Drivelines
England · South West/8 min read

The 10 most scenic drives in the South West.

The South West delivers a potent mix of high moorland climbs and jagged Atlantic coastal roads. Here are the ten routes that offer the finest views and most compelling geography in the region, picked for the vistas as much as the corners.

By Drivelines·Published 06 May 2026
REGION OVERVIEW

Where the Moor Meets the Sea

The driving character of the South West is defined by abrupt shifts in elevation and exposure. You can spend the morning threaded between the high, gorse-lined banks of Dartmoor and Exmoor, and the afternoon tracing the cliff edges along the Atlantic Highway. These roads demand your attention, but the primary reward is the sheer scale of the landscape unfolding beyond the windscreen.

Routes mapped
10
Total distance
204km
Avg curve idx
7.6/10
Map of all 10 routes in england-south-west
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Sandplace Road (A387)
10
A387 · Looe Valley · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Sandplace Road (A387)

Winding its way alongside the East Looe River, this route is defined by its gentle gradients and rhythmic curves. The smooth, dual-track layout is easy to read, promoting a relaxed, touring pace through the heavily wooded valley. The occasional break in the trees offers lovely, framed glimpses of the estuary.

Local agricultural traffic is common on weekday mornings, often using the entire width of the bridge crossings.

Distance
20.2km
Drive time
0h 25m
Curve idx
6.6/10
Climb
385m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Cutcombe Hill (A396)
09
A396 · Wheddon Cross · Spirited
Dual-trackVaried surface

Cutcombe Hill (A396)

The A396 follows the Exe north from the Devon border at Exebridge, past the Dulverton turn and up the wooded Quarme valley to the crossroads at Wheddon Cross, then falls down Cutcombe Hill to Timberscombe and Dunster. Cutcombe Hill is the set piece: 230 m of height over 5.5 km, mostly under trees, with a single hairpin and a steepest pitch near 10%. It is a road of gradient management and sightlines you have to wait for, not of speed.

After a coach crash in July 2025 Cutcombe Hill spent months under temporary signals and a 20 mph section, with overnight repair closures the following winter, so check for works before an evening run. Treat the hairpin as a place to be fully slowed rather than trailing the brakes.

Distance
35.9km
Drive time
0h 43m
Curve idx
6.3/10
Climb
835m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Longdown Road (B3212)
08
B3212 · Dartmoor Fringe · Spirited
Mixed widthSmooth surface

Longdown Road (B3212)

Serving as a primary artery into Dartmoor from Exeter, this road climbs steadily into the high, exposed moorland. The corners are pleasantly engaging without being punishing, letting you settle into a comfortable rhythm. As the elevation increases, the enclosed farmland falls away to reveal expansive, heather-clad hills.

Wandering moorland sheep treat the unfenced upper sections as a resting area.

Distance
21.3km
Drive time
0h 37m
Curve idx
7.6/10
Climb
447m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Penally Hill (B3263)
07
B3263 · Boscastle · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Penally Hill (B3263)

Tracing the heights above Boscastle, this relatively flowing coastal road trades tight hairpins for broad, sweeping curves. The forgiving nature of the dual-track surface allows you to look past the apex and take in the dramatic North Cornwall cliffs. It is a route that rewards smooth inputs and a touring pace.

Morning mist off the Atlantic often obscures the sea views until mid-morning.

Distance
20.7km
Drive time
0h 29m
Curve idx
5.3/10
Climb
392m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Watersmeet Road (A39)
06
A39 · Lynmouth · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Watersmeet Road (A39)

Sixteen miles of the A39 from Blackmoor Gate, the 1,000 ft western gate of Exmoor, down through Barbrook and the Hillsford Bridge hairpin into the wooded Watersmeet gorge, then out of Lynmouth up Countisbury Hill and along the cliff-top toward the Somerset side. In the gorge the A39 is too narrow for a centre line, squeezes through the National Trust car park at Watersmeet House and runs a couple of miles as single-track with passing places on blind bends; beyond Lynmouth it climbs 1,300 ft in about two and a half miles with a 25 per cent pitch at the foot. The curves themselves are predictable, but this is an A-road that asks for patience more than most.

Meeting something in the Watersmeet single-track is a given: the passing places sit on blind bends against the rock, so go in slowly and be the one who waits. Cattle grids and ponies mark the top of Countisbury.

