United Kingdom, Wales
The Brecon Beacons begin within the hour and the Black Mountain Pass sits just beyond them.
First instinct from Cardiff: head north into the Beacons.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
36 mi
Best rated nearby
9.4 / 10
Shortest full loop
2 hr 4 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 9 April 2026
Under 60 km from the centre
Close enough for an evening run or a Sunday morning before the traffic wakes up.
Roughly 2 hr 4 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
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 52 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
41 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
58 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
70 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 49 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
202 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
118 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
210 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
175 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
201 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
202 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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