Great Escapes
Ready-made runs, built from the 233 roads in the app. Each one loads straight into the planner — add your meeting point, print the run sheet, share one link with the club.
The Wales Weekend (2 days, 5 roads)
The classic South Wales two-dayer. Saturday takes in the Top Gear road over the Black Mountain and the long empty sweeps of the Beacons; Sunday climbs Gospel Pass — the highest road in Wales, single-track and shared with ponies — before the reservoir run through the Elan Valley and the Devil's Staircase hairpins. Book somewhere around Brecon or Llandovery for the night.
Snowdonia in Two Days (2 days, 5 roads)
North Wales at its best. Llanberis Pass squeezes between Snowdon and the Glyderau, the Crimea Pass drops into slate country at Blaenau, and Aberglaslyn threads the gorge to the coast. Finish with a lap of the Evo Triangle — the magazine's own testing loop — and the Berwyn crossing at Milltir Gerrig.
Highlands & Applecross (4 days, 5 roads)
Four days through the north-west. Glen Coe sets the tone, the A87 runs the Five Sisters to Skye, and then the Bealach na Bà — Britain's most alpine road, hairpinning to 626 metres with the Cuillin across the water. Applecross coast road brings you back the long way round, and Kylesku adds the far north-west if you have the day spare.
Lakes & High Pennines (2 days, 5 roads)
England's steepest tarmac. Hardknott and Wrynose hit 1-in-3 with hairpins that punish a cold clutch, Honister and Kirkstone carry you across the Lakeland passes, and then the moors: Hartside's long climb and the Buttertubs run over the Dales.
Kerry & the Beara (3 days, 5 roads)
The south-west peninsulas. The Ring of Kerry is the famous one, but the Healy Pass over the Beara and the climb to the Conor Pass — Ireland's highest — are the roads people remember. The Gap of Dunloe is here too, with a warning attached.
The Great Alpine Passes (7 days, 7 roads)
The week most drivers have on the list. Stelvio's forty-eight numbered hairpins, the Gavia's narrow shelf, Umbrail across to Switzerland, then the Bernina beside the glacier and the Furka–Grimsel–Susten triangle — three passes in a day, and the best-engineered tarmac in Europe.
Dolomites Long Weekend (4 days, 6 roads)
The Sella Ronda and the roads around it. Four passes in a single loop — Sella, Gardena, Pordoi and Campolongo — under limestone towers that go pink at sunset, plus the Giau and Falzarego on the Great Dolomites Road toward Cortina. Short distances, enormous drama.
Norwegian Fjords (7 days, 5 roads)
Trollstigen's eleven hairpins climbing a waterfall-lined wall, the Eagle Road's view down Geirangerfjord, the Atlantic Road hopping island to island on its curved bridges, and Sognefjellet over the roof of Norway. Lofoten if you have the time and the ferry money.
Route des Grandes Alpes (5 days, 5 roads)
Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean, over seventeen Alpine cols. The Galibier and Izoard are Tour de France legend, the Bonette claims Europe's highest through road, and the Turini finishes it with the Monte Carlo Rally's night stage before the drop to Menton.
Picos & the Pyrenees (6 days, 4 roads)
Take the overnight boat across Biscay and wake up on the right side of France. The Hermida gorge cuts through the Picos de Europa, the Beyos gorge follows it, then east along the Pyrenean axis over the Coll del Cantó and the Aubisque's cliff-cut balcony road.
Transfăgărășan & Transalpina (4 days, 3 roads)
Romania's two great mountain roads, both built for reasons that had nothing to do with driving pleasure. The Transfăgărășan switchbacks to 2,042 metres past Bâlea Lake; the Transalpina runs higher still along the ridge. The Bicaz Gorge threads a limestone canyon barely wider than the car.
Corsica by Ferry (5 days, 3 roads)
An island of roads that feel like they were laid out by someone who enjoyed driving. The Calanques de Piana cut through red granite pinnacles above the sea, the Col de Vergio crosses the spine at the island's highest pass, and Cap Corse rings the northern finger on a ledge above the water.
The Peak District Weekend (2 days, 3 roads)
A tight two-dayer on the Dark and White Peak. Saturday takes the A57 over Bleaklow — Snake Pass — then squeezes up Winnats' limestone canyon out of Castleton. Sunday is the Cat and Fiddle, the well-sighted moorland blast from Macclesfield to Buxton, cameras and all. Stay in Castleton or Buxton; you can walk to the start of two of the three roads.
