While many countries might claim to have the most scenic drives in the world, from the Pacific Coast Highway in Calfornia, Amalfi Coast in Italy and the Ruta 40 in Argentina, most of those destinations are simply out of reach for those based in the UK.
But for those looking for beautiful journeys closer to home, a new list might just be providing some instantly Instagrammable drives.
Performance car brand Abarth has put together list of 20 most picturesque drives in the British Isles and cross referenced them with hashtag mentions on Instagram to provide the ultimate list of breathtaking routes.
Those based in England might have a bit of a journey to get to the top two spots in Abarth’s list, however with the Wild Atlantic Way claiming a stunning 1,570,313 hashtags and the Ring of Kerry also claiming 222,293 it might just be worth catching that ferry across the Irish Sea.
Scotland’s North Coast 500 is third on the list (141,529 hashtags), England’s Chedder Gorge (84,162) comes fourth, with the Elan Valley in Wales (53,204) claims fifth spot.
England and Wales claimed 16 spots in the top 20, with some breathtaking scenery to take in no matter what car you are driving.
he British Isles has some of the most spectacular and beautiful scenery to be experienced and especially so right from the driving seat. From sweeping mountain passes, through peaks and valleys to dramatic coastlines, the UK and Ireland has it all on offer,” said Greg Taylor, Fiat and Abarth UK Managing Director.
“Abarth cars thrive on these sorts of roads so we wanted to put a list together of the routes that we know would will thrill drivers and car enthusiasts, not only covering the most exciting roads, but also the most visually show stopping drives. Clearly, they’re also great places to capture spectacular pictures of an Abarth against a backdrop that would rival anywhere in the world.”
Abarth’s Top Twenty UK and Ireland Roads
|
Driving Road Name |
Country, county or region |
Number of hashtags |
1 |
Wild Atlantic Way |
Ireland |
1,570,313 |
2 |
Ring of Kerry |
Ireland, Iveragh Peninsula in southwest and County Kerry |
222,293 |
3 |
North Coast 500 |
Scotland, North Coast |
141,529 |
4 |
Cheddar Gorge |
England, Somerset |
84,162 |
5 |
Elan Valley |
Wales, Powys in mid-Wales |
53,204 |
6 |
Snake Pass |
England, Derbyshire |
17,752 |
7 |
Cat and Fiddle |
England, spans Buxton, Derbyshire, and Macclesfield, Cheshire |
11,597 |
8 |
Hardknott Pass |
England, Cumbria |
10,699 |
9 |
Bealach na Bà also known as ‘Pass of the Cattle’ |
Scotland, Applecross |
10,499 |
10 |
Horseshoe Pass |
Wales, Denbighshire, north-east Wales |
9,922 |
11 |
Great West Way |
England, Wiltshire |
7,736 |
12 |
Llanberis Pass |
Wales, Gwynedd |
4,843 |
13 |
EVO Triangle |
Wales, Conwy and Denbighshire |
4,735 |
14 |
Aberaeron (A478) ‘Preseli Mountains’ |
Wales, Ceredigion |
4,646 |
15 |
Atlantic Highway |
England, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall |
3,322 |
16 |
Woodhead Pass |
England, Derbyshire |
2,562 |
17 |
Buttertubs Pass |
England, Yorkshire Dales |
2,307 |
18 |
Mourne Coastal Route |
Northern Ireland, coast of County Down between Belfast and Newry |
1,995 |
19 |
Gospel Pass |
Wales, Vale of Ewyas |
1,543 |
20 |
Black Mountain Pass |
Wales, Vale of Ewyas |
1,383 |