Three Scottish roads have been named in the best 10 to drive in the UK.
Top slot went to a winding country road in a picturesque corner of Somerset has been named the best to drive on in the UK, as data scientists pinpointed the B3135 from Cheddar to Ashwick, which meanders through the rolling Mendip Hills as the most pleasant to cruise along.
However, three of the top five went to Scots drives.
Second is Forres to Alford, in Scotland, a stunning 70-mile drive through the Cairngorms National Park with the A701, from Moffat towards Edinburgh, Scotland, in third. The A82 near Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands was fifth.
Experts used key criteria to judge roads including scenery, how close they are to points of interest, and which ones offer optimal driving conditions, before announcing their top 75.
They also looked at how many ‘engaging’ corners would be encountered, levels of traffic and sites with low incident reports to compile the detailed list.
The research was created by Volkswagen in collaboration with traffic and navigation app Waze, to support Volkswagen’s ‘GTI Superdrives’ programme within the app.
Taking fourth spot is the A4069, also known as the Black Mountain Road, which takes in the stunning scenery of the Brecon Beacons in Wales.
The GTI Superdrives function within Waze lets drivers know when they’re coming close to one of the roads on the list via a GTI badge popping up when the app is active. If they are within 12 miles of a GTI Superdrive road, motorists are able to tap on the badge to receive directions to it.
Alison Jones, director of Volkswagen UK, said: ‘Our GTI badge quite simply stands for driving joy. Working with Waze, we wanted to offer more drivers the chance to get off the often congested beaten track and instead experience the simple pleasure of driving once more.
‘The aim, very clearly, is about enjoying time behind the wheel – not speeding or driving in a way that increases risk – and we believe that the intelligence of the Waze app helps drivers do just that.’
Finlay Clark, UK country manager of Waze added: ‘Waze has always helped people save time on journeys, now we’re helping people discover great driving roads that are all about joy, not speed.
‘We know that Waze users love to discover great routes, and obviously love the open road, so we can’t wait to see who can be the first to experience all of the GTI Superdrives.’
The top 10 roads from Waze’s analysis are:
1. B3135 – Cheddar to Ashwick, Somerset
2. A940-A939-A944-A97 – Forres to Alford, Scotland
3. A701 – Moffat towards Edinburgh in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, Scotland
4. A4069 – Black Mountain Road, Brecon Beacons, Powys, Wales
5. A82 – Glencoe, Scottish Highlands
6. A308, B3021, B3026 – Old Windsor – Dorney, Buckinghamshire
7. B4089-Pelham Lane- Wood Lane – Alcester to Wilmcote, Warwickshire
8. A426-A423-A425-B445-A4225 – Draycote Water to Warwick, Warwickshire
9. Hardknott Pass – Lake District, Cumbria
10. A675 – Bolton to Blackburn, Lancashire
Author
TAGS
FOLLOW US