Exmoor to Land's End (3 days, 3 roads)
The north coast of Devon and Cornwall in three days. Porlock to Lynmouth is the old A39 off the moor, then the Atlantic Highway runs the long way to Wadebridge, and the B3306 finishes it on the granite edge from St Ives to St Just. Book somewhere around Padstow or St Ives for the middle night; the distances look modest until you meet the caravans.
Mendips & the Jurassic Coast (3 days, 4 roads)
Saturday in the gorge country: Cheddar's limestone walls on the B3135, then Burrington Combe over the Mendip tops. Sunday and Monday drop to the Channel — Slapton Ley from Dartmouth to Kingsbridge, then the B3157 from Weymouth to Bridport along Chesil. Overnight in Wells or Cheddar, then Dartmouth or Bridport. Three counties, none of them in a hurry.
Moors, Pennines & Northumberland (3 days, 3 roads)
Three days across the top of England. The B1257 through Bilsdale is the old TT road from Helmsley to Stokesley; then the B6278 over the High Pennines between Teesdale and Weardale; finish on the Northumberland coast from Alnmouth to Bamburgh with the castle on the sand. Stay in Helmsley the first night and Alnwick or Seahouses the second.
Dee Valley & the Horseshoe (2 days, 3 roads)
Llangollen as a base, two days on the roads that leave it. The Horseshoe Pass is the famous sweep above the Dee; Telford's A5 then runs the valley to Betws-y-Coed; the B5105 comes back through Clocaenog Forest to Ruthin. A compact north-east Wales weekend that sits next to the Evo Triangle without repeating it.
Mid Wales: Valleys to the Mawddach (3 days, 5 roads)
From the Rhondda over the Cambrians to the estuary. Rhigos is a short, steep Valleys mountain road; the A483 then sweeps Newtown to Builth; the A44 crosses to Aberystwyth; Tal-y-llyn drops off Cader Idris and the A496 finishes along the Mawddach to Barmouth. Three days, three landscapes, overnight around Rhayader or Machynlleth.
The Three Wales Ways (5 days, 4 roads)
The three official touring routes, driven as a week. The North Wales Way is the castle coast from Queensferry to Holyhead; the Coastal Way is the long west from St Davids to Aberdaron, with Nolton Haven as the Pembrokeshire spur you actually want; the Cambrian Way is the A470 spine, Cardiff Bay to Llandudno. Not a hairpin holiday — a country in five days.
Deeside & the Heart 200 (3 days, 3 roads)
Perthshire and Royal Deeside. The Heart 200 is the signed loop around Perth; peel off it for the A93 over Glenshee — Britain's highest main road — and the A939 Lecht, the old military rollercoaster to Tomintoul. Three days with a night in Braemar or Ballater and another in Tomintoul or Grantown.
Trossachs to Glen Etive (2 days, 3 roads)
The west-highland approach without repeating the Applecross trip. Duke's Pass out of Aberfoyle, Rest and Be Thankful over Glen Croe, then Glen Etive as the Skyfall dead-end off the A82. Overnight in Callander, Aberfoyle or Kingshouse. Short miles, big scenery, and a turn-round at the loch. Two days is plenty: Duke's Pass is twenty minutes, the Rest is a weather check, and Glen Etive is the afternoon you came for, there and back on the same single track.
Galloway & the Southern Uplands (4 days, 4 roads)
The quiet south. The Queen's Way through Galloway Forest Park, then the Mennock and Dalveen passes over the Lowthers to Wanlockhead — Scotland's highest village — and the South West Coastal 300 as the Dumfries loop that ties the Solway and the Rhins together. Four days if you actually drive the 300 rather than tick it.
NC500 & the Quiraing (7 days, 3 roads)
The North Coast 500 as a week, with the Road to the Isles as the way onto the west and the Quiraing as the Skye day you should not skip. Inverness around the top, Applecross and the far north already sitting on the loop, then Mallaig and across to Trotternish for the landslip ridge. Seven days is a driving week, not a sightseeing fortnight.
Ulster: Causeway, Torr Head & the Mournes (3 days, 4 roads)
Three days around Northern Ireland's edges. The Causeway Coastal Route from Belfast to Derry is the famous one; Torr Head is the single-track spur the coaches cannot manage; the Mournes coastal A2 from Newcastle to Rostrevor and the Sperrins' Glenelly valley fill the south and west. Overnight in Ballycastle or Portrush, then Newcastle or Rostrevor.
