Gravel Roads

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Discussion

Beethree

Original Poster:

811 posts

90 months

Monday 13th March 2023
quotequote all
Are there any publicly accessible gravel roads in the UK?
I’m thinking proper width roads with normal speed limits, that go somewhere. I.E not driveways, farm tracks, access roads etc

GiantCardboardPlato

4,210 posts

22 months

Monday 13th March 2023
quotequote all
Are you after a new windscreen?

Beethree

Original Poster:

811 posts

90 months

Monday 13th March 2023
quotequote all
GiantCardboardPlato said:
Are you after a new windscreen?
Haha no, just be interesting to drive on something other than tarmac and pretend I’m Colin McRae for a few minutes until I remember about stone chips

Drumroll

3,773 posts

121 months

Monday 13th March 2023
quotequote all
Beethree said:
Are there any publicly accessible gravel roads in the UK?
I’m thinking proper width roads with normal speed limits, that go somewhere. I.E not driveways, farm tracks, access roads etc
Yes there are, but as you have already admitted you intend to drive like an idiot, then you can find out about them yourself.

Harsh I know but these roads are under threat because to many people treat them like there own racetrack and put the whole network under threat.

Beethree

Original Poster:

811 posts

90 months

Monday 13th March 2023
quotequote all
Drumroll said:
Yes there are, but as you have already admitted you intend to drive like an idiot, then you can find out about them yourself.

Harsh I know but these roads are under threat because to many people treat them like there own racetrack and put the whole network under threat.
I don’t think a light hearted comment about pretending to be Colin McRae means driving like an idiot, sorry if it came off that way. I’m more aware than most about the risks to our hobby from people abusing public places and roads.

Lotobear

6,378 posts

129 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
quotequote all
Beethree said:
Are there any publicly accessible gravel roads in the UK?
I’m thinking proper width roads with normal speed limits, that go somewhere. I.E not driveways, farm tracks, access roads etc
https://www.forestryengland.uk/kielder-castle/kielder-forest-drive

Far Cough

2,237 posts

169 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
quotequote all
Just do a skid pan day to get it out your system in relative safety.

RizzoTheRat

25,191 posts

193 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
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Lotobear said:
I had a fun week some years ago doing some work on the Otterburn Ranges, the other end of the National Park from Kielder, with loads of gravel roads all over it. I was surprised I didn't get charged an extra cleaning fee when I returned my rental Corsa hehe

Lotobear

6,378 posts

129 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
quotequote all
RizzoTheRat said:
Lotobear said:
I had a fun week some years ago doing some work on the Otterburn Ranges, the other end of the National Park from Kielder, with loads of gravel roads all over it. I was surprised I didn't get charged an extra cleaning fee when I returned my rental Corsa hehe
..we always made a point of using it after watching the RAC back in the day, when of course we all left the Kielder stage as fully fledged rally drivers after watching the likes of Tony Pond do his stuff!

me in my MK2 Mini Cooper S and my pal in his RS2000, we regularly had near ditch moments!

Beethree

Original Poster:

811 posts

90 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
quotequote all
Far Cough said:
Just do a skid pan day to get it out your system in relative safety.
Again, not looking to do skids on gravel. I do autosolos for that type of fun!

ingenieur

4,097 posts

182 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
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Some councils resurface roads by gluing gravel to the original road. If you get out to the right area at the right time of year (which is just coming up) you will find miles and miles of gravel roads. After a few weeks the gravel gets worn away and the normal made up road surface will be back to normal. Many of these roads are 60 limits but usually have 20mph temporary speed limits on them.

gareth h

3,558 posts

231 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
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Lots on salisbury plain, but there’s a 30mph blanket speed limit.

s2kjock

1,689 posts

148 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
quotequote all
Lotobear said:
Beethree said:
Are there any publicly accessible gravel roads in the UK?
I’m thinking proper width roads with normal speed limits, that go somewhere. I.E not driveways, farm tracks, access roads etc
https://www.forestryengland.uk/kielder-castle/kielder-forest-drive
There is another one of these, or used to be, in Galloway. I made the mistake of driving it with a mate once on summer's day, both of us in open topped cars - covered in dust by the end of it, and even if you wanted to play fast and loose with the speed limit the surface would have made it very uncomfortable. From memory, couldn't even see much of the scenery due to the high forest round about you.

sjabrown

1,923 posts

161 months

Thursday 16th March 2023
quotequote all
There are a few publicly accessible forest drives in the UK still. Some have tolls, some don't. As mentioned already there is Kielder.

Additionally: Raider's Road in Galloway, 3 Lochs in the Trossachs, and Carrick again in Galloway. Leacainn near Loch Awe used to be a forest drive too but looks to have ceased to be in recent years (I drove it about a decade ago, was a bit rough then).


GravelBen

15,696 posts

231 months

Thursday 30th March 2023
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GiantCardboardPlato said:
Are you after a new windscreen?
Low chance of that happening, in my many years of driving gravel roads I've only had windscreen chips on sealed roads (generally from things flicked up by trucks).

OP - if you want to drive on gravel roads, move to NZ! hehe

Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 30th March 01:27