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Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
5 of the world's most picturesque road trips
By Road tripping is one of the best ways to see some of the most beautiful parts of the world at your own pace and freedom. Whether it's driving your own vehicle or renting an iconic car in the country you're visiting, a road trip offers the flexibility and control to see as much of stunning locations as you can. They often represent good value for money, especially when you're going off the beaten track to find unearthed beauty spots, quiet areas not overrun by tourists, and sights you simply wouldn't experience on a guided tour. But which roads trips are the most picturesque of all? A study by used car retailer Cinch looked at the 40 most iconic driving routes spanning six continents, then rattled the order down to the top five that have accumulated the highest volume of photos posted on Instagram - with the most snapped of all clocking a massive 2.4 million hashtag mentions. And while three of the standout picturesque road trips are a long-haul flight away on the other side of the globe, two are much closer to home - and the reality is you could jump in your car this weekend and enjoy their breathtaking views. 5. North Coast 500, Scotland At 516 miles long - hence the NC500 name - it will take between five and seven days to complete if you're really soaking up the scenery and stopping regularly. Though it can easily be completed in a weekend, if you're willing to take in the scenery while on the move. 4. Blue Ridge Parkway, USA The Blue Ridge Parkway secures fourth place with 722,047 Instagram hashtag mentions, with the majority from #blueridgeparkway. This 469-mile scenic route connects Virginia and North Carolina, linking Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While the full journey takes approximately 10 hours of driving time, visitors typically allocate between three and five days to fully explore the parkway's scenic views and natural wonders. And the leisurely 45mph speed limit (with some stretches at lower speeds of 25 or 35mph) encourages travelers to take in the mountain vistas slowly and carefully. 3. Great Ocean Road, Australia With over 1.6 million hashtag posts - #greatoceanroad accounting for 1.5 million and #greatoceanroadtrip over 113k - Australia's Great Ocean Road is a worthy entrant in our list of most picturesque road trips. This 150-mile route spans from Torquay to Allansford is one of the shorter journeys on the list. But visitors recommend taking between two and four days to soak in everything it has to offer. Travelers who have taken it in recommend driving from east to west to stay on the same side of the road as the ocean. With a TripAdvisor rating of 4.8, the Great Ocean Road lives up to its name. 2. Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland Another of the world's most amazing - and most snapped - road trips is the second on our list that's extremely close to home. Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way secures second place in this list with over 1.9 million Instagram hashtag mentions, mostly driven by the #wildatlanticway hashtag alongside breathtaking coastal imagery. This amazing 1,600-mile stretch takes holidaymakers from the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork, claiming the title of the world's longest defined coastal route. Those who can secure long holidays or those who are enjoying retirement can extend the trip to weeks to enjoy everything this road trip has to offer. Though, it can be done in just days, if you're willing to miss out on some of the attractions Ireland's most picture-perfect route offers. With a 4.8-star TripAdvisor rating, this route continues to blow visitors away. Many said they were surprised by how pristine the beaches are - while the emerald green rolling hills are never ending in parts. 1. Route 66, USA It might sound like a cliché but Route 66 is by far the world's most Instagrammed road trip, amassing a whopping 2.4 million posts by visitors who have driven it in full - or just parts. The latter is understandable, given the entirety of Route 66 is almost 2,500 miles long and takes at least two to three weeks to complete start to finish. For the true experience, it's best completed in an American muscle car, like a convertible Ford Mustang. The legendary 2,448-mile highway connects Chicago to Los Angeles, cutting right through America's heartland. Route 66 attracts adventurers seeking authentic American experiences, from major cities to ghost towns and everything in between.
