[A_P]

Morning guys,

I was just about to settle down to read this months National Geo mag. Tittled, "The worlds most scenic drives". I won't lie it sent me on a short trip down memory lane. Up there on my list of favourite drives would have to be....

Road trip with 5 friends accross France, through Monaco, Milan, Geneva back into Paris and then home. I think the whole trip was immensely enjoyable however in particular, we took a side route up through a lazy village just before the Mont Blanc tunnell, Very twisty, and picturesque, However we continued to drive up this mountainous road, untill the tarmac had long since been forgotten, and we were left with loose rubble, and snow capped Mountain Peaks, with ice cold streams. Also, the roads around Lake Como in Italy are simply stunning, as is the wow factor of driving around some of the Monaco F1 circuit.

Also up there was my recent trip to Mauritius in March just gone. It was our first trip as newly weds, and we hired a car for our stay on the island and just generally explored at our own leisurely pace. If you have never been to Mauritius, then the best way to explain its geographical make up, would be, Sandy beaches all around the island, and further out to sea, the island is surrounding by coral reefs nearly all the way round, hence giving it the tropical look from the sky. Inland the island has dense greenery and lush farmlands. On one particular day, we decided to drive up a coastal road, and then do some sight seeing and drive back down through the mountainous region internally on its winding twisty road. It was simply stunning, and I very inspiring yet humbling experience.

I am currently at work, but If you guys want I would be more than happy to upload some pictures.

I was also hoping to hear some of your favourite roads and journeys. Be it fast, slow, the company you were with or just the destination when you arrived.

Happy and safe motoring guys and girls.

[lolololol]

My latest 'great' road trip was from Windsor to Munich to see the mighty Chelsea win in Bavaria. 1100Km that took us through France and along some German 'crazy' Autobahns !! Also took the opportunity to visit the BMW factory & Museum while there !! Did see the M550 at BMW which was an awesome looking car which I believe we are not getting the pleasure of in the UK, it was attracting more attention than the M5 !

[gangzoom]

Queenstown to Milford sounds in NZ.

Even though I had a temp of 39 at the time, and we had a 1.8 Mazda 3 hire car the drive was amazingly.
180 miles of amazing scenery, sun/rain/snow at various different times, and for the large part completely empty roads. Though the traffic did bunch up when we literally drove into a cloud

Its one of the few places in the world me and the wife are defiantly going to go again despite it been on the opposite side of the globe

[MERLIN335i]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

Queenstown to Milford sounds in NZ.

Agree 110%, done this trip three times, even had aircraft flying BELOW us at one point between Wanaka and Queenstown !!!

[zltm089]

The roads in mauritius are quite fcuked up....and people don't really stick to the traffic code...

The beaches in Mauritius aren't that great if you compare them to the Seychelles...

Good to hear that the island is still nice by your description OP! :-)

[phil200tdi]

Originally Posted by MERLIN335i

Agree 110%, done this trip three times, even had aircraft flying BELOW us at one point between Wanaka and Queenstown !!!

I flew from Queenstown, was awesome..

I''ll drive it next time.


My highlights:

7 day safari in the Gobi Desert Mongolia (Russian Van with driver)

Darwin to Adelaide via kakadu, lichfield, Katherine Gorge, Devils Marbles, Uluru, flinders ranges etc (Ford Falcon 4.0)

Cairns to Lakefield National Park via Cooktown (Totota Landcruiser)

Amalfi Coast

West Coast Scotland & Isle of Skye



To do list soon:


Botswana and Namibia

Morrocco and hopefully Libya

Perth to Darwin

Nurburgring

[zltm089]

UK7 meet had some very nice roads!....

[Hotcoupe]

The majority of my memorable trips have been in France,great roads and wonderful places to visit:


1. Saint Jean-de-Fos to Saint Guilhem-le-Desert. Road D4
Very close to the 'Devil's bridge':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_du...,_H%C3%A9rault

2. Arles to Aigues-Mortes. Roads D570/D85A - Takes you into the heart of the Camargue.

3. Perpignan to Andorra. Road N116.Amazing road,fantastic scenery.

4. Nurburgring to Calais. Following (trying to,and failing,mostly) in the wake of a GTR driven by a man on a mission to catch a E/tunnel train back to the UK,awesome drive.

Thread here, pics are from pg 16 onwards :http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...g+2009&page=16

5. Annecy to Chambery D41/D912 Takes you through the Parc Naturel Régional du Massif des Bauges.

Lake Annecy:



Not far from Chambery:

[zltm089]

really nice pics Ian!....i need 2 check those places one day!...

