Discover driving routes in England, with route maps, worthwhile stops and practical notes. Choose a drive by its scenery, distance and estimated duration.
Leave Cambridge for the rolling country of north Essex, linking Saffron Walden and Thaxted before finishing at Finchingfield. The roads here have a long-standing reputation among local touring drivers and riders.
Travel down the A32 from Alton through East Tisted and the Meon Valley towards Wickham. This established local driving corridor offers a longer north–south outing through Hampshire’s villages and chalk-country approaches.
Make a Purbeck circuit from Wareham through Corfe Castle to Swanage, returning on the Kingston side of the ridge. This pairs a seaside destination with a much smaller-road inland return.
Use Hexham as the base for a circuit beside Hadrian’s Wall. Join the B6318 Military Road at Chollerford, follow the open country towards the Greenhead area, then return through Haltwhistle and the Tyne corridor. The loop turns onto the return roads at their junctions, without an out-and-back drive into Greenhead village. Forts and wall walks are separate optional visits.
Climb west from Pateley Bridge towards Greenhow and cross the higher country into Wharfedale. The drive links two contrasting valleys through open, often exposed Dales scenery.
Follow the A149 coast-road corridor through the villages of north Norfolk to Cromer. Treat it as a leisurely touring day with a few selected stops, taking in marshland, harbours and seaside towns.
Drive the western fell roads from the Duddon Valley into Eskdale, then cross Hardknott and Wrynose before returning through Coniston country. This is a rugged mountain circuit with quieter southern approaches.
Follow a road-led version of the northern Cotswolds Romantic Road, climbing Cleeve Hill before looping through the northern Cotswolds. The circuit uses through-roads between the familiar places; village centres and attractions are optional independent visits.
Spend a full day linking the Dales’ best-known high roads and valley approaches. Dentdale and Kingsdale lead into Ribblehead before the route crosses Buttertubs and returns through Swaledale and Wensleydale.
Circle the Wiltshire downs from Marlborough through Avebury and Devizes, returning by Pewsey. The drive links open chalk landscapes with a major prehistoric stopping place and market towns.
Make a compact eastern-Shropshire circuit from Atcham, following the B4380 towards Leighton and Ironbridge before returning by Broseley, Much Wenlock and Harley Bank. The river-country approach and hillier A458 return give the drive two distinct halves.
Circle the Brown Clee country between Ditton Priors, the B4364 and the lanes through Stoke St Milborough and Abdon. This is a slow, intimate alternative to the main Clee Hills circuit, with wooded sections and changing views around the hill’s lower slopes.
Make a short circuit from Castleton through the limestone cleft of Winnats Pass, then cross into the Edale valley and return through Hope. Stay on the valley through road rather than adding a diversion into Edale village. Walks and cave visits are optional additions with separate parking.
Make a broad circuit from Alnwick through the coastal villages to Seahouses and Bamburgh. Rural links alternate with busy seaside approaches; the route is a touring loop rather than continuous sea views.
Cross central Dartmoor from Moretonhampstead through Postbridge and the Two Bridges area, continuing towards Tavistock. Open commons and tor country give the drive its character between the lower town approaches.
Circle the southern New Forest from Lyndhurst through Brockenhurst and Beaulieu, returning via Lymington and Sway. This is a slow landscape drive with time for a village or harbour break.
Follow the B3306 west from the outskirts of St Ives through Zennor and the far-west Cornish countryside towards St Just, then join the A30 east of Sennen and return through Penzance. The coastal road is the centrepiece, with fields, stone walls and Atlantic-facing scenery. The loop uses through-road junctions rather than adding out-and-back drives into St Ives or Sennen.
Make a circuit from Keswick through Borrowdale and over Honister to Buttermere, returning by the Lorton side of the fells. The steep pass forms the central contrast between the two valley approaches.
Make a shorter north-west Norfolk touring drive from King’s Lynn through Castle Rising and the Sandringham area to Hunstanton. The route leaves time for one substantial visit rather than filling the day with driving.
