Road trip! The best roads in Britain

Did you know, that between the likes of YouTube and dashcam technology and Google Street View, there are virtual road trip tours you can take online? And as you’ll be doing it virtually, there’s no limits as to where you can go. Always fancied driving across America? Maybe make your way through Europe? What about trying India’s Rickshaw Challenge? Well, you can, and from the comfort of your own home without needing to spend a penny on petrol! All you’ll need is a computer or phone and an internet connection.

You’ll find a lot of road trips on YouTube. Some things to bear in mind when it comes to virtual road-trips are the different types.

With a dashcam road trip, the camera is fixed on the dashboard and your view is their view as they drive the streets or open road.

Then there’s Street View time-lapse or ‘hyperlapse’ footage. Street View uses millions of panoramic images to create a virtual representation of the world’s streets. It’s a available via Google Maps or as its own app and allows you to click your way down and around various streets across the globe. For those of you not wanting to click, there are plenty of examples of time-lapse or hyperlapse views online.

There are some great drives around the UK available online, too, with many of them also available as a virtual experience online

England

England has the gorgeous Peak District, particularly Snake Pass crosses the Pennines in Derbyshire. With its twists and turns, this winding journey certainly earns the name Snake Pass (though it is in fact named after the Snake Inn) and at just over 40 miles, it shouldn’t take much longer than an hour to enjoy this drive. You’ll experience moorland and forest, as well as the impressive Ladybower Reservoir, and with wonderful views of the National Trust’s High Peak Estate it’s well worth a YouTube visit until you can do the real thing.

For a shorter but no less striking drive, you could take a tour through the limestone of Cheddar Gorge. With massive cliff faces either side, the aptly named ‘Cliff Road’ follows a route that twists and turns but also offers long sweeping bends through some memorable scenic countryside.

Scotland

Of course Scotland’s going to have some stunning scenery. The 150-mile route from Loch Lomond to Mallaig follows the same path the old cattle drovers used. It passes over the biggest peat bog wilderness in Britain and takes in the sands of Arisaig before Mallaig, but if you’re after a shorter trip you can simply enjoy the 45 miles or so of the Fort William to Mallaig section. You’d start beside the breath-taking Ben Nevis, highest peak in the UK, before exploring a route that includes locations you might recognise from Harry Potter!

For a rugged route around and through Scotland, the North Coast 500 will take you away from urban distraction and into the majestic beauty of the Scottish countryside. Known as ‘Scotland’s Route 66’, it boasts more than 500 miles of travel, an extensive trip we’ll be exploring in more detail in a future article. For now, if you’re going to experience it via YouTube, you may find yourself clicking through numerous sittings!

Northern Ireland

Why go from A to B when you can go from B to L? Belfast to Londonderry, that is – 195 miles of Irish coast. With its rise and fall of steep cliff paths, the caves, bridges, the twists and turns, the striking beauty of the Giant’s Causeway, it’s a drive that in real life might demand 3 days to make the most of it, perhaps more if you like the occasional detour, but thanks to taking a virtual tour you can cram in or leave out as much as you like. Oh, and if you’re a Game of Thrones fan, be sure to check out the Dark Hedges or Ballintoy harbour…

Wales

Wales is rich with natural beauty and has plenty of routes that reward drivers with spectacular sights and views.

The Brecon Beacons, for example, gives us Black Mountain Pass, which winds its way from Llandovery to Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. The route was used in Top Gear, and for the best views it’s worth taking the journey from north to south. It’s a short drive – little more than 20 miles – but it can still take nearly hour.

Or perhaps you could take the Abergwesyn Pass for a particularly beautiful drive. Abergwesyn Road covers about 20 miles between Abergwesyn and Tregar. It’s a short drive, taking only a little more than 30 minutes. Because it’s a steep route that turns back on itself a number of times, it has also come to be known as The Devil’s Staircase, but by taking a virtual tour you won’t have to worry about this – you can just enjoy the ride.