A 7-Day Trip Through the South’s Most Challenging Routes
England, europe
N/A
N/A
extreme
Year-round
Okay, picture this: ditching London and heading west on the B4632. Forget the soul-crushing motorways—this old A-road between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon is a proper driving experience. Think smooth turns and views for days as you cruise the Cotswold Hills. Day two? Get lost in the cute, but super-narrow, stone-walled lanes. Seriously, know your car's width!
Next up: Devon and Cornwall! Time for the A39 Atlantic Highway. The star of the show? Porlock Hill, with a crazy 25% gradient. Yep, the steepest A-road in England, and a true test for your brakes and engine. Careful on the way down to Lynmouth—engine braking is your friend! Day four is all about the ridiculously tight lanes of North Devon. We're talking hedgerows taller than your car and reversing skills that will make you a legend.
Island time! Hop over to the Isle of Wight and hit the A3055 Military Road. This is where you race against nature. It's perched right on the edge of the cliffs, fighting a losing battle against the sea. Epic coastal views with the English Channel on one side, green hills on the other. Heads up: it closes sometimes when the road decides to take a swim.
Back on the mainland, aim for the A285 between Petworth and Chichester. This one's a bit spicy. It's got sneaky bends and hidden dips that have earned it a reputation. Stay focused—it throws you from fast straights into tricky, tree-lined curves without warning!
Last day! Skip the M25 and take the backroads through the North Downs toward London. Box Hill has some fun climbs, and the Surrey Hills are packed with narrow, steep roads to keep you entertained until you hit the city. Oh, and definitely give your car a good once-over after all that hard braking and gear-shifting!
This trip isn't about tea rooms and castles, it's about tackling England's gnarly roads. From the insane gradients of Exmoor to the crumbling cliffs of the Isle of Wight, you'll get a new appreciation for the country's wild side. Get prepped, check the weather, and respect those hills!
Where is it?
A 7-Day Trip Through the South’s Most Challenging Routes is located in England (europe). Coordinates: 52.9197, -3.0711
Road Details
- Country
- England
- Continent
- europe
- Difficulty
- extreme
- Coordinates
- 52.9197, -3.0711
Related Roads in europe
hardThe road to Estany Llong in Lleida: be ready to make room for oncoming vehicles
🇪🇸 Spain
# Estany Llong: A Mountain Adventure in Catalonia Tucked away in the heart of Catalonia's Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, Estany Llong is a stunning glacial lake sitting pretty at 2,012 meters (6,601 feet) above sea level in the Lleida province. If you're after high-altitude scenery in Spain's dramatic Pyrenees, this is it. The road up to the lake? Let's just say it's not your typical Sunday drive. Starting from the L500 road, you're looking at an 11.9 km (7.39 mile) climb with a solid 695-meter elevation gain—that's an average gradient of about 5.84%. The first 7.7 km is paved (concrete sections included), but then things get real: the final 4 km turn into rough, unpaved terrain that's strictly 4x4 territory. Narrow, winding, and seriously steep in places, this route demands respect and a capable vehicle. Fair warning: the road closes to traffic during certain periods, so check before you head out. The payoff? Absolutely worth it. As you navigate the switchbacks, you'll be treated to jaw-dropping views of the Pyrenees and the picturesque Estany de Llebreta. There's even a mountain refuge at the lake with capacity for 47 people—perfect if you want to extend your alpine adventure. This isn't a road for the faint-hearted, but for those who love mountain driving with serious views, Estany Llong delivers.