Wild Atlantic Week (9 days, 3 roads)
Ireland's west coast as a proper holiday, not a weekend. The Wild Atlantic Way is the 1,600-mile corridor from Kinsale to Malin Head; the Burren coast from Ballyvaughan to Doolin and Clifden's Sky Road are the two spurs worth peeling off for. Nine days lets you drive it without treating every peninsula as a tick. Overnight as you go — Galway, Westport, Donegal town.
Black Forest, Alsace & the Moselle (3 days, 3 roads)
Three ridge and river days on the way south. The B500 Hochstraße from Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt, then the Alsace wine route from Obernai to Colmar, then the Moselle's B53 from Trier to Zell. Sleep in Baden-Baden or Freudenstadt, then Colmar. A civilised first course before the Alps. It is a civilised first course before the Alps, or a long weekend on its own if you are coming via Strasbourg rather than pushing south.
Bavarian Alps: Lindau to Hintersee (4 days, 3 roads)
The Deutsche Alpenstraße from Lake Constance to Berchtesgaden, then the two roads that actually finish it: Rossfeld's panorama toll road and the B305 down to Hintersee. Four days for 280 miles of Alpine front plus the two Berchtesgaden extras. Overnight Füssen or Garmisch, then Berchtesgaden. Four days for 280 miles of Alpine front plus the two Berchtesgaden extras is honest once you allow for the holiday towns and the 50 limits.
Ring, Spa, Reims & Le Mans (4 days, 4 roads)
Four days of public roads that used to be — or still are — race tracks. Touristenfahrten on the Nordschleife, the old Spa-Francorchamps triangle on the N62, the Reims-Gueux start-finish on the D27, and the Mulsanne Straight south of Le Mans. Overnight Adenau or Nürburg, then Spa or Stavelot, then Reims.
West Tyrol: Silvretta to Timmelsjoch (4 days, 5 roads)
The Arlberg and Ötztal side of Tyrol. Silvretta Hochalpenstraße, Hahntennjoch, Kühtai Saddle, the Kaunertal glacier toll road, and over Timmelsjoch into South Tyrol. Short distances, high cols, overnight in Landeck or Imst, then Sölden or Oetz. Short distances, high cols, overnight in Landeck or Imst, then Sölden or Oetz — a west-Tyrol week that does not duplicate the Glockner.
Grossglockner, Gerlos & the Zillertal (3 days, 3 roads)
The Hohe Tauern in three days. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is the 1930s masterpiece; Gerlos Alpenstraße then links Krimml to the Zillertal, and the Höhenstraße runs the shelf above the valley. Overnight in Zell am See or Heiligenblut, then Zell am Ziller. Overnight in Zell am See or Heiligenblut, then Zell am Ziller. The waterfalls at Krimml are a walk, not a drive, and sit at the Gerlos end.
Nockberge, Sölk & Dobratsch (3 days, 3 roads)
Carinthia and the Mur valley, quieter than the Glockner. The Nockalmstraße is a toll ridge road of 52 numbered bends; Sölk Pass crosses to the Enns; the Villacher Alpenstraße climbs Dobratsch above Villach. Overnight in Gmünd or Ebene Reichenau, then Villach. Overnight in Gmünd or Ebene Reichenau, then Villach. Quieter than the Glockner, and a different week, not a same-day add-on.
The Engadin Passes (4 days, 4 roads)
Four Graubünden passes around the Engadin. Flüela from Davos to Susch, Julier from Tiefencastel to Silvaplana, Albula to La Punt, and Maloja dropping to Chiavenna in Italy. Overnight in St Moritz or Silvaplana. Short miles, high cols, the Bernina railway for company. Overnight in St Moritz or Silvaplana. Short miles, high cols, the Bernina railway for company, and coaches on the Julier from mid-morning.
The Gotthard Knot (5 days, 6 roads)
Andermatt as a hub, five days on the roads that leave it. The Tremola cobbles down to Airolo, Nufenen across to Ulrichen, Oberalp to Disentis, Lukmanier to Olivone, then San Bernardino and Splügen south toward Chiavenna. The Furka–Grimsel–Susten loop is the other Andermatt week — this is the one that is not that.
