Favourite Drives
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us state highway
1 - californian coastal dream
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us state highway
one, which undulates along the pacific coast from san francisco to los angeles
is one of my favourite drives. dense chilly mist gives way to intense heat as
you drive through santa cruz, carmel, san simeon and santa babara to sunny las.
stopping off at diners along the way, you could be in your very own
movie.
ian mc currach, freelance travel writer. |
holidaying in
bavaria i had to get down to venice and so hired a car to drive south. the sheer
scale of the alps above us as we entered austria was stunning and the tiny
schlosses clinging to the cliffside were delightful. there was also much fun
watching as the domestic architecture became more italian the closer we got to
the great plain of friuli-venezia giulia. it was too much to do in one day but
to swim at lido that evening was heavenly and made it all
worthwhile.
adrian mourby, international correspondent of opera and now
magazine |
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tunisia - from
sousse to el jem |
"a lot of
holidaymakers to tunisia never venture further than the swimming pool or beach
which is a great pity. renting a car adds a whole new dimension to a trip. this
scenic drive makes a wonderful day's outing from either sousse or the nearby
purpose-built resort of port el kantaoui.
from sousse, you head south on a
long straight road flanked by row upon row of olive trees. it is impossible to
miss el jem's star attraction - a magnificently-preserved 3rd century roman
amphitheatre. drive back via monastir, the country's showpiece tourist town with
its elaborate, golden-domed mausoleum, the final resting place of the founder
and first president of modern-day tunisia.
peter lilley travel writer and
author of "essential tunisia" |
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draa valley
drive - southern morocco |
"exotic, yet
stress-less, this drive from arabia into africa takes you from relative
civilisation (the dusty market town of ouarzazate) to the first sands of the
sahara. you follow the draa valley, where crocodiles once lurked, through thick
palm oases and crumbling red clay villages that seem to grow from the earth. you
can do it all in a day, but i recommend overnighting in zagora at the hotel
kasbah asma with its sunken swimming pool. at sunrise climb the majestic 100 ft
sand dune at tinfou, before continuing south along the single lane p31 to the
end of the road and the village of m'hamid. here the hotel sahara offers tea and
shade and the services of m'barak - owner and local guide. for a small fee he
will show you around town, and the sand dunes that extend towards mali and
beyond."
jim keeble. travel writer/author |
"one of my
favourite drives is from west cork to kerry, skirting the edge of bantry bay
with its grand house looking out to sea, crossing the neck of the beara
peninsula and climbing up the range of hills which separates the two counties.
when I get through the tunnel at the top I always have to stop - partly to
retune my radio, but mainly because the great bowl of rocks and pasture always
takes my breath away. The weather is completely different. I usually drop down
and drive along the south side of the iveragh peninsula, next to a sea which
will be in a foul grey mood or glittering blue in the sun, and end up at
derrynane. a grand place to be.
sophie campbell. freelance travel
journalist |
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tenerife in
the canary islands |
"my favourite
drive… is in tenerife in the canary islands. most visitors stay at the southern
resorts of playa de las americas and los cristianos, and few of them realise
what spectacular scenery can be found just a short drive inland. tenerife is
dominated by a massive volcano, teide, which rises to 12,402 feet and is the
highest mountain in spain. take the C822 towards arona and vilaflor and you soon
find yourself climbing into cool pine forests with terrific views back along the
coast. at boca del tauce you cross into the teide national park, a huge crater
full of chocolate-coloured lava fields where there is a parador (government-run
hotel) and a cable car that takes visitors up teide. If you continue east to el
portillo, you can turn right to take the C824 that runs along the mountainous
spine of the island. there are panoramic views over both sides of the island,
and several miradores (viewpoints) where you can pull in to take pictures or
have a picnic. to return south, take the winding road down to guimar, where you
can visit ancient step pyramids that the explorer thor heyerdahl believes are
evidence of pre-columban settlements on the island. from here it is an easy
drive home along the autopista."
nigel tisdall. freelance travel writer
and regular contributor to the sunday telegraph |
"my favourite
drive in the world is from geneva airport in switzerland to the french ski
resort of val d'Isere. I know geneva like the back of my hand, having lived
there for three months, so I always do a quick detour to look at the lake, no
matter what time of day or night I arrive. from there I meander through tiny
little villages on my way to the slopes. I never cease to be stunned by the
sheer beauty and breadth of the lake at annecy which remains, for me, one of the
wonders of this part of the world. look carefully in summer and you will see
hundreds of brightly coloured paragliders hovering around the peaks that
surround the lake. it's enough to take your eyes off the road. as I head towards
the mountains my stomach fills with anticipation as I look up at the mountain
tops, covered in snow, that frame my view. I can't wait to get out there. I feel
as though I'm coming home."
cathy wood. travel editor daily
mail |
"the best
long-distance drive I've ever done was in 1991 from prague to london. I'm sure
you can do the journey in a proper car in a matter of a day, but with a friend I
bought a vintage 1968 skoda (racing green with lots of shiny chrome bits) for
£50 and went on a meandering route across europe to get it home. it was deepest
winter and we went over the alps through austria and switzerland to northern
italy. i can remember stopping in the dead of night in a mountain pass near
gstaad and looking up to see these great craggy peaks, a whole sky full of
stars, breathing in the sharp alpine air, and not wanting to ever go home. i had
to eventually, but since it was by skoda it took another couple of weeks to get
there."
carole cadwalladr. daily telegraph travel news editor
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"this must be the
only drive which can dull the pain of ending a snowboard trip. fast and winding,
route 99 drops down through spectacular mountain passes, curving along the
fast-flowing cheakamus river, a favourite hang-out for bald eagles. when the
river opens into the howe sound, the enormous scale of the pacific coast hits
home, and then you round the last bend and catch sight of the gorgeous
skyscrapers of downtown vancouver."
stuart millar. the observer scotland
editor |
"my most recent
favourite drive was by accident. driving through the rugged evergreens of the
pacific north west from vancouver across the border to portland, oregon, the
light started to go and I was too exhausted to continue. i pulled off the
highway and discovered a little town called canon beach. It was an oasis: an
artist community of white picket houses, nourished by a microbrewery and gourmet
pizzeria, bordered by a long lick of soft white sand staring out to the pacific
ocean. you enjoy a drive best when you're parked somewhere unexpectedly
wonderful."
jennifer cox. publicity and promotions manager
uk lonely
planet publications |
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