Shamelessly culled from another DG:
The “Snake Pass” and the M25 - Britain’s best and worst roads
As Britain’s roads prepare to take the strain of a new school term, ‘The Snake Pass’ has been named as the country’s best driving road in a survey by British sportscar manufacturer, Caterham. The A57 from Sheffield to Glossop topped the poll to find the best - and worst - stretches of the 230,000 miles of tarmac that link the United Kingdom. Unsurprisingly, the clockwise section of the M25 between Junction 5 and 21 was voted the worst. Though traffic figures have risen 14% in the last decade, it isn’t all bad, as the survey of over 1,687 of the most travelled Caterham Seven owners revealed.
Respondents highlighted ten stand-out stretches of driving nirvana hidden away from four-lane tailbacks and service station coffee.
1.
A57 ‘Snake Pass’, Sheffield to Glossop. ‘Over 25 miles of tarmac rollercoaster.’
2.
A537 ‘Cat & Fiddle road’, Macclesfield to Buxton. ‘Addictively technical but takes no prisoners.’
3.
A18 ‘Mountain Section’, Isle of Man. ‘Part of the famous TT course and has no speed limit.’
4.
A4086 “Pass of Llanberis” Caernarfon to Capel Curig. ‘Twisty roads and Snowdonia backdrop make it a must.’
5.
A817 Loch Lomond to Garelochhead ‘A wide, long, smooth curving road which carries you from loch to loch.’
6.
A87 Invergarry to Isle of Skye. ‘As breathtaking as it is challenging.’
7.
B3223 Dulverton to Lynton ‘Narrow road through Exmoor Forest but flowing bends that beg to be driven.’
8.
B4100 Warwick to Banbury ‘A superb alternative to the M40’
9.
A35 Lyndhurst to Christchurch ‘The best way to enjoy the New Forest.’
10.
A686 Penrith to Alston. ‘Mainly open countryside, very challenging but rewarding.’
It’s no surprise the main artery routes dominate the list of the UK’s worst roads. A staggering 66% of the country’s traffic is found on the motorways and ‘A’ Roads, which in turn, only account for 13 per cent of the entire road network. So, with a commanding “win”, the M25 receives the indignity of being named as Britain’s worst road. Rounding out the top three is the entire stretch of the M1 and the M6 as it passes Birmingham.
The highest placed ‘A-Road’ is the A14 between Cambridge and Peterborough. The A303 linking the South East with the West Country rounds off the Top 5. Sales and Marketing Director for Caterham Cars, Andy Noble, said: “Due to the large amount of congestion motorists now face, it is often easy to forget how enjoyable driving can be. But turn off from the beaten track and there are plenty of roads that remind us that driving is still a privilege.’
We drove from Warwick to Banbury yesterday and I had forgotten just how good this road is to drive (we used to live near Banbury, so know the road well
).
Driving on to Oxford and then Henley on the way home was a fitting valedictory drive for Marion's car.
Has anybody on this forum got favourite roads which have not been included above?