Schwyz, Glarus & Appenzell (3 days, 5 roads)
Central and eastern Switzerland, the passes the posters forget. Klausen from Altdorf to Linthal, Pragel from Muotathal to Glarus, Ibergeregg over to Oberiberg, then Appenzell to Schwägalp and the short climb from Vaduz to Malbun in Liechtenstein. Overnight in Altdorf or Linthal, then Appenzell. Overnight in Altdorf or Linthal, then Appenzell. Klausen is the old hillclimb; Pragel is the one with the weekend ban; Malbun is the short climb into Liechtenstein.
Vaud, Mosses & the Great St Bernard (3 days, 3 roads)
The French-speaking west. Jaun Pass from Bulle toward Boltigen, Col des Mosses from Aigle to Château-d'Oex, then the Great St Bernard from Martigny over to Aosta. Overnight in Château-d'Oex or Aigle, then Aosta. A clean run from the Gruyère hills to Italy. Overnight in Château-d'Oex or Aigle, then Aosta. A clean run from the Gruyère hills to Italy, and the tunnel under the St Bernard is not the point.
Pyrenees: Tourmalet to Envalira (5 days, 4 roads)
West to east along the spine. Tourmalet and Peyresourde are the Tour de France pair in the Hautes-Pyrénées; then along to Collada de Toses on the N-260 and Port d'Envalira, Europe's highest Pyrenean through-road, into Andorra. Five days with a night in Luz or Bagnères-de-Luchon, then Puigcerdà or Andorra. Five days with a night in Luz or Bagnères-de-Luchon, then Puigcerdà or Andorra — the connecting day across the central Pyrenees is part of the trip, not wasted.
Route Napoléon to the Corniches (5 days, 5 roads)
Golfe-Juan to Grenoble on Napoleon's 1815 road, then the Verdon gorges, the Cians, Col de la Cayolle, and the Grande Corniche into Menton. Five days from the Côte d'Azur into the southern Alps and back to the sea. Overnight Castellane or Moustiers, then Barcelonnette or Beuil, then Nice. Overnight Castellane or Moustiers, then Barcelonnette or Beuil, then Nice. Five days from the Côte d'Azur into the southern Alps and back to the sea.
Vercors & Ventoux (3 days, 3 roads)
The limestone massif west of Grenoble, then the bald mountain. Combe Laval is the balcony cut into the cliff; the Bourne gorges thread the Vercors from Pont-en-Royans; Mont Ventoux is Bédoin to Malaucène over 1,910 m. Overnight in Villard-de-Lans or Pont-en-Royans, then Bédoin or Malaucène. Overnight in Villard-de-Lans or Pont-en-Royans, then Bédoin. Combe Laval is the balcony; Ventoux is the bald mountain the Tour made famous.
Tuscany: Futa, Chianti & Val d'Orcia (3 days, 3 roads)
Bologna to Siena the slow way. The Futa and Raticosa are the old Bologna–Florence mountain road; the Chiantigiana then runs Florence to Siena through the vineyards; Val d'Orcia is the cypress-and-dirt-track panorama from San Quirico to Montepulciano. Overnight in Florence or Greve, then Pienza. Overnight in Florence or Greve, then Pienza. The Futa is trucks and a mountain; Chianti is 50 km/h through villages; Val d'Orcia is the postcard, often from a white road just off the tarmac.
Fassa, Rolle & San Pellegrino (3 days, 3 roads)
The Dolomites the other side of the Sella. Campolongo completes the Sella Ronda from Arabba to Corvara; Passo Rolle runs Predazzo to San Martino di Castrozza under the Pale; San Pellegrino links Moena to Falcade. Three short, high days based on Moena or Predazzo. The existing Dolomites weekend is the Sella and Cortina passes — this is Fassa and the Pale.
Andalucía: Ronda to Cabo de Gata (5 days, 5 roads)
Five days across the south. The A-397 up to Ronda, Puerto de las Palomas over to Zahara, then east to the Sierra Nevada road above Granada, Alto de Velefique's desert hairpins, and the Cabo de Gata coast. Overnight Ronda, Granada, then San José. Summer is too hot to enjoy this; April is the month.
Portugal: the N2, Estrela and the Douro (6 days, 4 roads)
The length of the country on the old national road, with two mountain spurs. The N2 runs Chaves to Faro, 460 miles of it; Serra da Estrela's N339 is the high road to Torre; the N222 is the Douro terrace from Régua to Pinhão; Minho's N101 finishes you in the north if you start at Faro and work up, or the other way round. Six days is moving.