Take the B6255 from Ingleton across the Three Peaks country, passing Ribblehead before continuing to Hawes. Open limestone scenery and the high watershed supply the character of this point-to-point drive.
Follow the B6270 west through Swaledale, linking Richmond with Reeth and the upper dale around Muker. Stone walls, riverside country and the narrowing valley give the journey a steady change of scale.
Travel across the Chilterns from Amersham towards the Thames at Henley, linking well-used touring roads through chalk villages. This is a longer escape from the London fringe with several places to break the journey.
Make an ambitious circuit linking the Kent coast, Romney Marsh, the Sussex cliffs and the Weald. This is a Remapped grand tour connecting documented scenic corridors, rather than a named official route.
Link Tunbridge Wells with the orchard and woodland country around Goudhurst and Cranbrook. The circuit takes inspiration from the documented Weald driving tour while keeping attraction visits separate from the through-road line.
Tour from Salisbury towards Shaftesbury before crossing the Cranborne Chase country and returning through Cranborne. The circuit combines larger valley links with open downland B roads.
Cross the northern New Forest on the B3078 corridor from Fordingbridge towards Brook and Cadnam. The open heath sections are the attraction on this compact public-road drive.
Link the Tan Hill road with Swaledale, Buttertubs and the B6259 through Mallerstang. The circuit shifts between exposed uplands and enclosed valley scenery, making a substantial Dales drive without town-centre sightseeing spurs.
Tour from Dedham Vale along the Stour-side towns towards historic Harwich, returning through the inland countryside and Colchester approaches. The circuit combines estuary stops with rural B-road links.
Follow the southwest coast corridor from Freshwater towards Chale on the Military Road. Open downs, farmland and stretches above the sea make this a compact island drive.
Make a full driving day around the Peak District’s headline roads: Snake Pass, Winnats Pass and the Cat and Fiddle. This is a substantial circuit with connecting roads between the celebrated moorland crossings.
Start near Welshampton and make a circuit through Wem and Whitchurch across the north Shropshire countryside. This loop combines market-town approaches and farmland without adding an out-and-back road section into Ellesmere. A visit to Ellesmere’s Mere is an optional separate detour, rather than part of the driving loop.
Use the A591 to link Ambleside, Grasmere and Keswick through the central Lake District. The road rises beyond Grasmere towards Dunmail Raise before descending into the northern lakes.
Head west from Craven Arms into the Clun Valley, then turn north towards Bishop’s Castle for a point-to-point drive through the quieter southwestern corner of Shropshire. Clun makes a worthwhile break along the way, with castle ruins above the river. Keep the itinerary unhurried and leave time for the countryside between the towns.
Cross from the Langdale side of the fells through Wrynose and Hardknott towards Eskdale. This is a slow, demanding pass crossing rather than a fast touring road, with tight bends and pronounced gradients.
Follow a classic southern driving road west through the wooded and pastoral country around Midhurst and Rogate. The A272 supplies the changing bends and village approaches on this manageable point-to-point outing.
Make the B1257 through Bilsdale the centrepiece of a North York Moors circuit, returning by Osmotherley and Hawnby. The familiar Helmsley–Stokesley road is paired with smaller moorland roads for a more rounded drive.
Follow the established A1120 tourist-road corridor across central Suffolk towards Yoxford. Village bends, farmland and small settlements make this a relaxed point-to-point alternative to the larger trunk roads.
Make a demanding full-day circuit linking six celebrated Lake District passes. The route combines Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter, Hardknott and Wrynose with western valley roads; it is designed as a major driving day rather than a short sightseeing loop.
Leave Lewes for the folds of the South Downs and the Alfriston area, then return along the Cuckmere and Seaford side of the hills. This is a varied country circuit with a coastal landscape section.
A longer outing from the Stourbridge side, combining Enville and Six Ashes with the B4378, Corvedale, the Ludlow approach and the A4117 across the Clee Hills. Return through the Bewdley and Kinver country rather than doubling back; this is the substantial alternative to the shorter local circuits.
