Roads you want to revisit : post Lockdown

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Roads you want to revisit : post Lockdown

best roads was all of them during the first lockdown, no silly buggers just professional drivers, i'd forgot how pleasurable driving was

I'd mostly agree with that but unfortunately, (at least around my area) there were a lot of idiots taking advantage of the light traffic and driving at unbelievable speeds.
Luckily the police got wise to this and started busting them for it :D(y)
 
I'd say one of my favourite roads is around the Malvern hills, known as Jubilee Drive.It's not a long wide empty road but a flat and narrow serpentine road following the contours of the hills.

It's a road I fondly rmember as a kid in the back of my parents car on the way to visit the Gramps, When I was older I enjoyed it as a biker.

Sadly now however, it's in dire need of properly resurfacing :(

Another road I enjoyed was the A40 from Gloucestershire all the way to Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire. I was a youg lad at my first posting at RAF Brawdy in '78, and spent a very happy five years cruising between home and work every other weekend. Back then it was almost a four hour journey which I did on a motorbike until later when I got my first car, a Mk1 Escort 1300 estate. I struggled to stay awake doing the journey in the car it was soooo boring. (There's a lot of dual carriageway along the A40 now that knocks a huge amount of time off the same journey - but its now a bit less enjoyable for that)

By 1981 I had the MG Midget and rarely ever did the journey with the roof up.

Happy days! :)
 
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Until they dropped the M4/Severn Bridge tolls.. we did Ducklington to Dean Forest on the A40
Then through the forest to Monmouth..
Then Usk over to our house

Very picturesque.. but often 4 hours on a Friday evening :(

M4 Return was 2 hours.. but same in fuel as the scenic way..
Furter and Faster effect :eek:

Once the tolls finished (and I was starting in Newbury..) it was M4 all the way
But.. and it was a big But..

You would get 5 minutes into Wales..then stop-start traffic :(

So whenever the traffic was heavy.. off M4 in England

Then cross the Severn Bridge into ENGLAND ;)

edge of Chepstow..as if going to Monmouth and Ross

Bear left (west)
A very wiggly road on the map

Its across farmers fields.. then through 'gorges'..
Followed by fantastic fast,flowing

Clinging to the hillside type road (y)

Its probably lousy heading East.. but the
Quick empty road. Expansive views and no stop.start queues made it our route of choice until March 2020

I was going to use it on the Monmouth meet
https://www.fiatforum.com/events/478962-monmouth-birthday-meet-forest-dean-8.html?p=4561917
But the weather wasnt good enough :(
 
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So many roads up here in my neck of the woods deserve a mention, but the one that should be put on bucket lists is the Bealach na Ba road to Applecross. Anyone not in the know should look it up. It will test your driving ability at times, and your nerve :D

The Applecross Inn is a great place for seafood lovers, amazing views also.
 
Martyn linked to a video he made of it in his panda..
Fiat Scotland run I think :)

I think I saw that video :) I’ve been on that road on many an occasion, but I remember a few years ago, there was six Fiat Coupes of us, That was a memorable time and I met so many petrol heads on my travels. We did the 500, it was extraordinary on the shear variety of cars and other modes of transport there was. :) Ah, happy times. :cool:
 
All those Italian / Dolomite Mountain Passes.

This is normally our annual "returning home" for our Fiats but sadly this year was not possible.

The "Passo Stelvio" is a well known hard climb and badge of merit but in terms of beauty, wild life, scenery etc. is a poor contender.

Want to know what you are missing in the Dolomites?

No problem, visit our website:

https://marmotta-photoart.co.uk/la_ital_index.htm

Want to focus on Passo / Pass then use the home page search engine with "Passo"

Enjoy
 
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Lakes in General, A686 in particular, love the sign on the top "long decent, many bends" Yes, that's why I'm here.

Dukes pass was very good in Scotland as well, did it one summer evening in a 1.2 Micra, never have I wished more for a different car.

Road up the west coast of Scotland from Stranraer up to Oban and beyond would be nice as well.
 
A39 Bridgewater to Barnstaple. But the A396 is a another goodie from Tiverton over Exmoor.
The A361 is not nice the faster sections are spoiled because (like the A303) it's never been properly dualled.

Tiverton, Crediton, Copplestone to Okehampton is a great route on a bike but gets tiresome in a car because once stuck behind a plodder you are stuck. A382 across Dartmoor is another goodie on a bike. Just don't get caught on a big bike with a need to reverse uphill. It's labelled an A road but there are single track sections with passing places and busses don't do reverse.

Moretonhampstead to Dunsfold then down the Tean valley is stunning.
 
@MaxHeadroom
Thanks :)

I'm looking forward to doing this again one sunny weekend..

did it a few days ago on the Friday of the 'Great Storm' as all my other options were weather effected

Lovely bright day.. but the roads were littered with twigs..and a crippling headwind :-(

Looking out for a Cafe or similar now the weather is nicer (y)
 
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