[dxb335d]

Great pics everyone!! For me 'Ring trips have been ace, but in UL there are some fantastic roads around here!

Originally Posted by zltm089

UK7 meet had some very nice roads!....

Where was that one mate?

[NickP]

Mine would be either:
San Francisco to Yosimite and then back to San Diego along the Coast Road
Or
Melbourne to Sydney along the Great Ocean Road

Have also been to Milford Sound, but flew there in a 4 Seater!

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

Great pics everyone!! For me 'Ring trips have been ace, but in UL there are some fantastic roads around here!



Where was that one mate?

fcuk!...u shud kno!...think in cambridge or essex....sumwhere around there,...

[dxb335d]

Originally Posted by zltm089

fcuk!...u shud kno!...think in cambridge or essex....sumwhere around there,...

Oh ok mate, I know... Yes my local roads.. I wasn't sure that was UK7 though was it? Hence why I asked?!

[rogerxp]

Stunning photos guys .

No fantastic drives to mention from me really; some great drives in North Wales or my commute to work is pretty exhilarating most mornings .

[Hotcoupe]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

Oh ok mate, I know... Yes my local roads.. I wasn't sure that was UK7 though was it? Hence why I asked?!

I'm surprised Kev can't remember,it's the only meet he's ever been able to drag his sorry arse to

[kaishang]

Great thread

I've had a few big road journeys; maybe the one that actually gave me a sense of achievement was when I was working in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam and went solo by small motorcycle to Hanoi, via the inland Ho Chi Minh Trail route.

I felt like I'd achieved something because I'd only been riding a bike a year or so, it was a long trip, in a remote area (although with some quite large cities too) and I was going alone.

I let it slip I was going in the office and my boss actually cancelled my leave due to fears for my safety. Well not fears for my safety, fears that I'd kill myself and that would upset the project schedule. I had to sneak off a couple of months later without telling anyone where I was going. He was pissed at me for 2 years when he found out.

Just before I left, as I was doing a lap of Ho Chi Minh City on the way out, I actually wondered to myself if I'd bitten off more than I could chew and was going to come back alive.

BUT: It was a great trip, I had no incidents at all and just a minor amount of engine trouble when water got into either the carburettor or electrics after some heavy rain.

I wrote the trip up here:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=348262

[dxb335d]

Originally Posted by Hotcoupe

I'm surprised Kev can't remember,it's the only meet he's ever been able to drag his sorry arse to

Yeah I think your right there LOL.

[chris_s1]

I once went all the way from Swindon to Oxford on the A420 without seeing another car. It was f'king miraculous. Best moment of my life.

(true story)

[SteveC]

Here are a few highlights that come to mind

Scottish west coast, including Skye and Glencoe. Most of the roads offer awesome scenery, properly cambered bends and a lovely spirited drive without breaking the speed limit. A brand new 330d didn't harm either.

In Germany, the A500 Hochstrasse in the Black Forest was a wonderful drive at 06.00am on a summer morning in a nice 944 Turbo. The bends are 'calibrated', bend sign = 4th gear, chevrons = 3rd gear, slow signs + chevrons = 2nd gear.

NE England ....The A689 to Alston and the A686 from Alston to Penrith is probably one of the best drives in the UK. The road is a real challenge, up there with some of the best Alpine passes in Austria and Switzerland and from the top, the views on a clear day are stunning. Make sure you pick a dry day and get out early to enjoy this drive.

Just back from a holiday in Mauritius. Had a ball, especially the Marlin fishing! The roads on the other hand were downright dangerous....no verge and a 5' drop off either side into the sugar cane fields. A lovely place to be on holiday but I would leave the driving to a chauffer, so you can sit back and enjoy the scenery.

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by Hotcoupe

I'm surprised Kev can't remember,it's the only meet he's ever been able to drag his sorry arse to

ohhh i remember the meet and the cars Ian!...


just not the roads!...

had my first windscreen crack, courtesy of jerome's m3...and the exhilarating sensation of being chased by your 335D.....

[kaishang]

Originally Posted by chris_s1

I once went all the way from Swindon to Oxford on the A420 without seeing another car. It was f'king miraculous. Best moment of my life.

(true story)

Was this during the Great Zombie Apocalypse?

[creepy coupe]

Lake Annecy - Lake Maggiore via Aosta. across the Alps. plenty of elevations and tunnels. Just great roads.