Drivelines
England · Near Newcastle/8 min read

The 10 best driving roads around Newcastle.

Escape the city limits and the driving begins. From the sweeping moorland passes of Weardale to the quiet, undulating lanes of Northumberland, these are the finest roads within a striking distance of Newcastle.

By Drivelines·Published 06 May 2026
REGION OVERVIEW

The Northumbrian and Pennine Fringes

Newcastle sits at a fortunate crossroads for drivers. To the north lies the sprawling quiet of the Northumberland moors, threaded with smooth, flowing B-roads that track historic borders and vast, open skies. To the west and south, the terrain hardens into the North Pennines and Weardale, where the asphalt becomes more combative, climbing over desolate commons and plunging into steep, stone-walled valleys. The roads here range from lazy valley sweepers to tightly coiled moorland climbs, demanding respect for their shifting surfaces and sheer drops.

Routes mapped
10
Total distance
161km
Avg curve idx
4.9/10
Map of all 10 routes in near-newcastle
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Front Street (A689)
10
A689 · Stanhope · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Front Street (A689)

The A689 tracking the floor of Weardale from Stanhope is a prime example of a sweeping, open primary route. Spanning twenty miles, it is the widest and smoothest road on this list. While it lacks the sheer cornering challenge of the high passes, it makes up for it with outstanding visibility and a wonderfully relaxed, loping cadence.

The road naturally widens around the quarries, but be mindful of the heavy goods vehicles pulling out onto the main carriageway.

Distance
32.8km
Drive time
0h 38m
Curve idx
3.5/10
Climb
637m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Mitford Road (B6343)
09
B6343 · Morpeth · Spirited
Dual-trackVaried surface

Mitford Road (B6343)

Striking west out of Morpeth, the B6343 is a moderately winding road that traverses agricultural land. The tarmac is a mixed bag, keeping you alert, while the near-500 curve density means there are very few lazy straights. It requires rhythmic inputs and an eye for the changing road edge.

Early morning runs are best, as the commuter traffic heading into Morpeth builds steadily after seven.

Distance
14.5km
Drive time
0h 19m
Curve idx
5.7/10
Climb
87m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Park Bank (B6306)
08
B6306 · Blanchland · Spirited
Mixed widthVaried surface

Park Bank (B6306)

Dropping down towards Blanchland, the B6306 is a mix of sweeping curves and sudden gradient shifts. It alternates between wide and narrow sections, demanding that you adapt your pace continuously. The mid-corner bumps test your suspension damping, but stringing it all together yields a deeply satisfying run.

The final descent into the village is steeper than it looks and notoriously slippery under the tree canopy in November.

Distance
11.9km
Drive time
0h 16m
Curve idx
4.8/10
Climb
166m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Lands Road (B6282)
07
B6282 · Eggleston · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Lands Road (B6282)

Peeling away from the high moorland drama, the B6282 offers nine miles of smooth, flowing progress. It’s a fast, open road where the gentle bends barely require a lift, making it an excellent palate cleanser between the tighter routes. The dual-track surface is well-maintained, rewarding a light touch rather than heavy braking.

The long straights heading out of Eggleston are often exposed to crosswinds during the autumn months.

Distance
15.3km
Drive time
0h 17m
Curve idx
3.0/10
Climb
168m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Healeyfield Lane (C16)
06
C16 · Castleside · Spirited
Dual-trackVaried surface

Healeyfield Lane (C16)

Healeyfield Lane operates as a tight, technical tertiary link near Castleside. Its four miles are remarkably twisting, asking for constant steering lock and careful throttle placement. While the surface can be patchy, the dual-track width provides just enough margin to focus on linking the sharp bends together.

Local agricultural traffic is frequent near the farm entrances, so treat the blind left-handers with a degree of caution.

Distance
6.9km
Drive time
0h 09m
Curve idx
6.0/10
Climb
76m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to B6278 (Stanhope)
05
B6278 · Stanhope · Expert
Dual-trackVaried surface

B6278 (Stanhope)

Not Stanhope at all: this is the short northern piece of the B6278 between Edmundbyers and the A68 at Carterway Heads. It leaves the village's moor edge, crosses Burnhope Burn and then the River Derwent on the narrow Derwent Bridge just below the reservoir dam, and climbs hard to the hilltop crossroads. Under four miles, but the drop and the climb pack the corners tightly and the surface changes with every field boundary, so it is a gradient-and-sightline exercise: choose the gear before the dip, not in it.

