Drivelines
England · North West/8 min read

The 10 best driving roads in the North West.

From the demanding, vertical hairpins of the central Lake District passes to the sweeping, rhythmic moorland runs of the Pennine borders. We rank the North West's most compelling roads for drivers who value precision over pace.

By Drivelines·Published 06 May 2026
REGION OVERVIEW

A landscape of extremes

The North West is defined by its extremes. To the north, the Lake District offers brutal, vertical topography where narrow passes demand total concentration and flawless line-choice. To the south, the expansive moorlands of the Peak District border and the Forest of Bowland provide sweeping, high-visibility arterial runs. It is a region that tests every facet of a driver’s repertoire, blending deeply technical ascents with satisfyingly rhythmic valley roads.

Routes mapped
10
Total distance
276km
Avg curve idx
6.9/10
Map of all 10 routes in england-north-west
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Bark House Bridge (A5084)
10
A5084 · Crake Valley · Expert
Dual-trackVaried surface

Bark House Bridge (A5084)

The A5084 is the west-shore road for Coniston Water: six miles from Lowick Bridge up the Crake valley, through Blawith and along the water, then up beside Torver Beck to the A593. It is an A-road by 1920s promotion rather than by build, which is why it carries a 9.4 curve score and a surface that changes every few hundred yards. The shore woods keep the sightlines short, so it rewards a settled line and light brakes rather than any attempt at flow.

Brown Howe, the National Park pay-and-display on the shore, is where the lake traffic pulls in and out; the Cumbria Way also crosses the road at the Delicars car park just south of Torver, so expect walkers on the tarmac there.

Distance
9.8km
Drive time
0h 13m
Curve idx
9.4/10
Climb
162m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Lancaster Road (A588)
09
A588 · Over Wyre · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Lancaster Road (A588)

Tracing the flat, marshy coastline of the Fylde peninsula, the A588 is a classic, flowing B-road experience wearing an A-road designation. The curvature is gentle, linking small rural hamlets with long, well-sighted straights that require minimal braking. It is a deeply pleasant, untaxing drive that rewards relaxed, fluid driving.

Tractors pulling wide loads frequently occupy the entire lane width during the autumn harvest season, requiring patience and early lifting off the throttle.

Distance
28km
Drive time
0h 36m
Curve idx
4.5/10
Climb
202m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Pennine Road (A689)
08
A689 · North Pennines · Easy
Dual-trackVaried surface

Pennine Road (A689)

From the A69 at Brampton the A689 climbs south-east over the old coalfield edge at Hallbankgate and Tindale, passes below Cold Fell (621 m), slips into Northumberland and drops into the South Tyne valley to follow the line of the Roman Maiden Way through Lambley, Knarsdale and Slaggyford to Alston. Seventeen miles of long, well-sighted arcs on a surface that varies with the moor: a rhythm road rather than a technical one, and the local cycle guide's 'roller coaster' is a fair description of the Lambley to Alston leg.

Alston at the top is about 1,000 ft and one of the snowiest inhabited places in England, so winter closures are a real possibility. Slaggyford's heritage-railway car park just off the road is free, but the access lane is narrow.

Distance
28.2km
Drive time
0h 32m
Curve idx
4.0/10
Climb
286m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Hollow West (A593)
07
A593 · Coniston Water · Expert
Mixed widthSmooth surface

Hollow West (A593)

Winding through the steep topography north of Coniston, the A593 is a sharply twisting route that refuses to settle into a predictable rhythm. The high frequency of corners and undulating surface make it a demanding, physical drive requiring constant minor corrections. The mix of dual and single-track sections tests a driver's ability to read the road ahead and adapt instantly.

The tight rock faces on the inside of the bends near Skelwith Bridge obscure oncoming traffic entirely; sound the horn if you aren't sure.

Distance
26.7km
Drive time
0h 44m
Curve idx
9.2/10
Climb
679m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Tippin's Lane (A595)
06
A595 · West Cumbria · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Tippin's Lane (A595)

This is the Furness end of the A595: from the Grizebeck junction with the A5092 it runs along the Duddon Mosses past Foxfield, crosses the old boundary between Cumberland and Lancashire at Duddon Bridge, then turns up the Whicham Valley under Black Combe to the turn-off-to-stay-on at Whicham. Broughton itself is now bypassed. Dual-track and smooth with a middling curve density, it flows in long, well-sighted sequences broken by two sharp changes of direction at the junctions. It rewards reading the road ahead and settling into a rhythm.

Two things to know: the 18th-century Duddon Bridge has been hit often enough to need repair closures in 2025, and at Grizebeck the road still squeezes through a farmyard until the approved bypass is built.

