Drivelines
England · Near London/8 min read

The 10 best driving roads around London.

When the M25 clears, the Home Counties offer some surprisingly engaging tarmac. From the sweeping ridges of the Surrey Hills to the quiet undulations of Hertfordshire, these ten routes reward an early start.

By Drivelines·Published 06 May 2026
REGION OVERVIEW

Escaping the sprawl

Finding a decent driving road near the capital requires accepting a few truths: you will need to leave before dawn, and you will eventually get stuck behind a cyclist. But if you know where to look, the geography enclosing London hides genuine driving pleasure. The North Downs and Surrey Hills deliver steep, wooded climbs and technical descents, while the Chilterns and Hertfordshire offer faster, open sweepers across arable farmland. It’s not the Scottish Highlands, but on a crisp Sunday morning, these arterial runs and country B-roads provide enough rhythmic cornering to justify owning a driver's car inside the M25.

Routes mapped
10
Total distance
108km
Avg curve idx
5.7/10
Map of all 10 routes in near-london
StartEnd
Plan a drive to White Hill (B1037)
10
B1037 · Hertfordshire · Spirited
Mixed widthVaried surface

White Hill (B1037)

Skirting the outskirts near Stevenage, the B1037 offers a brisk, technically engaging blast across four and a half miles. The road constantly shifts between single- and dual-track widths, demanding a flexible approach to positioning and speed. With a high curve density and inconsistent surfacing, it keeps the driver busy, rewarding those who can read the road ahead and adapt instantly.

The narrower sections have high hedgerows that completely obscure oncoming traffic, making cautious entry speeds essential.

Distance
7.6km
Drive time
0h 12m
Curve idx
6.8/10
Climb
123m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Horsham Road (B2126)
09
B2126 · Surrey · Spirited
Dual-trackVaried surface

Horsham Road (B2126)

The B2126 runs from the A25 at Abinger Hammer to the A24 west of Capel, and the six miles that matter are the middle: up through Sutton Abinger onto the Greensand Ridge, through Holmbury St Mary, then down off the ridge through Forest Green to Ockley on Stane Street. Holmbury St Mary is a village built in a sandstone ravine inside the Hurtwood, Surrey's largest area of common land. The corner density is high for the region and the surface varied, so it rewards reading the camber as the road drops from sandy heath to the lower ground below Leith Hill.

Holmbury St Mary has had a youth hostel since 1935 and sits in the middle of the Hurtwood's path network, so the village stretch is where walkers are on the road at weekends; the hammer clock at Abinger Hammer marks the northern end, and its motto, 'By me you know how fast to go', is not bad advice for the rest.

Distance
10.3km
Drive time
0h 13m
Curve idx
6.5/10
Climb
207m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Moor Lane (B2028)
08
B2028 · Surrey Border · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Moor Lane (B2028)

The B2028 is a 20-mile secondary road from Haywards Heath to Den Cross south of Edenbridge, and this is its final, eastward leg: from the A22 at Newchapel through Lingfield, under the Oxted line, past the edge of Dormansland and along Moor Lane into Kent. It is dual-track and smooth, with a moderate corner count and about 130 m of gentle climbing across Wealden farmland: a road for tidy inputs rather than concentration, and a sensible cool-down after the Downs.

The only railway crossing is the underbridge in Lingfield by the B2029 junction; east of Dormansland the road changes name to Marsh Green Road and slips into Kent with just a boundary sign to mark it.

Distance
9.9km
Drive time
0h 14m
Curve idx
5.4/10
Climb
132m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Baldock Road (A507)
07
A507 · Hertfordshire · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Baldock Road (A507)

Running west from Buntingford towards Baldock, this stretch of the A507 proves that primary roads can still entertain. Wide, well-sighted, and exceptionally smooth, it allows for a confident, flowing pace through long-radius sweepers. It isn’t the tightest or most technical road on the list, but its predictable grip and open layout make it a joy for stringing together a flawless sequence of inputs.

The long straights are heavily policed at weekends; enjoy the cornering rhythm and roll off the throttle in between.

Distance
8.5km
Drive time
0h 10m
Curve idx
5.8/10
Climb
140m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Epping Road (B181)
06
B181 · Essex · Spirited
Dual-trackRough surface

Epping Road (B181)

Snaking up from North Weald Bassett, the B181 is a longer, more demanding affair that forces you to work for your rewards. The tarmac is distinctly rough and unsettled in places, combining with a relatively high curve density to test your suspension and your concentration. It is an involving drive that asks for patience over the broken sections and rewards neat line-choice through the twistier woodland stretches.

