket.com
Nice! I’ll have to take a look at a few of these.
Comment by Lady Who Lunches — May 17, 2010 @ 5:27 am
Amazing that you could pick just 5. Britain is so very scenic once you get out of the city.
Comment by Robin Brava — May 17, 2010 @ 11:45 am