Distance
28.6km
Drive time
0h 34m
Curve idx
5.9/10
Climb
453m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Buxton Road (A54)
05
A54 · Congleton to Buxton · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Buxton Road (A54)

From the A523 crossroads at Bosley the A54 climbs 15 miles to the Derbyshire line, topping out at 1,690 ft where it meets the A537, the highest A-road in Cheshire. The lower half is a run of blind crests and dips above the Dane; higher up it settles into open, well-sighted sweepers past Wildboarclough under Shutlingsloe, with adverse cambers where it narrows. EuroRAP rated the Buxton to Congleton stretch medium-to-high risk in 2008, which is another way of saying the crests hide more than they show.

Sheep wander onto the top section and the shaded bends stay damp long after the open moor has dried. The average-speed cameras pick up on the last stretch before the Cat and Fiddle junction.

Distance
24.3km
Drive time
0h 29m
Curve idx
5.6/10
Climb
744m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Trough Road (C477)
04
C477 · Forest of Bowland · Spirited
Mixed widthVaried surface

Trough Road (C477)

The Trough is the pass between the Marshaw Wyre and Langden Brook, cresting at 968 ft beside the Grey Stone that once marked the Lancashire and Yorkshire line, and it remains the most direct road between Lancaster and Dunsop Bridge for all that it is steep and narrow. From the Dunsop side the climb runs about three miles with a 16 per cent ramp before the moor opens out; the width changes without warning, so it rewards reading the road ahead and holding a line rather than chasing the sweepers. Cattle grids mark the open sections, and livestock, standing water and mist all turn up on the descents.

Cycling clubs treat the climb out of Dunsop Bridge as a training hill, so assume a rider beyond every blind bend on the ramp; the summit is the part that ices and drifts in a hard winter.

Distance
32.4km
Drive time
0h 48m
Curve idx
6.0/10
Climb
669m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Honister Pass (B5289)
03
B5289 · Borrowdale to Buttermere · Expert
Mixed widthSmooth surface

Honister Pass (B5289)

The B5289 runs 20 miles from Keswick to High Lorton, but the pass itself is the 1.4-mile pitch above Seatoller: an average of 10%, the last third at 22%, topping out at 1,167 ft beside the slate mine. Width is the discipline as much as gradient. There are stretches where two cars cannot comfortably pass and the passing places are unmarked, so it rewards early sightline reading and a willingness to hold back; the Buttermere side is longer and gentler, only steepening to around 20% near the top.

Hold a low gear on the way down rather than the brakes, and expect winter closures for ice: the council shut it at the police's request as recently as January 2026, and a 10 mph limit with a 20-tonne weight restriction was imposed between the mine and Seatoller after a culvert failed in 2024.

Distance
32.2km
Drive time
0h 58m
Curve idx
10.0/10
Climb
826m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Buxton New Road (A537)
02
A537 · Macclesfield to Buxton · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Buxton New Road (A537)

The A537 climbs out of Macclesfield to the Cat and Fiddle Inn at 1,689 ft over 7.5 miles of straights broken by sharp, often blind bends across open moor. The inn was Britain's second-highest pub until it shut in 2015 and is now the Forest Distillery's shop. The stretch carries a 50 limit and rear-facing average-speed cameras that have been in place since 2010, after the road was rated the most dangerous in the UK. What remains is a road that rewards reading the camber and placing the car early; the corners lose nothing at the posted 50.

The camera sites pair up unpredictably along the whole climb, so hold 50 from Macclesfield to the A54 junction. Cheshire East shuts the road in snow. Both the A537 and A54 closed in January 2025, so check before a winter run.

Distance
13.7km
Drive time
0h 16m
Curve idx
7.9/10
Climb
492m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Kirkstone Pass (A592)
01
A592 · Ambleside to Patterdale · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Kirkstone Pass (A592)

At 1,489 ft the A592 over Kirkstone is the highest Lake District pass open to traffic, and unusually for the Lakes it is a proper two-way A-road with centre lines and no hairpins. From the Windermere side it is a long, shallow climb, 10 km at an average of 3.6% and peaking at 12 to 13% near the top, which is why it rewards momentum and smooth steering rather than gear-hunting; the Patterdale side is shorter and steeper, up to 18% past Brothers Water. The Brotherswater-to-Hird Wood section was rebuilt under the Safer Roads Fund in 2023 to 2024 with new drainage and crash barriers, so the surface is as good as it has been.

The road was shut for eight months after the November 2025 landslip at High Kingate and only fully reopened in July 2026. The summit inn had been closed for some years by then, though its pay-by-app car park kept operating, so plan a stop in Ambleside or Glenridding rather than at the top.

Distance
52.4km
Drive time
1h 17m
Curve idx
6.0/10
Climb
1115m
// KEEP READING
Sibling guide · Scenic
Top 10 scenic drives in the North West
Parent region · England
Top 10 driving roads in England
Nearby · The east of England
Top 10 driving roads in the east of England
Nearby · London and the Home Counties
Top 10 driving roads in London and the Home Counties
Nearby · The Midlands
Top 10 driving roads in the Midlands
Index · Every region
All Top 10 Field Guides

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