driving roads around south coast

[E21_Ross]

from the south coast (near winchester) and have been all my life, though spend half the year south wales now and found some epic roads around brecon beacons (i mean, really epic roads!) and wondered if there are any near me? i was thinking somewhere around the new forest but never really come across many, so thought i'd ask on here!! there must be some somewhere!!! not afraid of a little trek there, it's 20ish miles to the forest anyway. if anyone would be so kind to name a few roads i can see what i can do on google maps and come up with a little route

only roads i can vaguely think of are matchams lane (been a long time since i went there, but it's quite good IIRC, and beaulieu road gets quite good once you get away from the town side of it...right?

please guys!! In need of a fun drive! if not for fun...just to p*ss off the greenies every now and again eh

cheers fellas!

[Hobzy]

A272 and all the little lanes off of it are all good. Lots of little pubs and beautiful villages. Depends if you want flat out fun or twisty quiet beauty. Have to say since getting the Seven I have started to prefer the latter even though the car is ridiculously quick. Something about no pillars and open air makes me appreciate the great conutryside we have down here along the Downs...

Harting down and the backroads to Goodwood are always worth a hoon too.

[E21_Ross]

Hobzy said:

A272 and all the little lanes off of it are all good. Lots of little pubs and beautiful villages. Depends if you want flat out fun or twisty quiet beauty. Have to say since getting the Seven I have started to prefer the latter even though the car is ridiculously quick. Something about no pillars and open air makes me appreciate the great conutryside we have down here along the Downs...

Harting down and the backroads to Goodwood are always worth a hoon too.

hi and thanks for the reply,

put the a272 in google maps and got this

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&a...

where abouts would you suggest joining it for a drive? prefer more twisties than flat out straight roads. found this on another thread, this is the sort of thing i'm after...

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq141/LUKE20V/D...
and that was in the new forest, i just don't know where!

thanks for any further advice mate

Edited by E21_Ross on Saturday 4th April 19:50

[DC]

Hello dude- I'm from Winch as well. We have some great fun roads round here. Starting around the Winnall Tesco's roundabout slip off down the road running parallel to the M3 southbound (Spitfire Link) down to the roundabout and slip left towards A31 and then come back on yourself at the next roundabout and slip left to pick up the A272 up the hills around the Matterly Bowl and follow it out to the Meon Hut crossroads and slip right down the A32 towards Fareham. Also the Morestead Road from the Bar End roundabout is cracking. Alternatively heading out Stockbridge way towards Salisbury and out around the Wallops towards Thruxton are some great roads.

The picture you linked to from Luke's Photobucket is near Lyndhurst in the Forest. Some nice roads around there but not as fast.

[minimatt1967]

Try this Wimborne to Shaftesbury the fun way!
Jonboy21t will agree with me on this a cracking route, a mixture of fast flowing corners and ample straights for dealing with traffic and some real twisty bits to get your teeth into including the infamous Zig Zag hill!

If you want scenic with bit of fun try this some quick roads and some great places for piccies as Luke has shown!

Just a few I really enjoy HTH!

[zs]

Yep - Wimborne > Blandford
A354
A33
A35 through forest . . was driving slowly between sites yesterday: Lyndhurst-Christchurch - hardly any cars, beautiful scenery in hazy sunshine and epic long straights and bends
Weymouth- West Bay coast road, inc. decent hill climbs & chessil beach views
A35 Poole - Honiton
parallel then onto A352 Charlton Down - Middlemarsh - Sherborne
A27 Whiteparish - Romsey?
A31 Winchester - Alton/ Guildford?

[dwilkie]

This is a repost from the old driving roads thread, but it has the 272 route on it. I drove it twice last weekend - it has nice twisties AND straights

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en...

[Gingerbread Man]

Got to organise something over Easter time Hobzy. I'll be in touch.

[Hobzy]

Gingerbread Man said:

Got to organise something over Easter time Hobzy. I'll be in touch.

Absolutely.

Problem with the new forest OP is the speed limits and the chance of hitting a pony/cyclist/some poor kid doing their D 0f E award. Great roads but best enjoyed at a leisurely pace believe it or not. Friend of mine hit a pony in his MINI at 30 and TOTALLED it.

Have to say the next SC run needs more twisty and less big straight A roads... Me and the G man might be able to catch back up then

[minimatt1967]

Hobzy said:

Problem with the new forest OP is the speed limits and the chance of hitting a pony/cyclist/some poor kid doing their D 0f E award. Great roads but best enjoyed at a leisurely pace believe it or not. Friend of mine hit a pony in his MINI at 30 and TOTALLED it.

I meant to put that in my post aswell!

Edited by minimatt1967 on Sunday 5th April 20:36

[.:ian:.]

E21_Ross said:

where abouts would you suggest joining it for a drive? prefer more twisties than flat out straight roads. found this on another thread, this is the sort of thing i'm after...

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq141/LUKE20V/D...
and that was in the new forest, i just don't know where!

If I am not mistaken, this looks like one of my favourite bits of new forest road;

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&amp...

in the mx5 it was good fun to play "just how fast can I drive over it and stay in the correct lane" (around 65-70 :lol) excellent visibility through the twisties.

Then over the crest and back down towards dibden theres another wiggle and a long straight, again with excellent visibility, turn right at the crossroads and theres a loooong straight with a couple of crests, then you can either turn left to Beaulieu, or right and back up the B3056 for another loop

[E21_Ross]

thanks for all the replies guys. certainly some roads to try out next time i go for a drive!

