When it is your job to convey the passion and joy of driving, it’s a problem when that thrill is no longer easy to achieve. I live in the south-east of England, and whatever the car, driving in this part of the country is not a lot of fun. Short journeys in mileage can be epic in time taken. And even when the traffic is not at a standstill it’s so dense that overtaking and making progress is almost impossible. Speed limits and cameras I can cope with; there is little one can do with congestion.
But I’ve not given up, it has just required a shift in attitude and approach. To really enjoy driving in 2019 you will have to make an effort, almost by recreating a past in which families would ‘take the car out for a drive’ as a recreational pursuit on weekends. If you live where I live that means travelling some distance to find great roads, and while it might be a bit of a slog to get to them, it’s worth it when you arrive.
To prove the point I’ve asked a quartet of colleagues to name their favourite roads and I shall go and drive them. Andrew Frankel, Dan Prosser, Matt Prior and Richard Bremner have each come up with a strip of asphalt that is fixed in their memories; place where they’ve had memorable drives often in unforgettable cars.
What car to take? Not a supercar. Cars such as McLaren’s McLaren 720S and Ferrari’s 488GTB are too fast, too stressful, too big and too unsubtle. My first choice was an Alpine A110, but that was out of the question because photographer Luc Lacey would like to take at least some of his kit. So we’re driving a Ford Fiesta ST – not because we’re trying to be particularly worthy or down to earth, but because it is a supremely good car that I know, from driving it on its launch in France, will be perfect. To prove the point that effort is required, my first task is to drive to Inverness airport to pick up Lacey from where we will proceed to Matt Prior’s road of choice: the A82 from Fort William through Glencoe.
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B4391 the other way
Last September I was in Bala and was heading back home early evening and took the B4391 south down towards Welshpool, picking up the A490 on the run into Welshpool itself. I was in a 15 plate Mini Cooper 3dr and basically sat at the speed limit for a distance of almost 35 miles on pretty much empty undulating and twisty roads through a wide variety of countryside and it was fabulous. No need to break the speed limit, just drive and enjoy decent tarmac. When my conscience permits I'll be doing the trip again but will have to try Dan's northern part too (maybe up and back) - the only issues are getting the timing right for traffic clearly, making sure I can leave the family home for the peace and quiet that kind of driving needs and borrowing what is now my son's Cooper!
B4391
the B4391 was my daily commute for the best part of 5 years. An utterly great bit of tarmac, which led to sighting quite a few exotic cars. Once through the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, the A470 through to Betws y Coed makes for a fun drive too. Good quality surfaces, plenty of bends that flow.
From the Southeast to Scotland
I completely agree with the articles authors living in the Southeast myself. I have a decent driver's car and a motorbike and regularly head out of southwest London to Hampshire and the Surrey Hills as well as occasional trips to The Highlands, Wales, Pennines and The Lakes. I have come to the conclusion that there are no roads nearby worthy of drive/ride just for the sake of it, the closest roads to the Southeast for driving pleasure are in Wales, the best UK roads are in the far north of Scotland.