Explore the wooded country south of Sevenoaks through the Four Elms and Chiddingstone area, returning by Penshurst and Hildenborough. The appeal is in the lanes and historic villages rather than long-distance progress.
Head out from Chelmsford towards the Dengie peninsula and the much discussed Burnham bends road. The route finishes at Burnham-on-Crouch, where a riverside walk can round off the outing.
A short hill-country loop beside the western Black Country, climbing through Clent towards Romsley and returning through Belbroughton. The pleasure is in the wooded lanes and changing gradients rather than a drive to a hilltop car park.
Cross the North York Moors from Hutton-le-Hole towards Castleton, then return through the Rosedale side of the hills. Open ridge roads contrast with the more enclosed valley approaches on this moorland circuit.
Explore the Breckland side of East Anglia from Thetford, heading through the forest country towards Swaffham and Castle Acre. Return across the Watton countryside for a broad inland circuit.
Link the A507’s changing bends with the B1037 through eastern Hertfordshire. This compact loop stays on through-roads, returning by the countryside around Weston rather than doubling back over the main attraction.
Build a complete outing around the Trough of Bowland, using the Ribble Valley and northern Bowland lanes to close the circuit. The open fell crossing is the centrepiece, with woodland and river-country approaches either side.
Follow the B6160 north through Wharfedale, passing Kettlewell and Buckden before crossing towards Bishopdale and Aysgarth. The route moves from settled valley country into a more enclosed upland crossing.
Travel along Wensleydale between Leyburn and Hawes, passing the Aysgarth area on the A684. This is an unhurried valley drive with market-town approaches and open farming country.
Link Whitby and Scarborough on the coastal side of the moors, then return through Pickering and the A169 uplands. This longer circuit combines seaside approaches with a broad inland moorland crossing.
Link two distinctive Severn-side places on a short drive through eastern Shropshire. Leave Ironbridge, pass through Broseley and continue to Bridgnorth, where the river separates the High and Low Town. This is a compact point-to-point outing: allow extra time for a walk at either end rather than treating the estimated driving time as the whole trip.
Cross the Kent Downs corridor through Lenham and Charing, then follow the Chilham and Stour-side approach to Canterbury. This is a road-based link between towns rather than a motorway transfer.
Make a short coastal circuit west of Eastbourne across the open downland roads towards Beachy Head and Birling Gap. The route returns through East Dean, with time for the coastal scenery rather than distance.
Cross Kirkstone Pass on the A592 before descending towards Glenridding and continuing beside Ullswater to Pooley Bridge. High fell scenery gives way to the lake corridor on this varied point-to-point route.
Link Porlock and Lynmouth before turning inland through Simonsbath and Exford for an Exmoor circuit. The route combines wooded coastal slopes with higher, more open country across the interior.
Link three established Shropshire driving roads into a focused Clee Hills circuit: B4363 south from Bridgnorth, A4117 across the Clee Hill country, then B4364 north from the Ludlow approach. This shorter loop concentrates on those roads rather than extending around Church Stretton and Wenlock Edge.
Make a longer circuit south of Guildford, combining the Cranleigh roads and B2133 through Loxwood with the A283 return through Chiddingfold. A road-led Surrey–Sussex outing with enough contrast for a relaxed half-day including your own stops.
Combine the B485 side of the Chilterns with the lanes through Chartridge, Wendover and Great Hampden. The loop concentrates on the northern hills, providing a different outing from the longer drives towards Henley.
Climb through Kingsdale and descend towards Dentdale before returning by Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale. This is a concentrated western Dales circuit, with the smaller high road contrasting with the easier valley links.
Head south from Canterbury on the Stone Street side of the downs, then turn back through the Elham Valley. This creates a compact contrast between straighter ridge-road stretches and the valley villages.
