Road trip ideas

Scotland's signature coastal road trip: a 500-mile loop from Inverness around the wild far north, past single-track drama, white-sand bays and sea lochs. The benchmark for a big UK coastal adventure — follow our North Coast 500 itinerary to plan it day by day.

Castle after castle — Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh, Lindisfarne — strung along some of England's finest empty beaches. A gentler coast trip that's perfect for families; see our Northumberland Coastal Route guide.

Scotland's quieter coastal loop through Galloway's beaches, gardens and dark-sky country, with barely a tour bus in sight. A brilliant alternative to the NC500 — plan it with our South West Coastal 300 itinerary.

The world's longest defined coastal route runs the length of Ireland's Atlantic edge, from Donegal's cliffs to the Ring of Kerry. Pick a stretch or do the lot — our Wild Atlantic Way guide breaks it down.

The bucket-list American coast drive, hugging Highway 1 past Big Sur's cliffs from San Francisco to San Diego. For a coastal trip further afield, follow our Pacific Coast Highway itinerary.

England's best mountain driving in miniature — Honister, Hardknott and Wrynose passes between glittering lakes and stone villages. A compact hit of drama; see our Lake District road trip.

One of England's most famous moorland drives, snaking over the Pennines between Manchester and Sheffield with gritstone edges all around. A perfect weekend blast — plan it with our Snake Pass guide.

Arguably the most spectacular single leg of the NC500, threading between Assynt's lone peaks and a ragged sea coast. A short drive that punches far above its length — see our Durness to Ullapool route.

Green mountains, cider country and dramatic gorges along Spain's under-rated northern coast, where the Picos rise straight from the sea. Combine peaks and beaches with our Northern Spain road trip.

Glaciers, turquoise lakes and bears on one of the world's great mountain highways between Banff and Jasper. For a Rockies epic, follow our British Columbia to Alberta itinerary.

San Sebastián's pintxos bars, Asturian cider houses and the Basque coast make this Europe's quiet food capital. Eat your way along the north with our Northern Spain road trip.

Village markets, roadside boulangeries and a different regional speciality every few hours — France is built for a slow, greedy road trip. Plan your route with our France road trip guide.

Lobster shacks, maple everything and clam chowder under a canopy of red and gold leaves. Pair the food with the foliage on our New England road trip.

A grand loop linking Hadrian's Wall forts, border castles, the coast and the Cheviots — nearly 2,000 years of frontier history in one trip. Follow our Northumberland 250 itinerary.

Castles, distilleries and the Moray coast on Scotland's answer to the NC500, with Speyside's whisky trail built in. Plan the loop with our North East 250 guide.

Boston's revolutionary streets, New York, Philadelphia and Washington strung along one historic corridor. For a cities-and-history trip abroad, see our East Coast road trip.

Kielder and Northumberland National Park form one of Europe's largest protected dark-sky areas, with the Milky Way visible to the naked eye. Build a stargazing trip around our Northumberland 250 route, and see our wild camping in Northumberland guide for where to sleep under the stars.

The UK's first Dark Sky Park sits at the heart of the quiet Galloway coast, miles from any city glow. Combine beaches by day and stars by night on our South West Coastal 300 loop.

Vast, empty desert skies make the western United States a stargazer's dream between the big-name parks. A natural add-on to a long western coastal trip like our California road trip.