United Kingdom, England
One of the best placed cities in Britain for driving, with the Peak District starting barely half an hour from the ring road.
First instinct from Manchester: head east into the Peak District.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
17 mi
Best rated nearby
9.5 / 10
Shortest full loop
1 hr 16 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 March 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 5 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
17 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
20 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
37 mi away · Forest of Bowland, England
A ribbon of tarmac threading heather fells said to mark the centre of Britain.
10 km · 6.2 mi · Atlas rating 8.9 / 10
18 mi away · Peak District, England
A quiet forested run past reservoirs favoured by locals over the busier Cat and Fiddle.
8 km · 5 mi · Atlas rating 8.2 / 10
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 8 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
75 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
80 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
82 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
60 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
74 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
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 11 hr 13 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
130 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
242 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
171 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
190 mi away · Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland
One of the world's great coast roads, hugging cliffs beneath nine dramatic glens.
48 km · 29.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
194 mi away · Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland
A hair raising cliff edge single track with views across to the Mull of Kintyre.
13 km · 8.1 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
109 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
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