Times
14-06-2025
- Times
Gear up for the UK's most scenic driving routes
The sultry days and shorter nights make ideal conditions for taking to the nation's roads with the windows rolled down. Let your car do the hard work up to vertiginous heights on some spectacular panoramic drives in the wild outdoors. Take a friend to share the driving and keep your eyes peeled for looking-glass lakes, thistle-coated moors, sheer cliff drops and dragon-back islets. Each of these backroad adventures takes about an hour, with picnic spots en route and restful stays at the end. This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue The roads along Scotland's west coast undulate and twist, providing different framings at every turn. The best is along the coast of the Applecross peninsula, looking across to the Isle of Skye, where the Cuillins are etched out on the horizon. If you're brave, tackle the Bealach na Ba, the Applecross pass, one of the steepest roads in the UK, with stupendous views but tortuous hairpin bends. The 60-minute drive is the most dramatic part of the North Coast 500 and ends at the popular Applecross Inn, right on the B&B doubles from £160 ( • A UK heatwave is coming — here's where to make a weekend of it The glory of this 45-minute route, which reaches over to the western edge of the Lakes, is that it gets less busy the further you go, and topping the Honister pass will give you a full blast of a setting sun on the other side. There's plenty of waterside action, first along Derwentwater and Borrowdale's lazy lanes. The pass itself is surprisingly bleak and wild, before descending to the fellwalker Alfred Wainwright's favourite slice of lakeland, by Buttermere and Crummock Water. Honister's Via Ferrata allows thrill-seekers to scramble across the crag while harnessed to a safety cable (£65; End up at the Kirkstile Inn, a traditional hostelry where hikers dry their feet by the B&B doubles from £145 ( • 9 of the best places to visit in the Lake District• 33 of the best hotels in the Lake District Set out from Hay after a browse around the bookshops and head towards Gospel Pass, the highest road pass in Wales. Hay Bluff and Offa's Dyke are up to your left, and border country and the meandering Wye opens out beneath you. Then drop down the other side into the remote Vale of Ewyas, a magical valley rich in birdsong (and free of mobile phone signal), to the ruins of 12th-century Llanthony Priory, just as compelling as Tintern but far less busy. The poet Walter Savage Landor built the house in the ruins that is now a tiny hotel and awaits at the end your 40-minute pootle. Details B&B doubles from £140 ( The A39 runs through the hills of Exmoor National Park. Views to one side are of the Bristol Channel, picking out the superstructure of ships heading to Avonmouth; the other is across the moorland, where wild ponies graze. Factor in a stop off at the County Gate car park on the 30-minute journey to gaze down into the deep winding valley of the Lyn River, then try not to be distracted by the view on the long and steep descent down Countisbury Hill. Stay right on the quayside in Lynmouth at the Rising Sun and ride the unique water-powered cliff railway up to the sister resort of Lynton (£4; B&B doubles from £120 ( • 15 of the most beautiful places in England The rawboned uplands of the Peaks feel like an ambush as you emerge from Sheffield's Ringinglow Road, and suddenly you're sliding down past the harsh grimace of Stanage Edge, a magnet for rock climbers. The sleepy village of Hathersage in the valley below provides welcome sanctuary, as does the spa town of Buxton, a less stuffy version of Bath complete with Georgian crescent and thermal spa. From here it is a short climb over and down the sinuous Cat and Fiddle road (named after an inn at the top) for the last stretch of this 90-minute drive, through bleak moorland, or take a longer route past Shutlingsloe on the A54. Stay in Bakewell's Rutland Arms, to be within easy driving distance of both opera ( and Bakewell tarts ( B&B doubles from £108 ( The A3055 between Chale and Freshwater Bay is on the Isle of Wight's western coast. This 16-mile road was originally a link between forts and barracks, with no public access until the 1930s. Since then it has regularly been re-routed, thanks to the Atlantic's winter pummellings. On a calm day, however, it is an exhilarating 30-minute drive. White cliffs reflect the sun's colours, particularly at sunset, and there are a couple of swooping ricochet bends just before the sanctuary of Freshwater Bay. Switch your engine off at the end to gaze out at the famous Needles ( or for a close-up take the chairlift down to Alum Bay (£6; Stay in the popular George right by the harbour in nearby Yarmouth. Details B&B doubles from £125 ( Starting at the seaside resort of Whitby, head up onto the moorland at Castleton and then descend into the peaceful Rosedale Valley. Turn right onto the A170 into Helmsley, with its 12th-century castle and former coaching inns. Keep going west until you reach Sutton Bank after 90 minutes, on the moor's west-facing escarpment. James Herriot described the outlook here, with the Dales in the distance and the Vale of Mowbray spread out like a tablecloth below, as 'the finest view in England'. Afterwards, retreat to Helmsley for a pint in the wood-panelled Black Swan. Hangovers can be assuaged the next day by a walk along the Cleveland Way ( B&B doubles from £110 ( Have we missed any? Share your suggestions in the comments
