Timing
The right month matters more than the right car. These guides cover when the passes open, when the crowds arrive and which roads stay good when everything high is shut.
Guides
April to late May
April and May are the quiet weeks when British roads are at their best. The winter closures have lifted, the grit has washed off and the summer caravans are still at home.
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Early September to mid October
There is a short window between the end of the summer crowds and the first serious snow when the Alps belong to drivers. It is roughly six weeks long and it is the best driving of the year.
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November to March
When the high passes close, the driving does not have to stop. Coast roads, valley routes and low gaps stay open all year, and they are gloriously empty in January.
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June to August
July and August put every pass at its most open and its most crowded. The answer is not to avoid summer, it is to change your hours and your latitude.
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Planning for May, June, October and November
Every European tour planned for May or October comes down to one question. This is the pattern the passes usually follow, and how to plan around a year that does not cooperate.
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Best in May, June and September
Scotland rewards precise timing more than almost anywhere. Get the month right and you have the finest roads in Britain to yourself. Get it wrong and you queue behind motorhomes in a cloud of midges.
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