United Kingdom, England
Cheddar Gorge, the Mendips, the Wye Valley and the Cotswolds all sit within an hour of the city.
First instinct from Bristol: head south into the Mendip Hills.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
45 mi
Best rated nearby
9.4 / 10
Shortest full loop
3 hr 42 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 13 May 2026
60 to 150 km from the centre
Far enough to feel like a proper trip, close enough to be home for dinner.
Roughly 5 hr 13 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
63 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
45 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
71 mi away · Mid Wales
A serene reservoir road threading dams and pine forest deep in mid Wales.
10 km · 6.2 mi · Atlas rating 8.7 / 10
90 mi away · Ceredigion, Wales
A rolling coastal A road with sweeping bends and constant glimpses of Cardigan Bay.
39 km · 24.2 mi · Atlas rating 8.5 / 10
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 12 hr 58 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
205 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
130 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
214 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
196 mi away · County Wicklow
Empty moorland tarmac over the Sally Gap, minutes from Dublin but utterly wild.
45 km · 28 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
200 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
205 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
Longer
Plan it
Nearby cities