Summer driving: We pick the UK’s best roads

The lure of the open road becomes all the more special behind the wheel of a classic car. It’s the antithesis of the motorway grind on the cross-city commute; even if your historic vehicle isn’t particularly quick, it’s the experience and the scenery that counts more than making progress.

While far from definitive, Lancaster Insurance Services have compiled a list of our favourite roads across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Keen drivers need not worry about our findings either; if you’re driving something small and nimble, or something packing more of a punch, there’s something for you too. Width is the killer here, especially with the extreme variability of roads on our list (and the very real chance you’ll be sharing sections with lorries, motorhomes and caravans). We’re not saying that your 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham isn’t welcome around the Wye Valley, but be aware of your surroundings.

YouTuber JayEmm on Cars made a decent point about scenery versus speed: it doesn’t matter what you take to a pretty location (in fact, its performance is irrelevant) if you’re worried about rough and narrow roads.

Our most ambitious recommended road trip, Scotland’s North Coast 500, is peppered with such routes – ones that you’d enjoy just as much behind the wheel of a cheap convertible or something else disposable. To get there, you might have to suffer a bit to see the scenery, and the experience might be dulled by worrying about the paint on your recent restoration.

You might see it as a way of breaking your car back into driving after a long lay-up; views may differ. It goes without saying that, for longer trips, arranging breakdown cover, either through your insurer or through a third party, is a prudent move, as is taking some basic spares and making sure low-ethanol fuel is available locally.

Check, also, if you’re doing a big trip, that the journey doesn’t put you over your insured mileage allowance; this will vary by cover, underwriter and provider. The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs reckoned, in its 2020 National Historic Vehicle Survey, that the average mileage covered by historic vehicles was 1,200 miles a year.

A bigger trip might mean that your classic covers more miles on holiday than it would otherwise. Make sure that your cover’s mileage allowance takes this into account; it’s better to factor it in now than to pay later!

Scotland: North Coast 500

It's mentioned a lot, but the 516-mile North Coast 500, which loops from Inverness around the Highlands (and back again), is a staggering bit of blacktop that shows off Scotland’s rugged scenery at its absolute best. To do it justice in its entirety would need at least a week, but it can also be enjoyed in sections.

The Kylesku Bridge, crossing the Loch a' Chàirn Bhàin in Sutherland, is a must, as is the dramatic Smoo Cave for an out-of-car activity (though it helps if you enjoy light caving aboard a dinghy, too). Deviating off the route, Glen Etive, the location for James Bond’s Skyfall, is also worth a look if you’re happy to make slow progress.

While narrow and bumpy roads are to be expected, there are two roads you should avoid: the steep and challenging Bealach na Bà (or ‘the road to Applecross’ on the A832 is easier) and the B869 Drumbeg Road (particularly the Lochinver to Kylesku section for larger vehicles; take the A894 instead).

Also consider: the Devil’s Beef Tub.

Scottish racing drivers Allan McNish and John Cleland are fond of the Devil’s Beef Tub, otherwise known as the A701 between Moffat and Edinburgh. Significant not only for the role it played in the Reiver period of Scottish history, this challenging, undulating road offers spectacular views through the Moffat Hills and over the English border.

Wales: Elan Valley

The loop around Mid Wales’s four Elan Valley dams (Craig Goch, Pen y Garreg, Garreg Ddu and Caban Coch) is steeped in history; the surrounding roads, smoothly surfaced and vastly different in elevation, were metalled after Barnes Wallis tested the bouncing bomb at Caban Coch reservoir in 1942.

Most people take in the four Elan Valley dams by starting out in Rhayader and either heading north-west to Elan Bridge or south-west to Elan Village and the Caban Coch Dam; veering away from the four Elan valley dams to the Claerwen Dam (across the River Claerwen) takes you to the site of a beloved 1986 Land Rover winch advert, recreated in the 22^nd series of Top Gear.

Also consider: the Evo Triangle.

Tightly controlled by speed cameras and other restrictions nowadays, the Evo Triangle (named after performance motoring magazine Evo) is a 20-mile loop in North Wales on the edge of Snowdonia where many of the magazine’s road tests were photographed.

It’s still an exhilarating run with tighter, technical turns and sweeping corners which can be enjoyed in any vehicle. It’s more fun in a faster car, with spectacular views of Bala and Llyn Brenig lake. Average speed cameras are now installed on key points; stick to the speed limits and you’ll be fine.

England: Buttertubs Pass

The Yorkshire Dales have many a fine driving road – but none are finer than the Buttertubs Pass between Wensleydale (yes, that Wensleydale) and Swaledale, taking in the villages of Hawes and Thwaite on the way. Carrying on past Keld and West Stonesdale to the excellent Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in England, is highly recommended.

Also consider: the Forest and Trough of Bowland/the Ribble Valley.

Lancashire’s Trough of Bowland is where many latter-day TVRs were developed – but there’s no need to speed heavily through its sheep-filled roads.

Rush Magazine devised an excellent 60-mile run to enjoy – you’ll need a well-damped classic with good brakes to make the most of it, and the Inn at Whitewell, while pricey, offers excellent food and accommodation in the heart of the Forest of Bowland. There’s a shorter route you can tackle from Lancaster’s Ashton Memorial if you don’t have all day.

Northern Ireland: Causeway Coastal Route

Few places give as much away in their 195 miles as the Causeway Coastal Route, which takes in several castles, miles of beaches and locations made famous by Game of Thrones. Linking Derry and Carrickfergus, it can be done in a day, but a long weekend is better, especially when taking in the Giant’s Causeway.

The scenery is king here, but there are plenty of stretches that will test your car’s suspension; remember, the DeLorean DMC-12 was benchmarked on these routes. TV programme The Car Years also enjoyed the local roads, as well as the en-route (and excellent) Ulster Transport Museum, home of the one-off DAWB 6, a locally built GT.

Also consider: The Mournes.

The highest peak in Northern Ireland, Slieve Donard, shouldn’t be ignored, especially with the Tollymore Forest and Silent Valley National Park to take in. The infamous, gravity-defying hill of Electric Brae (not the one in South Ayrshire!) is also on the way: let off the handbrake (after checking all surroundings) and watch your car roll uphill as part of an optical illusion.