The 10 most scenic drives in London and the Home Counties

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B184 · High Roding · Easy

Dual-trackSmooth surface

Dunmow Road (B184)

Between Fyfield and High Roding the B184 follows the line of a former Roman road up the Roding valley, and it drives like one: long, open sightlines across arable land with the corners arriving as gentle arcs rather than demands. It threads the Rodings, crossing the river at Fyfield and passing Leaden Roding and Aythorpe Roding's post mill, so open road alternates with village. It flatters smooth inputs and a steady rhythm rather than asking anything of the brakes.

High Roding is a long, thin village strung along the carriageway, half of it still thatched, with the 15th-century Black Lion marking the middle; hold the limit for the whole run of it, it goes on further than you expect.

Distance

10.2km

Drive time

0h 12m

Curve idx

3.7/10

Climb

140m

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Plan a drive to Outwood Lane (B2032)

B2032 · Chipstead · Easy

Dual-trackSmooth surface

Outwood Lane (B2032)

The B2032 follows the floor of Chipstead Bottom, a dry chalk valley in the North Downs, from Kingswood on the A217 east past Chipstead station to Coulsdon, with Outwood Lane becoming Chipstead Valley Road on the way. It is wide for a Surrey lane, smooth and only moderately curved, with Banstead Woods closing in on the north side; the pleasure is a clean line through well-sighted bends, not effort.

Chipstead's residents have kept street lighting out of the southern lanes, so the valley is properly dark after dusk. On London to Brighton Bike Ride Sunday in June the Rectory Lane and How Lane crossings are shut from 05:30 to lunchtime.

Distance

8.3km

Drive time

0h 15m

Curve idx

4.8/10

Climb

104m

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Plan a drive to Fawkham Road (C269)

C269 · Kent Downs · Easy

Mixed widthVaried surface

Fawkham Road (C269)

Threading its way through the Kentish landscape, this road offers a blend of gentle curves and occasional tight sections. The surface quality fluctuates, meaning you must stay alert to sudden changes under tyre. It presents a charming, unhurried route through the fields and woods just beyond the urban sprawl.

Watch for gravel washed down from the driveways intersecting the northern end.

Distance

7.6km

Drive time

0h 11m

Curve idx

5.0/10

Climb

31m

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Plan a drive to Whitwell Road (B651)

B651 · Harpenden · 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 20m

Curve idx

5.2/10

Climb

256m

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Plan a drive to Dunmow Road (B183)

B183 · Essex · Spirited

Dual-trackSmooth surface

Dunmow Road (B183)

The B183 links Hatfield Heath, Hatfield Broad Oak and Takeley, skirting Hatfield Forest, and it is narrower than its number suggests: the three parish councils asked for a 40mph limit in 2017, citing blind corners, lorry traffic and near-misses, and it remains a 60. The corners arrive quickly and the crests hide them, so it asks for accurate placement and braking done early at entirely legal speeds. Shorter and busier than its B184 neighbour, it keeps you occupied for the whole of its four miles.

There is no footway or street lighting between the villages, so walkers and cyclists heading for the forest are on the carriageway with you; treat every blind bend as occupied.

Distance

5.8km

Drive time

0h 07m

Curve idx

6.7/10

Climb

125m

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Plan a drive to Chalkpit Lane (C81)

C81 · Oxted · Expert

Mixed widthVaried surface

Chalkpit Lane (C81)

Scaling the steep chalk escarpment near Oxted, this climb is brief but intense. The road narrows unpredictably and throws a series of jagged corners at the driver as it gains elevation. You are rewarded with spectacular, elevated views back over the lowlands, assuming you can find a safe place to pause.

Cyclists use this as a hill-climb training route year-round, so keep a wide berth on the blind uphill sections.

Distance

4.2km

Drive time

0h 09m

Curve idx

7.9/10

Climb

37m

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Plan a drive to Parsonage Lane

Parsonage Lane · Hertfordshire · Expert

Single-trackVaried surface

Parsonage Lane

Tucked away in Hertfordshire's rural fringe, this quiet single-track lane forces you to engage with the immediate topography. The curvature is persistent without becoming fatiguing, weaving tightly between agricultural borders. It provides a highly tactile driving experience, relying entirely on your ability to read the vanishing point.

It is best tackled on a clear Sunday morning; weekday delivery vans treat the blind crests with an optimism you shouldn't share.

Distance

5.2km

Drive time

0h 08m

Curve idx

6.5/10

Climb

39m

StartEnd

Plan a drive to Hosey Common Road (B2026)

B2026 · Westerham · Spirited

Dual-trackVaried surface

Hosey Common Road (B2026)

Leaving the A25 at Westerham opposite Quebec House, the B2026 climbs Hosey Hill onto the Greensand Ridge and runs 2.6 miles south through the wooded commons of Hosey and Crockham Hill to Crockham Hill village. The whole stretch sits in Squerryes Estate common land, and both commons are SSSIs, so the canopy is unbroken and the surface varied. The corners are tight and complex for a Kent B-road; it asks you to read the tarmac as much as the trees.

The Hosey Common car park sits on a sharp bend just south of Westerham, busy with dog walkers, and the Greensand Way's footpaths cross the road directly opposite each other there. Chartwell, with a quarter of a million visitors a year, is signed off this road, so weekend traffic is not all local.

Distance

4.2km

Drive time

0h 06m

Curve idx

7.6/10

Climb

113m

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Plan a drive to Filston Lane (C305)

C305 · Darent Valley · Expert

Single-track

Filston Lane (C305)

Shadowing the River Darent, this narrow, twisting lane traces the valley floor near Sevenoaks. Sightlines are frequently obscured by the ancient hedgerows, making it an exercise in restraint rather than pace. When the trees break, it delivers long views across the North Downs that easily justify the slow going.

Southbound runs generally offer better visibility into the tighter bends, though you'll still need to anticipate oncoming farm traffic.

Distance

3.9km

Drive time

0h 08m

Curve idx

8.4/10

Climb

68m

StartEnd

Plan a drive to Gangers Hill (C72)

C72 · Surrey Hills · Expert

Single-trackRough surface

Gangers Hill (C72)

Ascending sharply through the Surrey Hills, this single-track lane serves up a barrage of tight gradient changes. The surface is distinctly rough in places, demanding careful reading of the camber and a gentle hand on the wheel. It offers a genuine challenge, asking for line-choice precision rarely needed so close to the capital.

The leaf litter gets heavy here by late autumn, reducing grip on the steepest sections long before you hit the summit.

Distance

3.7km

Drive time

0h 09m

Curve idx

10.0/10

Climb

165m

The 10 most scenic drives in London and the Home Counties.

Short, sharp, and spectacular

Dunmow Road (B184)

Outwood Lane (B2032)

Fawkham Road (C269)

Whitwell Road (B651)

Dunmow Road (B183)

Chalkpit Lane (C81)

Parsonage Lane

Hosey Common Road (B2026)

Filston Lane (C305)

Gangers Hill (C72)

Plan your own line.