United Kingdom, Scotland
The Cairngorms and the Snow Roads sit due west, with quiet coast roads running both north and south.
First instinct from Aberdeen: head west towards Royal Deeside.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
52 mi
Best rated nearby
9.4 / 10
Shortest full loop
2 hr 59 min
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 26 April 2026
60 to 150 km from the centre
Far enough to feel like a proper trip, close enough to be home for dinner.
Roughly 3 hr 45 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
52 mi away · Cairngorms, Scotland
Britain's highest classified road climbs a bleak ski pass above Glenshee.
16 km · 9.9 mi · Atlas rating 8.8 / 10
90 mi away · Caithness, Scotland
Two tight hairpin descents drop the A9 into a dramatic cliffside river gorge.
6 km · 3.7 mi · Atlas rating 8.5 / 10
84 mi away · Cairngorms, Scotland
Scotland's highest main road summit crossing wide open Cairngorm moorland.
33 km · 20.5 mi · Atlas rating 8.2 / 10
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 10 hr 42 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
137 mi away · Applecross, Scottish Highlands
Britain's highest road climbs via hairpins to a wild moonscape pass above Applecross.
18.5 km · 11.5 mi · Atlas rating 9.9 / 10
194 mi away · Lake District, England
England's steepest road gradient, a brutal one in three climb over Roman ruins.
5 km · 3.1 mi · Atlas rating 9.5 / 10
109 mi away · Glen Coe, Scottish Highlands
A sweeping run through Rannoch Moor beneath the brooding Buachaille Etive Mor.
30 km · 18.6 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
135 mi away · Wester Ross, Scotland
A lochside single track with views straight across to Skye and the Cuillins.
25 km · 15.5 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
132 mi away · Sutherland, Scotland
A remote NC500 highlight of sea lochs, switchbacks and empty moorland roads.
45 km · 28 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
160 mi away · Isle of Skye, Scotland
A high single track skirting the surreal landslipped pinnacles of the Trotternish ridge.
13 km · 8.1 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
Longer
Plan it
Nearby cities