BA - The Club - Five epic drives for your Easter break

On the chocolate trail in Turin, Italy

Indulge your inner-Willy Wonka on a 76-mile sweet-toothed tour from Turin to Vicoforte. Cacao was first introduced in this Roman city in 1559, leading to the invention of bicerin (Turin’s version of hot chocolate) and gianduiotto (its famous hazelnut chocolate dessert). Devour these traditional treats before taking the E717 and SP10 through the sleepy Italian countryside to the hilltop town of Alba, catching the scent of its Ferrero and Nutella factory as you drive. Top-secret recipes mean you can’t go inside, but you can buy confections by the bucket load. Neighbouring Cherasco is known for Baci di Cherasco, the 19th-century dark chocolate, and Langa hazelnuts. Take the SP12 to Vicoforte for the Museo Del Cioccolato, which has seven chocolate-dedicated rooms – you can even have a cocoa massage.

A family-friendly tour of Tennessee, USA

From the home of country music to wilderness and wildflowers, four-and-a-half-hours of all-American adventure will take you from Nashville to the Great Smoky Mountains. First, take your little ones on the Easter Bunny Express at Tennessee Central Railway Museum (running from 8 April) and cruise along Interstate 24 to meet the baby animals of Lucky Ladd Farm – all-day Easter egg hunts are on 7 and 8 April. Route 40 takes you east to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where rugged peaks are softened by cascading waterfalls, foamflowers and trout-lilies. Tuck into a picnic (try the Chimney Tops Trail and Cades Cove for some great spots) or join a guided horseback ride. For the full Smoky experience, drive along the tree-lined 31-mile Newfound Gap Road right through the park’s centre all the way to the Dome, the highest point in Tennessee at 6,643ft.

Outdoorsy pursuits through the Cairngorms, Scotland

Starting with the lilac blooms of Keil’s Den, just 40 miles from Edinburgh, and finishing with the golden daffodils of Brodie Castle, this is a classic nature lovers’ route through the biggest national park in the UK. Shaggy, caramel-coloured baby ‘heilan coos’, also known as Highland cows, bound around the park this time of year – so keep your eyes peeled. Make a special stop-off at Rothiemurchus Centre – called “one of the glories of Wild Scotland” by David Attenborough – and experience the highest mountain road in the UK at the Cairnwell Pass (2,199ft) with Munro-bagging opportunities at every turn on a three-and-a-quarter-hour drive. Or skirt around the A9 for a slightly longer, more leisurely route, where you can make a splash at the Falls of Bruar, wander the woods at Uath Lochans and photograph Carrbridge’s enchanting bridge.

On the search for blossoms and bunnies in Japan

The annual spectacle of thousands of delicate pink cherry trees in bloom makes Japan one of the most beautiful springtime spots. Start a 235-mile journey through some of the most phenomenal blossom displays in Osaka, the country’s street food capital, to admire 300 blushing Prunus in Osaka Castle Park. Then, 35 miles along the E1 will see you to Japan’s spiritual heart, Kyoto (double back along the E2 to catch the blooms around UNESCO-certified Himeji Castle). The final act takes place at Tadanômi Port, which looks out across an archipelago in the serene Inland Sea. Park for free and hop on a 15-minute boat to Ōkunoshima island, where hundreds of bunnies roam the fields and forests. The mystery of how they got there remains unsolved.

Gourmet gallivanting in Bordeaux, France

Eat your way around the southwest of France during the holiday that is deeply connected with sharing good food – here, leg of lamb, Easter pâté and Mouna, a sweet citrus brioche, are traditionally served. Begin with Marché des Capucins, Bordeaux’s largest daily market, to indulge in canelé, a classic caramelised pastry, plus Barousse cheese and oysters. After that, hit the E606 to the street art capital of Angoulême, also home of Marché des Halles, one of the biggest regional markets. The winding D709 leads to Issigeac village where you can browse homemade tapenade and rillettes at the Sunday market. If you have room for more, head southeast along the D roads through quaint rural villages to Bessières. Every Easter Monday, a 15,000-egg omelette is beaten together by locals with extra-long baguettes.