Distance
27.1km
Drive time
0h 32m
Curve idx
5.6/10
Climb
649m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Long Lane (A399)
05
A399 · Exmoor Coast · Spirited
Mixed widthVaried surface

Long Lane (A399)

Skirting the north-western edge of Exmoor, this route offers dramatic elevation changes as it drops toward the coast. The corners are frequent but generally open, allowing a flowing driving style that suits the grand scale of the landscape. It balances technical engagement with some of the finest coastal views in Devon.

Caravans favour this route during the summer holidays, turning the uphill sections into tests of patience.

Distance
14.4km
Drive time
0h 23m
Curve idx
7.4/10
Climb
192m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to The Ridges (A379)
04
A379 · Dartmouth · Expert
Dual-trackSmooth surface

The Ridges (A379)

Following the ridge lines near Dartmouth, this stretch pairs coastal glimpses with steep, wooded descents. It manages to pack a tremendous amount of cornering into just over six miles, requiring continuous attention to line-choice. The sudden shifts from enclosed foliage to open water vistas define the route.

The descent toward the water can be damp under the trees well into the afternoon.

Distance
10.2km
Drive time
0h 17m
Curve idx
9.1/10
Climb
244m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Watergate Road (B3276)
03
B3276 · Newquay Coast · Expert
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Watergate Road (B3276)

The B3276 is the coast road from Newquay toward Padstow, and for thirteen miles it drops into and climbs out of one valley after another: Watergate Bay, Mawgan Porth where the Menalhyl reaches the sea between high cliffs, the Carnewas cliffs above Bedruthan Steps, then Porthcothan and the Seven Bays around St Merryn. The road is rarely level and the curve density is near the top of the UK set, yet the tarmac is unusually good for a Cornish B-road; it rewards smooth inputs on the descents and patience behind whatever is climbing ahead.

Beach traffic sets the pace in summer: the Watergate Bay beachfront car park fills fast and Mawgan Porth's is close to full by ten in peak season, so cars turning into and out of the beaches are the hazard, not the corners.

Distance
22.1km
Drive time
0h 32m
Curve idx
9.2/10
Climb
450m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Higher Stennack (B3306)
02
B3306 · St Ives to St Just · Expert
Mixed widthSmooth surface

Higher Stennack (B3306)

Leaving St Ives as Higher Stennack, the B3306 runs thirteen miles along the north coast of Penwith through Zennor, Morvah and Pendeen to St Just, moor on one side and the Celtic Sea on the other. It is tight, twisting and narrow, with cattle grids and places where one of you will be reversing, and regulars reckon the best of it is in the first five miles out of St Ives. The blind crests and late-apex corners between granite hedges reward line-choice at a pace that leaves room for the tractor. Between Pendeen and St Just it passes the Geevor, Levant and Botallack engine houses of the mining World Heritage Site.

Coaches use it all summer and locals say avoid July to September; a spring morning is the time. The Carn Galver engine houses between Zennor and Morvah are the sensible place to pull off and look.

Distance
20.7km
Drive time
0h 36m
Curve idx
9.6/10
Climb
401m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Cliff Road (B3135)
01
B3135 · Cheddar Gorge · Expert
Dual-trackVaried surface

Cliff Road (B3135)

Cliff Road climbs out of Cheddar between limestone walls up to 137 m high, gaining 194 m in 4.6 km through three hairpins with a steepest pitch quoted anywhere from 11% to 16%. Above the gorge the B3135 crosses the Mendip plateau past Priddy at 260 m and the hairpins give way to open, sighted sweepers. The lower half rewards precise placement at walking-pace speeds; the upper half rewards smoothness.

Half a million people visit the gorge a year and the limit through it is 30 to 40, so go before eight. Somerset shut the road for five weeks in autumn 2022 to scale loose rock, and cliff run-off keeps the shaded bends wet.

Distance
11.7km
Drive time
0h 17m
Curve idx
9.4/10
Climb
312m
// KEEP READING
Sibling guide · Driving
Top 10 driving roads in the South West
Parent region · England
Top 10 scenic drives in England
Nearby · The east of England
Top 10 scenic drives in the east of England
Nearby · London and the Home Counties
Top 10 scenic drives in London and the Home Counties
Nearby · The Midlands
Top 10 scenic drives in the Midlands
Index · Every region
All Top 10 Field Guides

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