Five of the UK’s greatest summer drives

Want to take advantage of the sunny days and hit the open road? We asked Envoy ambassador Paul Cowland – who is no stranger to covering around 1,000 miles most weeks – to pick his five favourite UK routes.

Summer in Britain is a glorious, and rare, thing. I don’t know about you, but as soon as I know I’ve got great weather and a tank full of fuel, I just want to get out and enjoy it. This time of year is precisely when the island’s greatest roads come alive. We have light for longer, the grip levels are high, the hedges are full, and the car parks of the serious attractions still have the odd space left.

So here are five routes that actually deserve the hype, each tailored to a different kind of motorist. No generic “scenic loops.” Proper drives that exude character, offer a little sightseeing, and maybe the chance to fill your face as well as your tank.

1. For the Driver: Bealach na Bà (Applecross Pass) – the NC500’s killer punch

If you want thrills that make your passengers grip the door handles and perhaps gently squeal occasionally, this is it. The Bealach na Bà, Gaelic for “Pass of the Cattle”, climbs from sea level to 2,053 ft in a little over five miles of single-track road that feels far more Alpine Pass than Highland Highway. Hairpins so tight you can expect a cascade of travel sweets in the footwell, and the takeaway coffee to strain in its cupholder. Gradients that nudge 20 per cent and views across the Inner Sound to Raasay and Skye that make you wonder why you’ve ever holidayed anywhere else.

The official sign at the bottom is almost comically polite: not advised for learner drivers, large vehicles or caravans. Do it early on a clear summer morning, windows down, and you’ll understand why the entire NC500 exists. The rest of the 516-mile loop is the scenic support band. This section is the headline act.

2. For the Sightseers: Kendal to Keswick on the A591

This 30-mile stretch of the A591 was recently crowned Britain’s most beautiful drive in a poll of 2,000 motorists by Isuzu UK, edging out Loch Lomond to Glencoe by a single percentage point. Ultimately, it is the Lake District distilled into one fabulous stretch of tarmac. Windermere’s shimmering beauty on one side, the rising fells on the other, then the climb over Dunmail Raise and the long, elegant run down the side of Thirlmere to Keswick.

Pull over at every lay-by and photograph the light bouncing off the water for a guaranteed Insta-win and then stop in Grasmere for gingerbread that tastes exactly like your Granny used to make. The road itself is never difficult; wide enough, well-surfaced, and engineered so you can actually look at the view rather than the next apex. It’s definitely not a route to drive if you want to get there in the fastest possible time; there’s simply too much to see. On a perfect summer evening the place looks like a tourist board backdrop. One to make memories, spam your feed with beauty and hopefully, catch a sunset too.

3. For the History Buffs: The Northumberland Coast & Castles Route (roughly the eastern half of the Northumberland 250)

Want a little culture with your car touring? Start near Alnwick and work north. You will pass more medieval fortresses than most European countries manage in an entire region. Warkworth Castle, brooding on its loop of the River Coquet. Dunstanburgh’s ruined silhouette on the cliffs. Bamburgh, the most dramatic of the lot, rising sheer above the landscape as if it has been waiting for a location scout since the 12th century. Then, try the tidal causeway to Holy Island (Lindisfarne), but make sure to time it carefully or you’ll be explaining to the kids (and your insurer) why the car is suddenly a boat.

Add Hadrian’s Wall, a short hop inland, if you want Roman stones under your boots, and the whole day becomes your very own self-presented documentary in historic power, invasion and stubborn survival. The roads are mostly easy, the light is soft and northern, and every few miles another stone statement appears on the horizon. Name them as you go: Alnwick (Harry Potter’s flying lessons, for the modernists), Bamburgh (the one that makes you stop the car), Lindisfarne Castle (the one that only exists at low tide). History doesn’t get more scenic than this.

4. For the Foodies: The Atlantic Highway (A39) – Barnstaple to Padstow and a bit beyond

Seventy-odd miles of Atlantic-facing drama that has been called one of the world’s most beautiful drives, but the real reason to do it is for the table at the end – if you’ve remembered to make a reservation, of course! Breakfast in Bude or Boscastle (Electric Bakery’s pastries if you can get there before they sell out). Lunch somewhere overlooking the cliffs – a crab sandwich that still tastes of the sea is non-negotiable. Then Padstow for a true culinary excursion.

Rick Stein put the place on the map half a century ago with The Seafood Restaurant. Paul Ainsworth at No. 6 has kept the bar absurdly high ever since. Book ahead, order whatever came off the boat that morning, and finish with the Fairground Tale dessert if you still have the capacity. Between Tintagel’s Arthurian ruins and Port Isaac’s narrow streets you will have driven past enough coastline to justify the calories. This is the rare route where the road and the restaurants are guaranteed to be equally impressive.

5. For the Family Motorists: A New Forest meander

No mountain passes. No single-track terror. Just 219 square miles of ancient woodland, open heath and free-roaming ponies that will stop the car more effectively than any speed camera. Start in Lyndhurst or Brockenhurst, drift along the ornamental drives, stop for ice cream whenever the mood takes you, and let the kids lean out of the windows for a game of equine “eye spy”.

Beaulieu’s National Motor Museum gives the petrolheads something to do while everyone else explores the abbey ruins or rides the monorail, then Lepe Beach or Calshot for a paddle. Cycle trails that are genuinely traffic-free if anyone wants to abandon the car for an hour.
In high summer the heather turns purple and the whole place feels like a natural theme park designed by someone who understood that children and adults need different kinds of magic. It ranked high in the same scenic-drive polls that crowned Kendal to Keswick, and for good reason: everyone in the car genuinely enjoys it.

There you have it. Five different drives, for five different motorists, for you all to enjoy this magnificent British summer.

Given where you are reading this, it would be remiss of me not to mention to give your tyres the once-over before you embark on any of these rewarding trips. Check the tread, the pressures and the date marks on the side. If they’re under 7 years old, you’re highly likely to enjoy those roads just that little bit more. And if any of those aspects aren’t up to scratch, simply visit your local Envoy dealer for total peace of mind before you set off.

So, check the weather, book the tables, respect the single-track etiquette, where applicable, and don’t try to do the Bealach in a motorhome!