Lisbon Coast to Sagres (3 days, 3 roads)
The west edge. Sintra and Cabo da Roca on the N247, Arrábida's coast road from Sesimbra to Setúbal, then the Costa Vicentina from Sines down to Sagres. Three days of Atlantic, overnight in Sesimbra or Setúbal, then Vila do Bispo or Sagres. Overnight in Sesimbra or Setúbal, then Vila do Bispo or Sagres. Three days of Atlantic, and August on the Algarve end is slow.
Julian Alps: Vršič, Predil & Mangart (3 days, 3 roads)
Three days around Kranjska Gora and Bovec. Vršič is fifty numbered hairpins, half of them cobbled; Predil comes in from Tarvisio; Mangart is the dead-end toll shelf to 2,055 m. Overnight in Kranjska Gora or Bovec. The Soča is the river you keep crossing. Overnight in Kranjska Gora or Bovec. The Soča is the river you keep crossing; Mangart is the dead-end you save for a clear morning.
Adriatic, Kotor, Durmitor & Llogara (6 days, 4 roads)
Down the east shore of the Adriatic. The Magistrala from Split to Dubrovnik, the Kotor serpentine up to Cetinje, the Durmitor ring out of Žabljak, and Llogara Pass in Albania from Vlorë to Himarë. Six days with nights in Split or Makarska, Kotor or Cetinje, Žabljak, then Himarë. July and August are cruise-ship gridlock on the coast.
Sardinia: Emerald Coast to the South (4 days, 3 roads)
The island in four days on three coasts. Costa Smeralda from Olbia to Baja Sardinia, the SS125 Orientale Sarda from Dorgali to Tortolì, and the Costa del Sud from Chia to Teulada. Overnight in Cala Gonone or Dorgali, then Chia. Not Corsica — that trip already exists; this is the ferry to Olbia.
Ryfylke, Lysevegen & the Snow Road (5 days, 4 roads)
Southwest Norway without repeating Trollstigen. Lysevegen's 27 hairpins down to Lysebotn, the Ryfylke scenic route from the Lysefjord toward Røldal, Gamle Strynefjellsvegen — the old snow road — and Aurlandsfjellet, the Snow Road with the Stegastein viewpoint. Overnight in Stavanger or Lysebotn, then Stryn or Aurland. Overnight in Stavanger or Lysebotn, then Stryn or Aurland. Lysevegen is a dead-end unless you take the fjord ferry; build that into the day.
Arctic Norway: Helgeland to Varanger (7 days, 4 roads)
The far north as a week of coast, not a highlight reel. Helgeland's Kystriksveien from Brønnøysund to Sandnessjøen, Senja's outer road, Andøya to Andenes, and Varanger out to Hamningberg. The miles between these roads are the trip; the named stretches are why you came. Overnight as the ferries and distances dictate — Bodø, Finnsnes, Andenes, Vadsø.
Norrland: Wilderness Road & High Coast (5 days, 3 roads)
Swedish Lapland and Ångermanland. Vildmarksvägen from Strömsund over Stekenjokk to Vilhelmina, the Blue Highway from Storuman to Hemavan, and the High Coast E4 from Härnösand to Örnsköldsvik. Overnight in Vilhelmina or Storuman, then Hemavan or Tärnaby, then Docksta. Reindeer on the tarmac, not traffic. Overnight in Vilhelmina or Storuman, then Hemavan or Tärnaby, then Docksta. Reindeer on the tarmac, not traffic, and Stekenjokk is only open in summer.
Epirus: Zagori, Katara & the Pindus (4 days, 3 roads)
Northern Greece on the mountain side. Ioannina to Papingo through Zagori and the Vikos rim, the old Katara pass toward Metsovo and Meteora, and the Pindus national road from Ioannina up to Katara. Overnight in Ioannina or Monodendri, then Metsovo. Stone villages, switchbacks, and a warning about the rim walk being a walk.
Peloponnese & Lefkada Cliffs (4 days, 3 roads)
The southern mainland and the island you can drive onto. Epidaurus along the Argolic coast from Corinth, the Mani from Sparta to Monemvasia, then the Lefkada west-cliffs road from Kalamitsi down to Porto Katsiki. Overnight in Nafplio or Epidavros, then Gytheio or Areopoli, then Athani. Four days of heat, stone, and a floating bridge onto Lefkada.