The West Country's true driving appeal lies just beyond the M5. We chart the ten most visually arresting roads within reach of Exeter, from the deep coastal lanes of the South Hams to the high, exposed moorland.
Exeter is uniquely positioned as a launchpad for the discerning driver. Turn west, and the landscape rapidly gives way to the vast, granite-strewn expanse of Dartmoor, where the roads follow ancient contours and demand constant attention to sightlines. Head north, and you find the steep, wooded valleys of Exmoor, offering sheltered runs that test a car's low-end torque and the driver's forward observation. To the south, the coastal lanes provide a totally different rhythm, threading between high Devon banks before opening out into sudden views of the sea. It is a region of contrasts, rewarding those who are happy to let the landscape, rather than the stopwatch, dictate the pace.
A short but surprisingly intense stretch of coastal road. It pitches and rolls along the cliff tops, packing a dense concentration of sharp corners into a relatively brief run.
Holiday traffic chokes the tighter sections in July; it is a road best reserved for a crisp, empty winter morning.
A major link road that manages to retain a rural, pastoral feel. It sweeps easily across the landscape, requiring little more than a light touch on the wheel and an appreciation for the rolling Devon countryside.
Potholes frequently gather on the apexes near Cullompton, requiring a tight, defensive line.
Rising from the gentler Devon valleys toward the Somerset border, this route provides a quiet, uncluttered drive. The corners are open and predictable, making it a soothing, scenic transit rather than a test of nerve.
The crests on the approach to Morebath tend to hide slow-moving tractors until the very last moment.
A varied, undulating route that cuts northwards towards the coast. The surface quality changes frequently, asking the driver to continuously read the road rather than settling into a fixed pace.
Farm traffic dictates your average speed through the narrower agricultural stretches, so patience is a strict requirement.
This is the A386 north of Okehampton, not the Dartmoor flank: from Hatherleigh it picks up the River Torridge and follows the valley through Meeth and Merton to Great Torrington, then on down to Bideford. The curve density is low and the sightlines long, so the road asks little of the steering and a lot of the driver's observation. The one real change of tempo is Torrington, where the road drops off the hilltop town to Lord Rolle's 1843 New Bridge and climbs straight back out.
The wooded valley between Torrington and Bideford is the weak link: fallen trees and then a landslip closed it after Storm Goretti in January, and the low ground by the river floods. Check before relying on it in a wet winter.
The B3193 threads the Teign Valley for 11 miles from the A38 at Chudleigh Knighton up to Dunsford on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, following the valley floor the old Teign Valley railway used until floods finished it in 1961. It is wide enough for two, which the lanes off it up to Christow and Trusham are not, and it flows through medium-radius bends with the river never far away. It rewards a settled pace and attention to what the valley trees hide.
Christow and Trusham sit just off the road up single-track lanes; the Cridford Inn at Trusham is the stop, and Dunsford Woods at the top end is the wild-daffodil walk in spring.
The main artery leading out of Exeter and up onto the high moor. The climb is engaging, mixing sweeping dual-track sections with narrower, technical chicanes that demand precise positioning.
Locals treat the run towards Moretonhampstead as a commuter route; it is usually best enjoyed mid-week when the traffic thins out.
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.
A sharply winding, highly technical stretch of the South Hams coastal route. It strings together tight bends and sudden gradient shifts beneath heavy tree cover, with only occasional flashes of the sea below.
The tarmac gets remarkably greasy under the canopy after a light shower, catching out the unwary on the tighter downhill left-handers.
From the A382 at Bovey Tracey the B3387 climbs onto open Dartmoor, past Haytor Rocks (457 m) and Saddle Tor, over the Hemsworthy Gate cattle grid and then sharply down into Widecombe-in-the-Moor. Once the hedges give way to heather the road is wide, smooth and open-sighted, with generous radii that let you read the camber well ahead. That is a rare thing in Devon, and a gentle introduction to moorland driving.
Ponies and sheep graze right up to the tarmac around the Haytor and Saddle Tor car parks, and the road pinches in briefly just after the turn off the A382. Widecombe Fair, the second Tuesday of September, fills the village end.
Drop a start and end anywhere on the map, tune your route and Drivelines builds you a drive.