Slow properly for the Derwent Bridge whichever way you are heading: it is narrow and sits at the bottom of the descent. The Manor House Inn at the A68 crossroads is where the run ends.

Distance
6km
Drive time
0h 08m
Curve idx
6.6/10
Climb
118m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to B6344
04
B6344 · Rothbury · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

B6344

The B6344 follows the River Coquet upstream from Weldon Bridge on the A697 to Rothbury, Coquetdale's main town, and packs a 6.7 curve score into a little under six miles. It is smooth, mostly dual-track and rarely straight for long, but it is also the working road into town and out to Cragside, so the sightlines through the wooded valley sections are shorter than the flow of the road suggests. It rewards a tidy line and patience behind local traffic.

The stretch at Todstead, near Cragend, has been sliding towards the river since the 1970s: shut from late 2012 to 2016, and again from April 2023 to March 2024 while 180 m of retaining wall went in and 200 m of road was moved away from the bank. That is where the tarmac is newest and the alignment has changed.

Distance
9.2km
Drive time
0h 11m
Curve idx
6.7/10
Climb
143m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Church Lane (B6320)
03
B6320 · Bellingham · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Church Lane (B6320)

From the Chollerford roundabout on the Military Road, the B6320 follows the west bank of the North Tyne north for 12 miles to Bellingham, through Wark at the halfway mark. The bends are long and well sighted and the surface holds up, so this is a road about rhythm rather than effort: it rewards a steady throttle and early, gentle positioning. It finishes over John Green's four-arch bridge of 1834 into Bellingham, which is single-track.

Bellingham Bridge is single-track with no lights, so be ready to give way on the way in; the Pennine Way drops walkers into the village all summer. The Battlesteads at Wark sits right on the road at the halfway point.

Distance
25.7km
Drive time
0h 27m
Curve idx
3.8/10
Climb
297m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Shield Street (B6295)
02
B6295 · Allenheads · Spirited
Dual-trackVaried surface

Shield Street (B6295)

The B6295 leaves the A689 just past Cowshill and climbs 150 m onto Burtree Fell: 3.2 km at around six per cent, opening with a hairpin section in the forestry and topping out at 570 m. It then drops steeply into the old lead-mining village of Allenheads before settling into a gentler run down the East Allen to Allendale Town and Catton. It is better graded than the A689 alongside, with nothing steeper than about one in seven, so the driving is rolling crests and mid-speed bends on a surface that comes and goes rather than hairpins all the way. It rewards patience over the blind crests and smooth inputs on the descents.

Allenheads sits at 400 m and runs a ski club, which tells you about winter: the B6295 from the Allendale side is kept clear in all but the worst weather, but the minor roads off it have been blocked for weeks at a time, so in snow the northern approach is the one to use.

Distance
19.5km
Drive time
0h 24m
Curve idx
4.7/10
Climb
491m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Bolihope Cross (B6278)
01
B6278 · Stanhope · Spirited
Dual-trackVaried surface

Bolihope Cross (B6278)

The B6278 crosses the Wear on Stanhope's fifteenth-century bridge and climbs south over Bollihope Common before dropping to Eggleston in Teesdale: eleven miles of open North Pennines road with 463 m of climbing. The curve score is a modest 4.2, so this is about long sightlines and mid-speed sweepers rather than steering lock; dual-track throughout, with the surface varying as the altitude does. It rewards fluid inputs and reading the road a long way ahead.

Riders treat it as one leg of a Stanhope, Alston and Middleton triangle with the A689 and B6277, so Sunday traffic is bikes. Stanhope's ford at the bottom is closed to vehicles; the road uses the old bridge 600 m upstream.

Distance
19km
Drive time
0h 21m
Curve idx
4.2/10
Climb
463m
// KEEP READING
Sibling guide · Scenic
Top 10 scenic drives in Newcastle
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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