GOTOSHARP sharp solutions smarter future
Google Translate

UK Road Trips — Legendary Driving Routes Guide

UK Road Trips — Legendary Driving Routes Guide

The best driving routes in the UK — from Scotland’s epic NC500 to Cornwall’s Atlantic Highway. Route details, highlights, and tips for each legendary road trip.

🗺️ North Coast 500 (NC500) — Scotland’s Ultimate Road Trip

Distance: 516 miles (830 km) circular loop.
Start/End: Inverness.
Recommended time: 5–7 days minimum. 7–10 days to enjoy properly.
Best months: May–September for weather; April and October for fewer crowds.
Accommodation: Book months ahead — particularly April–September. B&Bs, hotels, and campsites fill up fast.

Route highlights clockwise:

  1. Inverness → Applecross: The Bealach na Bà pass — one of the UK’s most dramatic mountain roads, rising to 626m with hairpin bends. Not for nervous drivers or large motorhomes.
  2. Applecross → Torridon → Gairloch: Torridon mountains, Loch Maree, Inverewe Garden.
  3. Gairloch → Ullapool: Coastal scenery, Corrieshalloch Gorge, Summer Isles views.
  4. Ullapool → Durness: Remote and wild — Stoer Lighthouse, Old Man of Stoer, Smoo Cave (massive sea cave in Durness, free entry, boat tour £5).
  5. Durness → John O’Groats: Britain’s north coast — empty beaches, Dunnet Head (most northerly point of mainland Britain).
  6. John O’Groats → Inverness: Dunrobin Castle (£14), whisky distilleries (Glenmorangie, Clynelish, Balblair), Cairngorms detour possible if you have extra days.

Practical tips: Petrol stations are sparse — fill up whenever you can, especially north of Ullapool. Carry cash for remote B&Bs. Single-track roads are common — use passing places and let faster traffic pass. Midges are fierce June–August — bring midge repellent (Smidge or Avon Skin So Soft).

Official site: northcoast500.com.

🛤️ Causeway Coastal Route — Northern Ireland

Distance: 130 miles (Belfast to Derry/Londonderry).
Recommended time: 2–3 days (or 1 day fast).

Highlights:

  • Giant’s Causeway: UNESCO World Heritage Site — 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. Visitor centre £13.50 (free to walk the stones via the coastal path without entering the centre).
  • Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge: £13.50 — 20m across, 30m above the sea. Book online in advance.
  • Dunluce Castle: £6 — dramatic cliff-top medieval ruins. Game of Thrones filming location (House of Greyjoy).
  • Bushmills Distillery: £15 tour — oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world (1608).
  • Dark Hedges: Free — atmospheric avenue of beech trees. Game of Thrones (the Kingsroad). Best early morning for photos without crowds.
  • Ballintoy Harbour: Game of Thrones (Iron Islands).

🌊 Atlantic Highway — South West England

Distance: ~200 miles — A39 from Bath to Falmouth.
Recommended time: 3–5 days.

Route highlights southbound:

  1. Bath: Roman Baths, Georgian crescents.
  2. Cheddar Gorge: Dramatic limestone cliffs. Free to drive through; paid attractions: caves £20.95.
  3. Exmoor National Park: Wild ponies, Dunkery Beacon, Valley of Rocks, Lynton & Lynmouth funicular cliff railway.
  4. North Devon: Surfing at Croyde, Saunton Sands, Woolacombe. Beach parking £5–8/day.
  5. Tintagel Castle: £16.50 — legendary birthplace of King Arthur. Cliff-top bridge between mainland and island.
  6. Padstow: Rick Stein’s seafood empire. Fish and chips from Stein’s on the harbourside £12–15.
  7. St Ives: Gallery-filled seaside town. Park at St Erth Park & Ride (£4 all day, train to St Ives 10 min).
  8. Land’s End: Free entry (you pay for the visitor attractions, £7 for the signpost photo).

🏔️ Snowdonia & North Wales Loop

Distance: ~120 miles.
Recommended time: 2–3 days.

Highlights:

  • Llanberis Pass: Dramatic mountain road through the heart of Snowdonia.
  • Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa): Summit via Llanberis Path (easiest, 9 miles return), Miner’s Track, or Snowdon Mountain Railway (£37 return, book 2+ weeks ahead for summer weekends).
  • Portmeirion: Italianate fantasy village — £14 adult entry. Designed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. Film location for The Prisoner (1960s TV series).
  • Conwy Castle: £12.60 — one of Europe’s finest medieval fortresses, built 1283–1289.
  • Llandudno: Victorian seaside town, Great Orme tramway (£10.50 return).

🏞️ Lake District Passes Loop

Distance: ~80 miles circular.
Recommended time: 1–2 days (driving only).

Iconic passes:

  • Kirkstone Pass: 454m — highest pass in the Lake District open to motor traffic. The Kirkstone Pass Inn at the summit is the highest pub in the Lake District.
  • Honister Pass: 356m — dramatic, steep road with 1-in-4 gradients. Honister Slate Mine at the summit — £50 for the Via Ferrata climbing experience.
  • Wrynose Pass: 393m — narrow, single-track with steep gradients.
  • Hardknott Pass: 393m — the steepest road in England with 1-in-3 gradients and hairpin bends. Not for caravans or large motorhomes. Hardknott Roman Fort at the summit (free).

🏡 Cotswolds Scenic Loop

Distance: ~60 miles.
Recommended time: 1–2 leisurely days.

Route:

  • Start at Bourton-on-the-Water (the “Venice of the Cotswolds” — shallow River Windrush with arched stone bridges, Model Village, Motor Museum £7.75).
  • Stow-on-the-Wold — highest town in the Cotswolds at 244m, antique shops, St Edward’s Church (the “Tolkien door” flanked by ancient yew trees).
  • Broadway Tower — £5 entry, 18th-century folly with panoramic views across 16 counties on clear days.
  • Bibury — Arlington Row, the most photographed street in England (featured on the inside cover of UK passports).
  • Castle Combe — film location for War Horse and Stardust. No street lights or telegraph poles — perfectly preserved medieval village.

📞 Contacts & Links

Last updated: June 2026. Road conditions, pass openings, and attraction prices are subject to change. Check weather and road status before driving high passes, especially in winter.