UK’s best driving roads revealed - Lake District’s A591 comes out top

  • 22 Apr 2015

A 30-mile A-road in the Lake District has been named UK’s best driving road by car rental firm Avis.

The A591 between Kendal and Keswick won the honour after Avis applied a specially devised formula which took into account acceleration, cruising, braking and the number of bends.

According to the ‘Avis Driving Ratio’, the ideal driving road comprises 10 seconds of a straight and one second on a bend. The A591 was the closest UK road to match that formula with a ratio of 14:3.

The B315 between Cheddar and Ashwick in Somerset came second, with third place going to Cheshire’s A535 from Holmes Chapel to Alderley Edge, which takes drivers past the iconic 90 metre-tall Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank.

The accolade of world’s best driving road went to Portugal’s N-222, running between Peso de Régua to Pinhão with a 11:3 ratio, followed by Big Sur in California.

Thrill and excitement

In order to create the ratio, Avis recruited experts from quantum physics, F1 track design, high performance cars and even a world renowned British designer of rollercoasters.

Dr Mark Hadley, the quantum physicist who led the research, explained: “A great driving road strikes just the right balance between the four phases – bends, acceleration, cruising and braking - so you get the exhilaration of speed and acceleration whilst corners test your driving capabilities and long stretches allow you to enjoy the scenery.

“The time spent on the straight allows for the optimum time to appreciate the surrounding scenery before moving into the next bend, whilst still giving the driver the thrill and excitement you get from a challenging drive.”

Which roads get your vote? Let us know below in the comments or tweet us at @ContractHire.

The world’s top 25 roads according to ADR:

Country Road length /km Number of bends % Short straights sports % Short straights family ADR Sports ADR Family
UK A591 from Kendal to Keswick 47 24 8 21 14.3 12.5
UK B3515 from Cheddar to Ashwick 23 22 18 23 7.5 6.2
UK A535 from Holmes Chapel to Alderley Edge 16 19 11 26 8.4 6.9
France D81 from Piana to Porto in Corsica 12 39 33 38 2 1.7
France Route de Napoleon 63 17 0 0 15.1 12.4
Germany S165 from Hohnstein to Bad Schandau 43 63 10 24 3.8 3.2
Germany Titisee to Bad Krozingen via L126 61 55 20 29 7.1 5.9
Germany Bad Urach to Burg Hohenzollern 75 73 14 25 8.5 6.9
Austria Melk to Langenlois 48 7 0 14 28.7 22.3
Italy Portofino (GE) to Portofino Vetta (GE) 13 61 54 72 1.9 1.6
Italy The Amalfi Coast route 17 75 37 56 1.3 1.1
Switzerland Flüela Pass from Davos to Susch 28 37 27 30 7.7 6.3
Portugal Peso da Régua to Pinhão 27 93 37 53 11.3 9.2
Portugal N267 São Marcos da Serra to Monchique 35 84 30 54 2.1 1.8
Portugal N247/Avenida do Atlântico, Sintra to Praia das Maças 12 24 25 42 2.6 2.3
Spain Zumaia to Zarauz via the >N-634 12 22 0 23 3.7 3.1
Spain Escalona to Rios Bellosvia the HU-631 27 73 30 47 2.2 1.9
Spain San José (Almería) to Cabo de Gata via the ALP-822 24 30 13 17 5 4.1
Romania The Transfagara?an aka the DN7C 26 73 27 49 1.9 1.6
Norway The Lysebotn Road 16 48 42 63 1.7 1.4
USA Highway 1 from Castroville to Big Sur, California 74 36 0 14 8.5 6.7
USA The Overseas Highway from Long Point Key to Florida Keys 87 3 0 0 1240 960
USA Tail of the Dragon, North Carolina 15 57 39 54 1.1 1
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