Follow the celebrated B3157 along the Dorset coast-road corridor from Bridport towards Weymouth. Hills, village bends and broad coastal panoramas make this a distinctive shorter touring drive.
Tour the broad chalk-country roads of the Yorkshire Wolds, linking the Malton, Sledmere and Pocklington sides. Long sightlines and rolling landscapes give the drive a different character from the steeper Dales and moorland routes.
Pair Newlands Hause with Whinlatter for a compact western Lakes circuit. The drive links a narrow open fell crossing with the wooded B5292, keeping Buttermere’s shore setting on the through-route.
Explore the country roads just beyond north London, threading Northaw and Cuffley before reaching the B158 around Essendon. This is a local escape with wooded sections and rolling farmland, linked into a circuit without entering London’s centre.
Take the documented B4494 driving road south from Wantage over the downs. This short point-to-point route centres on the changing gradients and rural road rather than a long list of stops.
A northern Chilterns circuit through the Ashridge area, linking wooded roads around Aldbury and Ringshall with the chalk country towards Whipsnade. Return through Great Gaddesden and the Bulbourne valley rather than retracing the woodland approach.
Make a circuit from Norwich through Wroxham and the northern Broads villages before returning by the Acle side of the marshes. Waterways lie beside or beyond the roads rather than forming an uninterrupted waterside drive.
Set aside a longer outing for a broad circuit of southern Shropshire. From Ludlow, cross towards Cleobury Mortimer, continue through Bridgnorth and Much Wenlock, then return by Church Stretton and Craven Arms. The route combines the Clee Hills corridor, market-town approaches and the B4371 beside Wenlock Edge. Choose a small number of stops rather than trying to visit every town in one sitting.
Climb from Dorking onto the wooded Ranmore ridge and make a compact circuit through the Effingham side of the North Downs. The return drops towards the A25 valley corridor.
A local hills circuit from the western edge of Shrewsbury, using the lanes through Snailbeach and the Stiperstones country before crossing towards Ratlinghope. Return through Pulverbatch and Longden rather than retracing the ridge approach.
Use Caistor High Street and the Wolds’ rolling road network for a broad Lincolnshire circuit. The B1225 supplies the distinctive ridge-road section, with Louth and Horncastle acting as area references rather than compulsory town stops.
Take the B4371 east from Church Stretton towards Much Wenlock for a compact drive through the Shropshire countryside. This point-to-point route follows the road corridor beside Wenlock Edge, with the option to break the journey for a woodland walk at Presthope. Make it a short drive in its own right or leave extra time to explore at either end.
Circle the downland west of Wantage through Ashbury and Lambourn, returning by Newbury and the B4494. This gives a longer combination of established local driving roads and small-town approaches.
Follow the A686 from the Eden Valley over Hartside to Alston, then continue through the North Pennines towards Haydon Bridge. This is a substantial point-to-point crossing, combining the climb’s unfolding views with open high-country stretches beyond Alston. Set aside time for a break and plan your onward or return journey.
Join two contrasting southern landscapes in one extended circuit from Oxford: the Cotswolds to the west and the Chilterns to the east. This original grand tour connects established country-road corridors with several possible town breaks.
Take the A39 across Exmoor’s coastal country, then continue around North Devon through Combe Martin and Ilfracombe towards Barnstaple. This longer point-to-point outing combines steep wooded coast roads with more open western approaches.
Head from the eastern outskirts of Macclesfield onto the exposed Cat and Fiddle road, then turn onto the A53 towards Leek at the road junction west of Buxton. Return to Macclesfield for a varied Peak District circuit. The loop stays on the through roads rather than adding a town-centre detour into Buxton.
Follow the B2026 south from the North Downs through Edenbridge and Hartfield, then cross Ashdown Forest towards Maresfield. The progression from wooded slopes to open heath gives this direct drive its own character, without sightseeing spurs or an invented return loop.
Leave Norwich on the Holt road and follow the B1149 through the Saxthorpe area into north Norfolk. This is a straightforward shorter country-road outing with Holt as a natural place to finish.
