United Kingdom, England
Northumberland has some of the emptiest tarmac in England, and it starts almost immediately.
First instinct from Newcastle upon Tyne: head north west towards the Cheviots.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
32 mi
Best rated nearby
9.5 / 10
Shortest full loop
2 hr 11 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 8 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 11 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 5 hr 2 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
71 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
39 mi away · North Pennines, England
A biker's classic with wide open views across the Eden Valley to the Lakeland fells.
13 km · 8.1 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
51 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
73 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 15 hr 48 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
231 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
170 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
234 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
234 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
163 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
205 mi away · Kintail, Scottish Highlands
A fast sweeping glen road beneath the jagged Five Sisters of Kintail ridge.
38 km · 23.6 mi · Atlas rating 9.2 / 10
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