Heavy agricultural vehicles use this route extensively during harvest season, frequently leaving mud dragged across the apexes.

Distance
16.8km
Drive time
0h 25m
Curve idx
6.6/10
Climb
276m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to High Street (B1004)
05
B1004 · Hertfordshire · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

High Street (B1004)

Linking Widford and the surrounding countryside, this ten-mile ribbon of smooth tarmac is a highly rewarding drive. The B1004 blends brisk sections with moderately winding alignments, providing a sustained, rhythmic experience that rarely feels over-taxing. The lack of severe technical hazards lets you focus purely on stringing the corners together smoothly.

The approach into Widford tightens unexpectedly after a long flowing section, so shed speed early.

Distance
16.3km
Drive time
0h 23m
Curve idx
5.7/10
Climb
258m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Coopers Hill Road (C67)
04
C67 · Surrey · Easy
Dual-trackVaried surface

Coopers Hill Road (C67)

A short Surrey Greensand road rather than a destination: Coopers Hill Road drops off the A25 ridge at Nutfield, crosses the Redhill to Tonbridge line and works its way down to South Nutfield through a 75-metre change in height. The corners are long and readable and the surface varies with the quarry traffic history of the parish, so it rewards a tidy line more than any pace.

The railway bridge on Coopers Hill is single-file; the local driving-test routes use it precisely because you have to read the gap early and commit rather than creep.

Distance
8.3km
Drive time
0h 12m
Curve idx
5.3/10
Climb
150m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Turners Hill Road (B2110)
03
B2110 · West Sussex · Spirited
Dual-trackVaried surface

Turners Hill Road (B2110)

Four and a half miles of the B2110 east from Turners Hill, which sits on a High Weald ridge at 580 ft where the road crosses the B2028, down past Saint Hill to the south-western edge of East Grinstead. It is short, but the geometry is dense: medium-speed sweepers under the tree canopy alternate with tighter changes of direction, and the surface varies enough that reading the camber matters more than pace.

The Turners Hill crossroads was carrying over 17,500 vehicles a day when the district last counted, much of it rush-hour traffic dodging East Grinstead; the new estate on the East Grinstead end has added a junction too, so this is a mid-morning or Sunday road.

Distance
7.3km
Drive time
0h 11m
Curve idx
5.6/10
Climb
82m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Cold Arbor Road (B2042)
02
B2042 · Kent · Easy
Dual-trackVaried surface

Cold Arbor Road (B2042)

The B2042 leaves the A25 at Bessels Green as Cold Arbor Road and climbs the Greensand Ridge to Ide Hill, where the church at 216 m is the highest in Kent, before dropping past Bough Beech Reservoir to Four Elms. It is single carriageway, no pavement, largely unlit. The curvature is modest and the bends are open, so it works as a rhythm road: smooth inputs, early positioning, nothing sudden. The climb and the descent either side of the ridge are the point.

The A25 end queues at busy times and the parish council calls Cold Arbor Road busy and hazardous, with Back Lane joining on a blind bend. Emmetts Garden at Ide Hill is the National Trust stop on the ridge.

Distance
10.2km
Drive time
0h 12m
Curve idx
4.6/10
Climb
193m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Whitwell Road (B651)
01
B651 · Hertfordshire · Easy
Mixed widthSmooth surface

Whitwell Road (B651)

Eight miles of the B651 from Wheathampstead north to Kimpton on the ridge between the Lea and Mimram valleys, down into the Mimram at Whitwell and on past St Paul's Walden and Preston to the southern edge of Hitchin. It is chalk-country driving: shallow gradients, open sightlines across the fields between villages, and smooth surfacing that lets you link the curves with steady inputs rather than braking. The villages split it into three or four flowing sections, with Kimpton's mile-long High Street the longest interruption.

Whitwell is the pinch: the road drops to the Mimram through a blind bend where footpaths cross, and the Horn Hill approach from Kimpton has walkers on the carriageway for a stretch with no pavement.

Distance
12.7km
Drive time
0h 19m
Curve idx
5.2/10
Climb
256m
// KEEP READING
Sibling guide · Scenic
Top 10 scenic drives in London
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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