Make a full touring day of the A272 corridor, linking the Hampshire Downs with the wooded Sussex Weald. This extended road journey has several market-town pauses and distinctly different landscapes along its length.
Build a full north Essex circuit around the B1057 to Finchingfield, continuing through Wethersfield towards Halstead before returning via the old road through Felsted. This loop is distinct from the existing Cambridge-to-Finchingfield through-drive.
Follow the B184 corridor north from Ongar across rural Essex, through Dunmow and Thaxted towards Saffron Walden. Long countryside sections and successive villages make an accessible point-to-point alternative to a motorway run.
Follow the A488 from Hanwood through Pontesbury and Minsterley into the Hope Valley and on towards Bishop’s Castle. A straightforward shorter alternative to the existing Shrewsbury circular, centred on the road rather than a list of stops.
Leave Much Wenlock on the B4378, cross into Corvedale, then return through the lanes of Ape Dale and the B4371. This compact loop adds the valley roads south of the existing Wenlock Edge through-drive, without a return over the same stretch.
Cross the high B6277 through Teesdale, then return through Weardale and Nenthead. This circuit concentrates on the eastern North Pennines, pairing open high roads with the valley settlements rather than repeating the Hartside approach.
Climb out of Wensleydale and cross the high road into upper Swaledale. The exposed pass, limestone country and changing valley views make this a compact drive with a distinctive upland character.
Follow the Atlantic Highway corridor south-west from Barnstaple through north Devon and Cornwall. The A39 is often inland: beaches and headlands are selected stops rather than a promise of continuous ocean views.
Take the B4368 west from the Morville junction, following the changing valley road through Shipton, Munslow and Diddlebury towards Craven Arms. A direct drive for enjoying Corvedale itself, with no obligation to continue into the Clun Valley or turn back over the same road.
Cross the wooded North Downs around Ranmore Common, then follow the Surrey Hills lanes through Abinger and Coldharbour. The circuit links two distinct stretches of hill country, keeping woodland walks and the Leith Hill tower separate from navigation.
Cross the Dark Peak from Glossop on the A57, rising onto the moorland of Snake Pass before descending through the wooded valley towards Ladybower and Bamford. This point-to-point route is built around the changing upland landscape rather than a string of attraction stops. Plan a separate return journey if you are not continuing east.
Follow the A683 north from Sedbergh towards Kirkby Stephen, tracing the eastern side of the Howgills and the upper Lune corridor. The route offers a broad valley setting with open hillside sections between the towns.
Head north from Pickering on the A169 over the North York Moors before descending towards Sleights and Whitby. The open upland road is the focus, with the coast providing a natural place to finish.
Leave Wells for a compact Mendip circuit, with the limestone walls of Cheddar Gorge as its centrepiece. Climb the B3135 through the gorge, then return across the higher countryside around Priddy. Keep time aside for a walk in the gorge or a village stop; the driving line is a road tour, not a cliff-top itinerary.
Cross Holme Moss, take Snake Pass east and finish on the twisting Strines road towards the A616. The route combines open moorland with the smaller-scale bends of Mortimer Road, giving a varied moorland outing.
A short countryside escape along the B1004 corridor, linking Ware, Wareside and Much Hadham before finishing on the western approach to Bishop’s Stortford. Enjoy it as a relaxed point-to-point drive rather than adding an artificial return leg.
Head north from Settle along Ribblesdale through Horton, finishing at the Ribblehead road junction. This shorter drive follows the valley into open Three Peaks country without adding a long return leg.
Make an East Anglian country circuit from Newmarket through Clare and the Suffolk wool towns. Rural B-road sections alternate with historic settlement approaches and working agricultural country.
Travel north through Suffolk coastal country, linking Orford, Snape and Aldeburgh before finishing at Southwold. Marshes, woodland and villages create a varied touring day without promising a continuous waterfront road.
Driving times exclude stops. Leave time for the views, check each route’s notes and make the journey your own.
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