Your favourite road

[GravelBen]

This is right up there if you like the slidey stuff... perfect place to dance an MX5 around on the lockstops

Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 15th December 08:36

[Allyc85]

I had a great run on the B4520 from Brecon to Bulith the other day. Very hard to commit over the crests but that was part of the fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sABaqGvcmGA

[Chris71]

Allyc85 said:

I had a great run on the B4520 from Brecon to Bulith the other day.Very hard to commit over the crests but that was part of the fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sABaqGvcmGA

That looks more fun than I remember it, must have been stuck behind a truck or something when I we did it.

Another good road in that area - and somewhat less mentioned - is the B4518. The first few miles at the northern end are too narrow to press on, but it opens up into a great road with decent visibility and some pulse-raising downhill sweeps.

[ControlFreak]

Many years ago, when I worked for an IT consulting arm of the BMW Group, and on the BMW Management Car Scheme, I was taking on a new E39/E46 every 3-4 months. One of the long-term projects I was working on required a drive from my (then) home in Malvern, Worcs to Hatfield, Herts. This was a ~3 hour trip and I tried several routes before settling on this one:

Malvern Wells to Evesham via the B4209 and A4104
Evesham to Chipping Norton via the A44
Chipping Norton to Church Enstone on the A44
Church Enstone to Bicester on the B4030
A41 from Bicester to Hemel Hempsted
M10/A414 to Hatfield.

I usually had to be at Hatfield for before 9am so set off around 5-5.30 from Malvern and at that time in the morning, the A44 was a really nice run but what made me smile every single day I made the trip was the B4030 route from Enstone to Bicester - usually pretty empty windy roads with the odd long straight for overtaking if caught behind another car. When I had the 330d M-Sport and also the 330Ci M-Sport, I actually, for a period, stopped staying in hotels down in Hatfield and just made the 6 hour return trip daily just for the fun of it.

I've not been on that route for a long time but I'm fortunate in that I now live a few miles south of Loch Lomond and the aforementioned A82 which I've followed up to Fort William and beyond several times over the past few years.. unfortunately in a Nissan X-Trail which wasn't as much fun though I'm hoping to make the same trip in my new Lexus IS220d F-Sport (flame away haters ) this year.

[brisel]

GravelBen said:

This is right up there if you like the slidey stuff... perfect place to dance an MX5 around on the lockstops

Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 15th December 08:36

Yummy!

Where is it??

[Chris71]

brisel said:

GravelBen said:

This is right up there if you like the slidey stuff... perfect place to dance an MX5 around on the lockstops

Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 15th December 08:36

Yummy!

Where is it??

I'm guessing you're not going to like the answer...

[brisel]

Try me...

[GetCarter]

Look where Ben lives?

[tdc123]

selkirk to moffat rd, i drive it most days and know it like the back of my hand. lots of fun in the spring and summer, its like the tt most weekends. most of the bikers like a wee race with a fast car. but best driven late on a summer night when u have it 2 yourself, my personel race track!

[MikeGTi]

Found t'other day, B5392 from Siddington into Broken Cross:




ETA: The yellow one

Edited by MikeGTi on Sunday 2nd January 23:22

[turbolucie]

impmo said:

A short distance (only about 6 miles) but the A6003 between Rockingham Castle and Uppingham is absolutely fantastic, with a large straight and some great hilly corners and views over Eyebrook Resevoir, unfortunately it is often busy.
Around that area though there are many great roads i.e. then from Uppingham to Market Harborough via the B664.

Seen a lot of vehicles in the ditches round there recently; yesterday in fact there was a big lorry on its side in the ditch. That must have hurt

ETA - just found this thread. I don't know if it's been mentioned (probably) but Buttertubs Pass in Yorkshire is one fab road; lots of happy childhood memories from there too.

Edited by turbolucie on Sunday 2nd January 23:52

[brisel]

GetCarter said:

Look where Ben lives?

Ah. Not just "down the road" then.

Doh!

[mrtwisty]

Just done the A5012 Matlock to Pikehall today, from the ten best, erm I mean most dangerous, list. Fantastic road, good mixture of tight n twisty just out of Matlock (well, Cromford really), opening out to well sighted sweeping bends as you get closer to Pikehall. For a first run I would recommend doing it this way round. Going from the fast open bit straight into the damp, enclosed mini gorge bit at the Cromford end could result in an unexpected call to the insurance/recovery company for the unwary or over enthusiastic.
TBH I can see why it could be dangerous for bikers or those with a very high powered car. 1.2 leptons+ would be quite possible at points, very naughty...

[GravelBen]

brisel said:

GravelBen said:

This is right up there if you like the slidey stuff... perfect place to dance an MX5 around on the lockstops

Yummy!

Where is it??

Whoops, forgot this thread! You can find it here, just off one of the main tourist routes but roads like that are scattered all over NZ - its not hard to find them if you're in the right country!

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=...


I'm also quite a fan of this area when it comes to the sealed stuff:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=...

http://vimeo.com/15896697 for a wee taste

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 24th January 11:12

[skatty]

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=...

I may have being on this one, as i stayed with a couple in Clyde a few years ago and did quite a bit of traveling around the local roads

[anonymous-user]

Being in the Lake District I am somewhat spoiled for choice with regards to road's and deserted mountain passes but I cant believe no one has yet mentioned the famous Hartside Pass road otherwise known as the A686 from Penrith to Alston.

Nothing to do with me, but this is a good video that really shows the road off quite well, despite the rider coming into some damp clouds near the end!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGGq-yHRjRg

And don't forget the cafe on the top of the mountain which is heaving with cars and bikes on a weekend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daJzSFx10Sw

[GravelBen]

skatty said:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=...

I may have being on this one, as i stayed with a couple in Clyde a few years ago and did quite a bit of traveling around the local roads

You probably would have driven the Lindis Pass then, on the main route from Christchurch through to Clyde. The road in the picture is a twisty little gravel side road that cuts a corner off it - I spent a couple of years in Cromwell (15min from Clyde) so you could say I'm pretty well acquainted with the area.

Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 25th January 10:11

[derestrictor]

plenty said:

agent006 said:

A939 Grantown to Braemar. A great road made even better because all you fkers aren't on it.

Oh yes we are.

Is that the A939 with an AB or PH postcode?

[matt1269]

Col du Turini. Seriously good road!

[Rallye James]

^ Seconded, with nobody on it, loads of smooth fresh tarmac in between a bit of bumpy stuff and a lovely cheese sandwich at the top

D996/D396 from Dijon to Reims is a good one, but I hear it makes passengers queasy