United Kingdom, England
Central enough to reach Wales, the Cotswolds and the Peaks in a morning, which is why so many road trips start here.
First instinct from Birmingham: head west towards the Welsh Marches.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
52 mi
Best rated nearby
9.4 / 10
Shortest full loop
2 hr 57 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 18 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 4 hr 50 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
52 mi away · Peak District, England
A biker and driver favourite of fast open curves past England's second highest pub.
11.5 km · 7.1 mi · Atlas rating 8.9 / 10
63 mi away · Black Mountains, Wales
Wales's highest surfaced road climbs open sheepwalks above the Wye valley.
11 km · 6.8 mi · Atlas rating 8.9 / 10
65 mi away · Peak District, England
Sweeping moorland A road that rolls and dips across the wild Pennine spine.
16 km · 9.9 mi · Atlas rating 8.9 / 10
82 mi away · Denbigh Moors, Wales
One leg of the legendary Evo Triangle, a flowing high speed moorland test road.
24 km · 14.9 mi · Atlas rating 8.9 / 10
66 mi away · Denbighshire, Wales
A famous horseshoe bend switchback climbing out of the Vale of Llangollen.
18 km · 11.2 mi · Atlas rating 8.8 / 10
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 9 hr 6 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
143 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
94 mi away · Brecon Beacons, Wales
A ribbon of hairpins climbing a bare Welsh moorland made famous by Top Gear.
19 km · 11.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
100 mi away · Snowdonia, Wales
A dramatic pass beneath Snowdon's crags linking two of Wales's most storied villages.
16 km · 9.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
151 mi away · Lake District, England
A steep slate quarry pass squeezed between towering fells above Buttermere.
6.5 km · 4 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
129 mi away · Yorkshire Dales, England
Tour de France famous climb past limestone potholes between two classic dale villages.
11 km · 6.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
142 mi away · Lake District, England
Narrow single track linking Langdale to Duddon Valley over the ancient Three Shire Stone.
6.5 km · 4 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
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