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Here's a route taking in all the road passes in the Lakes. It includes the following:

Wrynose Pass - east/west
Dunnerdale
Ulpha Fell
Wasdale
Hardknott Pass
Wrynose Pass - west/east
Greater Langdale
Red Bank
Thirlmere
Derwent Water & Borrowdale - north/south
Honister Pass - east/west
Buttermere
Crummock Water
Whinlatter Pass
Newlands Pass
Honister Pass - west/east
Derwent Water & Borrowdale - south/north
Ullswater
Glenridding
Kirkstone Pass & The Struggle

Wrynose and Honister Pass are driven both ways. Although the detour into Wasdale is not a logical part of the route, it's a worthwhile addition to it.

Total Distance: 140 miles
Total Time: Depends when done - best early morning or evening. Can be slow and tedious during the day in high season.

Scenically the route includes the best of the Lake District.

There's a .gpx file of the route here which you should be able to open in Google Earth to see a street view of the route.

A small bridge on the Newlands Pass road (north of the Pass was damaged in the 2015 floods. It hadn't be repaired the last time I was there so worth checking the road is now open.



If you go to France use a SatNav. Tell it where you want to head for and set it to "avoid motorways" and you'll find some super roads. For a five day excursion from Calais, I'd suggest you head for Orleans and then follow the Loire to Saumur or Angers and head back from there. It depends how many hours you want to drive each day.

Ken - congrats on reading the question and my thanks for a great answer! I Showed this to herself and got immediate agreement for our pre-retirement mini break.
Hope we'll see plenty of Morgan's on the circuit, and here's hoping plenty more routes get posted

We would not use the Hermitage any more as its food was poor when we visited. We now use the Castle of the Angels just down the road from the hermatige

see link here

http://casteldesanges.free.fr/

The restaurant at Hermitage is not run by the Hotel. At first 2002 - 2005 it was the Jeroboam, and very good - but then it started slipping. A few years ago it was taken over by another company and renamed The Anecdote, but I was not impressed by the prices.

For individuals or small parties, in my opinion the best restaurants are Darnetal and the newly opened Bistronome. This latter one opened in September 2016 and I ate there (after being recommended by one of the Hermitage staff) less than a month later, and it was perhaps one third full. In March last I went again and it was two thirds full, and again in October if I had not reserved in advance there would have been no room.

Another restaurant I like in Montreuil is Le Patio but there are lots of others ranging from the 'fun & Quick meals' such as La Paloma great for a pizza and carafe of house wine to the Michelin starred La Grenouillere and Chateau de Montreuil.

I have arranged a few large groups at the Hermitage and always use an outside caterer for the evening meals, served in the hotel's breakfast retaurant and I am sure those that stayed there en-route from Le Mans to the Dutch event in 2012, or for 'Apres Mog' after MOG13 will be able to confirm how good he is.

I first used him for the meal (with 330 diners) in Le Touquet for 'Year 2K in Le Touquet' after MOG2000 - and people still talk about that meal!

Bon appétit

Quentin

Can I recommend book called “Back Roads France” ( isbn 978-1-4093-8768-8) giving you scenic routes, where to stay, suggestions for where to eat and drink together with day trip options.