Turner's Hill Road B2110: My Dream Drive

A Sussex route for a quiet morning but well worth an early alarm call

Name: Matt Bird
Where: Turner's Hill B2110, East Sussex
Car used: Alpina D3 Bi-turbo

Empty and scenic? Result!

The route
"Once out of East Grinstead (follow signs for the train station and then take the B2210 to the B2110) the first roundabout on the Turner's Hill Road will point you towards, no surprise, Turner's Hill. At Turner's Hill keep left to stay on the B2110, then when it meets the B2036 don't forget the right turn! It's then a case of following it across the Sussex countryside, through and around such delightfully named areas as Cinderbank Copse, Carroty Wood and Darkalley Gill. It then joins the A281 which can take you a long way further south or back up towards the M25."

Why it's a dream drive:
"It's a beautiful area of the world to drive for a start. Low hedgerows and open plains stretch out into the distance and help with sight lines at points but then other areas are quite deeply wooded, branches overhanging like the Trial Mountain circuit on Gran Turismo. OK, not quite that dramatic but it's still picturesque.

Well if you want a challenge...

"As the road has to negotiate fairly dense woodland in places, it snakes and twists to find the easiest path through and places a real priority on being precise with the car. It exaggerates the sense of freedom on the more open sections too as the rhythm becomes more relaxed.

"I actually drove a few of the other roads close to the B2110 in devising the route and found it similar elsewhere, meaning a fairly short drive can be extended much further in this small cluster of B-roads. The A281 provides a nice contrast at the end, less intense but of course also more prone to traffic."

Highlights and lowlights:
"The first section up to the B2036 is pretty special, combining a tighter woodland part with a more open run at Worth Abbey.

"There's a nice triangle that can be made later on too. Take a left at Handcross for the B2114 towards Staplefield and that will eventually run to a junction at Slough Green for the B2115. A right there will take back to the main route or the B2114 continues for a little longer. As I said, there was a fair bit of investigation done early in the morning!

Stint on the A281 a little less frantic

"The route back from any Dream Drive is always likely to be more tedious but for the Tuner's Hill Road it's especially poor because for many it will involve the A24 or M23 back towards the M25. Not exactly inspirational but probably worth it given the quality of the B-road!"

Sights, stop-offs and diversions:
"Enjoying the B2110 in the early hours of a Bank Holiday meant little time for stops. However, the sheer number of woods, forests and reservoirs proffer plenty of tourist opportunities if you fancy. The route is near to Wakehurst Place, Ardingly Reservoir and Nymans is on the B2114.

Furthermore though they were very sleepy so early in the morning, each of the small villages along the route appeared typically British; that's meant as a good thing! Small cafes, boutiques and pubs lined the high streets and would surely make for a lovely way to wile away an afternoon."

Follow the route here.