hardLos Machucos is one of the steepest roads in Spain (31%)
🇪🇸 Spain
# Los Machucos: Spain's Most Brutal Mountain Pass Ready to test your limits? Los Machucos in Cantabria is the kind of climb that makes even seasoned cyclists question their life choices. Sitting at 880m (2,887ft) elevation, this beast features some of the steepest gradients Spain's Vuelta race has ever thrown at competitors—we're talking grades that hit 31% at their nastiest. Located in the northern Cantabrian Mountains, just east of Collado de la Espina, this 14.1km (8.76 miles) stretch connects San Roque de Riomiera to Bustablado. The road itself is paved, but here's the kicker: the most intense sections? Pure concrete, built between 2003 and 2007 to handle the punishment. Fair warning: the climb is relentless. It's literally uphill the entire way, and at certain points, you're practically riding straight up a massive rock face. Most of the year you'll find the pass open, but winter throws its own challenges—expect occasional closures when weather gets serious. The reward at the summit? A quirky metal cow sculpture called the Monumento a la Vaca Pasiega, a perfect spot to catch your breath and marvel at the Cantabrian landscape stretching out below. It's weird, it's wonderful, and honestly, it's the kind of road that sticks with you long after your legs stop burning.
moderateGardena Pass in the Dolomites is an absolute must for road lovers
🇮🇹 Italy
# Passo Gardena Tucked away in South Tyrol's Bolzano province, Passo Gardena sits pretty at 2,123 meters (6,965 feet) above sea level. This legendary alpine pass—also known as Grödnerjoch or Jëuf de Frea—has been drawing adventurers since a road first opened here in 1960 (though a military driveway existed way back in 1915). The 15-kilometer stretch of Strada Statale 243 connects Plan De Gralba to Colfosco, linking Val Gardena with Val Badia. Fair warning: this isn't a gentle cruise. You'll tackle some seriously steep sections, with gradients hitting 11% on the southern slopes—and yes, the Giro d'Italia knows this road well. Every inch of the route is paved, which is good news for your tires but doesn't make those hairpins any less intense. The pass sits right in the heart of the Dolomites, so you're looking at proper winter weather with significant snowfall and occasional closures come cold season. Rockslides are also a consideration in these parts. Here's where it gets magical: the views are absolutely stunning. Sasslong towers majestically in the background, and you're riding alongside the Sella massif through the kind of picture-perfect Dolomite landscape you've only seen in magazines. The eastern descent through those lush meadows? Genuinely one of the best downhill runs you'll ever experience. Summer's peak season (July-August especially) brings the crowds—tourists, motorcyclists, and cyclists all converging on this sensational route. The pass even has a hotel with a restaurant at the summit, plus shops for souvenirs and supplies. It's the kind of place that lives up to the hype.
extremeAbano Pass is a Georgian treacherous road closed in winters
🇬🇪 Georgia
# Abano Pass: Georgia's Ultimate Mountain Challenge Ready for an adventure that'll make your heart race? Abano Pass (also called Torgva Pass) sits at a jaw-dropping 2,864m (9,396ft) in the heart of the Great Caucasus Mountains, right where Kakheti and Tusheti regions meet near the Russian border. This isn't your typical Sunday drive—we're talking about the highest drivable mountain pass in the entire Caucasus. The 67.2km (41.75 miles) unpaved route winds from Pshaveli up through some seriously dramatic terrain to Omalo, a small mountain village at 1,850m. It's the kind of place that feels genuinely untouched—partly because it's cut off from the rest of Georgia for most of the year. Summer is your window, roughly May through October, but even then, weather and landslides can close things down unexpectedly. Seriously, you might get stuck for a couple days waiting for roads to dry out. Here's the real talk: this road demands respect. Only high-clearance 4x4 vehicles should attempt it, and you're looking at some brutal 17% gradients with zero guardrails hugging cliffsides above gorges. The unpredictable surface, hairpin turns, and countless memorials along the way tell you this isn't called a "death road" for nothing—roughly 10-12 fatalities happen here annually. But here's why people do it anyway? The scenery is absolutely stunning. Wildflowers dot the landscape, waterfalls cascade alongside you, and you'll spot everything from snow walls (sometimes 4 meters deep in July!) to incredible mountain vistas. The Soviet-built road, completed in 1978, even features a tiny chapel at the summit with a quirky coffee shop called "Above the Clouds" that sometimes opens up there. Pro tip: Book accommodation ahead (many homestays only operate July onward), hire a sober driver, and pick a clear weather day. And if your driver suggests taking shots of cha-cha on the way up? Politely decline. You've got this—just give it the respect it deserves.