Thursday 15th September 2005

Award celebrates great British roads

Drivers' roads selected by top panel of racing drivers and journos

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The A708 from Moffat to Selkirk is the best driver's road in Britain, according to a panel of racing drivers and motoring journalists. They chose their top 10 roads after spending a month on the road in a Mini Cooper (presumably not all at the same time), looking at drives through regions across the UK, as part of the Great British Roads awards scheme.

The A708 was described as "an excellent alternative to the grid-locked motorway, the 10 mile route following the beautiful St Mary’s Loch is a particular highlight and worth the detour alone."

Awards have also been given for the 15-mile heavenly drive on the A481 from Builth Wells to Radnor, and a challenging 37-mile ride along the A686 from Alston to Haydon Bridge.

The panel

The Great British Roads judging panel included Calum Lockie, Britain’s top GT driver, and BTCC champions Jason Plato and Tim Harvey. It was sponsored by Dunlop, whose communications manager James Bailey headed up the inspection team. He said: “As more and more of the UK becomes dual carriageway, A-roads are straightened and city centres become grid-locked, it is easy to think that the joy of driving is disappearing. 

“However, whilst the masses head for the most direct route, we know there are many drivers who relish the opportunity to switch off the satellite navigation, dig out a map and really appreciate the open road.

“Our panel of experts have done their work but we know that there may be roads that have not made the list. If you feel that we have overlooked a road, that deserves to be known as a Great British Road, we want to hear from you.”

If you know of a road that you believe has the credentials to be awarded a Great British Road, you can enter it into the list (see link below)

• www.driversknow.co.uk
• A708 from Moffat

[westmoorfarm]

Thanks for letting the jobsworths at the scamera pratnerships know where to get there next pay cheque from....There will be a scamera van round every corner or hiding behind a wall on these routes now. Thanks Dunlop!

Let's keep the good ones to ourselves eh :cool:

[turbobungle]

Exactly what i was thinking westmoorfarm!

[Gilesm]

Westmoorfarm said:

Thanks for letting the jobsworths at the scamera pratnerships know where to get there next pay cheque from....There will be a scamera van round every corner or hiding behind a wall on these routes now. Thanks Dunlop! Let's keep the good ones to ourselves eh

I agree, I often use the A708 and it is a great drive, but right now there would never be a scamera van there as it is very quiet, and virtually nobody exceeds the NSL along this road, therefore it wouldn't be profitable, however this sort of publicity could change things. The only good point is that once most people have actually driven the A708 they won't do it again, the section close to Moffat is narrow (about 1.5 cars wide), and very twisty with lots of blind bends and crests.

Giles

[JMGS4]

Posted about this in Roads in June 01!!!! Funny how these get read by journalists! (under my old moniker JohnS$!)

[nonegreen]

I wish these tossers would stop this

The Cat and fiddle is the best bikers road in the country and since the media announced it the morons have shown up and killed themselves so now we have a 50 limit Thanks a lot.