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UK'S BEST ROAD TRIP: A survey to find the 10 most popular road trips in the UK reveals that the North Coast 500, in the Highlands, is the top of the charts with 31% voting for the route


By Louise Glen

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North Coast 500 map.
North Coast 500 map.

With a third of UK drivers planning to drive further for their summer holidays, the public have revealed their favourite British road trips, with classic Scottish drives taking the top two spots.

The study, by Euro Car Parts, asked 2,000 drivers which UK road trips they are most interested in experiencing and found that Scotland’s epic North Coast 500 31 per cent is the most popular drive in the country.

The route, which begins in Inverness before touring the stunningly beautiful Scottish coast, was particularly attractive to younger age groups, proving to be the most popular trip with 30 per cent of 18-24 year olds and 34 per cent of 25-34 year olds saying they wanted to drive the route.

Scottish routes are definitely the most in-demand, with 30 per cent of people saying the road trip between Ben Nevis and the Isle of Skye is not to be missed, ranking it as the second most popular road trip.

Across the nation, the favourite route varied dramatically depending on the region. Northern Ireland’s famous Causeway Coastal Route ranked as the most popular route amongst people in that region, with half of Northern Irish respondents naming it as their favourite.

As a comparison, nationally, the Causeway Coastal route was the eleventh most popular route.

Similarly, two thirds of Scots named the North Coast 500 as their top route, whilst nearly three in ten Welsh residents favoured The Dragon’s Spine, the route travelling coast to coast through the Welsh mountain ranges of Snowdonia and The Brecon Beacons.

Top ten routes in the UK.
Top ten routes in the UK.

The most popular UK road trips are:

  • North Coast 500: (31%), 516 miles
  • Ben Nevis to Isle of Skye: (29%), 91 miles
  • The Atlantic Highway: (27%), 125 miles
  • Ullswater to Windermere: (25%), 37 miles
  • The Yorkshire Circuit: (23%), 101 miles
  • Snowdonia to Anglesey: (20%), 64 miles
  • Brecon Beacons and the South Wales coast: (20%), 168 miles
  • Snake Pass and the Peak District: (19%), 56 miles
  • The Dragon’s Spine: (19%), 180 miles
  • The Causeway Coastal Route: (19%), 127 miles

Helen Robinson, corporate communications director at Euro Car Parts, said: “Road trips are a fantastic choice for a UK holiday, and you don’t have to be a car fanatic to get the most out of them!

“British motorists are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding their perfect road trip, with stunning scenery across the nation and trips which are easily accessible to the UK’s main cities.

“From visiting interesting and unique attractions in new parts of the country, to taking in breath-taking scenery in spots like the Scottish Highlands or the Devon and Cornwall Coast, road trips truly are a great way to see the best that the UK has to offer.”

To find out more about the most popular routes and a checklist of what to do before setting off, visit: https://www.eurocarparts.com/blog/10-places-to-go-on-a-uk-road-trip-this-summer

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