BA - The Club - Six unlikely epic drives

Skyline Drive, Washington DC to Charlottesville, USA

I first drove this route – across the backbone of Shenandoah National Park in northwest Virginia – in a Bentley Flying Spur V8 as part of a road trip from Washington DC to the west coast of Florida. Its sweeping bends make for a leisurely drive, while the occasional break in foliage lets you take in the sweeping vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Car of choice: Bentley Flying Spur V8

Image: Alamy

Great St Bernard Pass, Italy

Eagle-eyed car fans will recognise this from the opening scene of The Italian Job. You don’t get a sense of how narrow the roads are in the film, but tearing around the hairpin bends and emerging from the tunnels, to be met with a full view of the Alps, is a sight to behold.

Car of choice: Maserati Quattroporte GTS

Image: Getty Images

A846, Isle of Islay, Scotland

Just before the Land Rover Defender was retired from production, I drove one of the first Series 1 models around the west coast of Scotland. Islay has a special relationship to the slab-sided icon as its founding father and former managing director of Rover, Spencer Wilks, tested prototypes there in the 1950s. The A846 stretches across the island, offering magnificent views of the sea and cliffs, and passes by the Laggan Estate, the Wilks family home.

Car of choice: Land Rover Series 1

Image: Alamy

Blakey Road, Hutton le Hole to Castleton, UK

I grew up near Hutton le Hole and used to drive this route as a teenager in my first car, a severely underpowered Rover 200. The road spirals north to south across the North York Moors, past the famous Lion Inn pub, and onto the village of Castleton. The twists and blind crests make for an incredible driving experience.

Car of choice: Aston Martin DBS

Image: Getty Images

P1, Cetinje to Kotor, Montenegro

Montenegro isn’t well known for its driving roads, but it has some of the best I’ve come across in Europe. The P1 starts high in the mountains, and the narrow road winds all the way down to sea level to the historic fortified port town of Kotor, offering breathtaking views of the country’s fjord-like landscape – as well as some hair-raising moments with local drivers and sheer drops.

Car of choice: Jaguar F-Pace

Image: Alamy

Wayanad Ghat Road, India

One of the most surreal experiences of my life was clinging on for dear life in the back of a three-wheeled rickshaw as we negotiated the hairpin bends and deadly drops of the Wayanad Ghat pass in Kerala, India. The road winds past tea plantations, waterfalls and dense forests, with unforgettable views over the Western Ghat mountain range. Going back again, I’d do it in something a little more substantial, but no less authentic.

Car of choice: Hindustan Ambassador

Image: Getty Images

Rory FH Smith

Six unlikely epic drives

Skyline Drive, Washington DC to Charlottesville, USA

Great St Bernard Pass, Italy

A846, Isle of Islay, Scotland

Blakey Road, Hutton le Hole to Castleton, UK

P1, Cetinje to Kotor, Montenegro

Wayanad Ghat Road, India

Skyline Drive, Washington DC to Charlottesville, USA

Great St Bernard Pass, Italy

A846, Isle of Islay, Scotland

Blakey Road, Hutton le Hole to Castleton, UK

P1, Cetinje to Kotor, Montenegro

Wayanad Ghat Road, India

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