[TimCrighton]

Depending on how far you want to go this is a personal favourite of mine:

From Winchester take the A31 towards Alresford, turning off onto the A272. Follow this all the way through to Petersfield. At Petersfield turn North onto the A3 to the Petersfield North junction and turn off again onto the A272. When you come down to the roundabout turn left staying on the A272, immediately after the Nissan garage turn right onto the B2199. Follow this until the junction and take turn left on the B2146. Take this road all the way through South Harting, just after the village turn left onto the B2141. Eventually this meets the A286 Midhurst Road, at the junction turn left. Entering Singleton village turn right up 'The Trundle' (past the Weald and Downland Museum). As you go past Goodwood racecourse turn left onto what I think is called Selhurst Park Road. You'll meet the A285 and turn left towards Petworth, follow this all the way to Petworth (including a great run down Duncton Hill). As you enter Petworth turn left onto the A272 and follow this all the way back through Midhurst to Petersfield and on to Winchester.

Some of the best driving roads in Hampshire/Sussex in my opinion and some of the UK's finest downland countryside to boot. Definitely a good sunny day run. Especially if you take a young lady with you and treat her to a picnic (not a euphamisum!) on 'the trundle' by the racecourse (well worth the walk to the top of the hill where you get 360 degree views to Brighton/Southampton/Dorking on a clear day.)

[pat_y]

.:ian:. said:

E21_Ross said:

where abouts would you suggest joining it for a drive? prefer more twisties than flat out straight roads. found this on another thread, this is the sort of thing i'm after...

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq141/LUKE20V/D...
and that was in the new forest, i just don't know where!

If I am not mistaken, this looks like one of my favourite bits of new forest road;

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&amp...

in the mx5 it was good fun to play "just how fast can I drive over it and stay in the correct lane" (around 65-70 :lol) excellent visibility through the twisties.

Then over the crest and back down towards dibden theres another wiggle and a long straight, again with excellent visibility, turn right at the crossroads and theres a loooong straight with a couple of crests, then you can either turn left to Beaulieu, or right and back up the B3056 for another loop

You're spot on there Ian, this bit of road is about 3 mins drive from my house, Top Gear did some filming on it last year or year before, round the twisty 'chicane' bit near Beaulieu road station end.
Not a long road unfortunatley but most of it has good visability.

As another poster pointed out though, you do have to be a bit careful in bits of the forest, some of the roads are potholed and quite wickedly off camber, great if you have a scooby/evo, not so great for most other stuff.
And the Ponies are suicidal...As are the tourists.

[jonboy21t]

minimatt1967 said:

Try this Wimborne to Shaftesbury the fun way!
Jonboy21t will agree with me on this a cracking route, a mixture of fast flowing corners and ample straights for dealing with traffic and some real twisty bits to get your teeth into including the infamous Zig Zag hill!

If you want scenic with bit of fun try this some quick roads and some great places for piccies as Luke has shown!

Just a few I really enjoy HTH!

Wimborne - Shaftesbury - fantastic roads with excellent views.......
Salisbury - Devizes (A360) across Salisbury Plain, then Devizes - Andover also a road across the Plain.....popular with bikers.....
Recently used the A338 Burbage - Hungerford - Wantage - Oxford...fantastic route & much better fun than the A34.....yawn yawn...!!
Also the A343 from Andover to Newbury is wicked fun & always quiet...

Loads of good roads out there, just have to pick the correct time of day to to have a go....

[Spleeble]

pat_y said:

.:ian:. said:

E21_Ross said:

where abouts would you suggest joining it for a drive? prefer more twisties than flat out straight roads. found this on another thread, this is the sort of thing i'm after...

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq141/LUKE20V/D...
and that was in the new forest, i just don't know where!

If I am not mistaken, this looks like one of my favourite bits of new forest road;

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&amp...

in the mx5 it was good fun to play "just how fast can I drive over it and stay in the correct lane" (around 65-70 :lol) excellent visibility through the twisties.

Then over the crest and back down towards dibden theres another wiggle and a long straight, again with excellent visibility, turn right at the crossroads and theres a loooong straight with a couple of crests, then you can either turn left to Beaulieu, or right and back up the B3056 for another loop

You're spot on there Ian, this bit of road is about 3 mins drive from my house, Top Gear did some filming on it last year or year before, round the twisty 'chicane' bit near Beaulieu road station end.
Not a long road unfortunatley but most of it has good visability.

As another poster pointed out though, you do have to be a bit careful in bits of the forest, some of the roads are potholed and quite wickedly off camber, great if you have a scooby/evo, not so great for most other stuff.
And the Ponies are suicidal...As are the tourists.

I agree with both of you, that road is great. I like coming off the A326 at the Tesco roundabout to go through the forest - the first chicane you get to is good fun - over the crossroads towards Beaulieu Road Station for a blast up the hill. Then you head back towards Beaulieu on the B3056 past the Motor Museum for some tight twisties. Go through Beaulieu village stopping at the classic car garage and feed the ducks and head back along the B3056. Take the second right for some more twisties followed by a long straight. Stop at the Bold Forester for a quick drink and then take the first left towards Ashurst for a bumpy twisty road. This drive won’t take you long and it has some classic bends.

This is the route.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&amp...

[funnyimpreza]

Blandford....Tollard Royal...Its a mini Monte Carlo

[flatfour1]

I used to work in Gillingham (Dorset). I did the route from southampton that took in loads of funnny little villages like donhead st marys and Mere. There are some fantastic roads round that area. Zig zag hill is a real hoot on a foggy November morning in my scooby.