Drivelines
England · Near Manchester/8 min read

The 10 most scenic drives around Manchester.

Just beyond the Manchester ring road lies some of Britain's most commanding upland geography. These ten routes trace ancient packhorse lines and Victorian reservoir projects, offering vast sightlines and a deep sense of isolation for those willing to rise early.

By Drivelines·Published 06 May 2026
REGION OVERVIEW

Escaping the City

Manchester sits squarely in the shadow of some of Britain’s most spectacular upland topography. Within an hour of the city, the urban sprawl gives way to the stark gritstone edges of the Peak District, the rolling moorland of the South Pennines, and valleys that seem entirely disconnected from the industrial lowlands below. This is big-sky country, where the tarmac follows the paths of least resistance through rugged, unforgiving terrain. The driving here is less about exploiting the limits of a chassis and more about finding a fluid rhythm against a vast, open backdrop.

Routes mapped
10
Total distance
153km
Avg curve idx
5.5/10
Map of all 10 routes in near-manchester
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Woodhead Road (A628)
10
A628 · Longdendale · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Woodhead Road (A628)

Following the chain of reservoirs through Longdendale, the A628 is a crucial, if often heavily trafficked, trans-Pennine artery. The curvature is extremely mild, presenting a fast, flowing alignment that sits low in the valley. The scenery is industrial and dramatic, framed by the dark slopes of the surrounding moorland.

Crosswinds sweeping over the reservoirs can unsettle lighter cars, especially on the exposed stretches between the water and the rock face.

Distance
16km
Drive time
0h 19m
Curve idx
3.3/10
Climb
463m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Buxton Road (B5053)
09
B5053 · White Peak · Easy
Dual-trackVaried surface

Buxton Road (B5053)

Winding southward through the limestone topography of the White Peak, the B5053 is an exercise in gentle, rolling momentum. The road lacks the severe gradients of the northern passes, instead offering a serene, pastoral run through deep-cut valleys. The surface is varied but rarely punishing, rewarding a relaxed approach.

Drystone walls sit flush against the tarmac in several sections, entirely removing any margin for error on the corner exits.

Distance
16.5km
Drive time
0h 20m
Curve idx
4.7/10
Climb
543m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Woodhead Road (A6024)
08
A6024 · Holme Moss · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Woodhead Road (A6024)

Ascending to the summit of Holme Moss, the A6024 offers one of the clearest, most uninterrupted vistas in the South Pennines. The road is wide and mostly straight, interrupted by a handful of sweeping turns that simply follow the natural contours of the hill. It is a place to let the landscape do the heavy lifting, rather than chasing a driving rhythm.

The transmitter mast at the summit serves as a useful visual marker from miles away, though the car park at the top is frequently battered by high winds.

Distance
11.6km
Drive time
0h 16m
Curve idx
5.1/10
Climb
323m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Long Hill (A5004)
07
A5004 · Goyt Valley · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Long Hill (A5004)

Descending from the high ground into the Goyt Valley, Long Hill traces a highly methodical, almost geometric sequence of turns. The dual-track surface is generally excellent, providing consistent grip through the heavily cambered bends. The sightlines open up magnificently across the valley floor, offering a superb architectural view of the landscape.

The descent is deceptive; it requires firm, progressive braking to manage the momentum shift into the tighter lower sections.

Distance
12.7km
Drive time
0h 17m
Curve idx
5.6/10
Climb
250m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Buxton Road (A54)
06
A54 · Dane Valley fringes · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Buxton Road (A54)

From the A523 crossroads at Bosley the A54 climbs 15 miles to the Derbyshire line, topping out at 1,690 ft where it meets the A537, the highest A-road in Cheshire. The lower half is a run of blind crests and dips above the Dane; higher up it settles into open, well-sighted sweepers past Wildboarclough under Shutlingsloe, with adverse cambers where it narrows. EuroRAP rated the Buxton to Congleton stretch medium-to-high risk in 2008, which is another way of saying the crests hide more than they show.

Sheep wander onto the top section and the shaded bends stay damp long after the open moor has dried. The average-speed cameras pick up on the last stretch before the Cat and Fiddle junction.

Distance
24.3km
Drive time
0h 29m
Curve idx
5.6/10
Climb
744m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Macclesfield Road (B5470)
05
B5470 · Goyt Valley fringes · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Macclesfield Road (B5470)

A 1770 turnpike out of Macclesfield's eastern edge, the B5470 climbs round the south flank of Kerridge Hill, drops through Rainow and then rides the Todd Brook valley past Kettleshulme before a hairpin lifts it to 341 m at Charles Head above Whaley Bridge. The corners follow the contours, so the drive is about reading gradient against sightline; the surface is good and the road wide enough to hold a line without crowding oncoming traffic. Open pasture alternates with walled, tree-lined cuttings, which changes the grip and the view every mile or so.

The embankment between Ginclough and Kettleshulme fell away in January 2025 and the road reopened only after a £1.6m rebuild that started that October; the council has been running periodic checks under temporary lights there since, so a red light on that stretch is likely inspection work rather than a breakdown.

Distance
13.2km
Drive time
0h 22m
Curve idx
6.5/10
Climb
392m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Buxton New Road (A537)
04
A537 · Peak District · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Buxton New Road (A537)

The A537 climbs out of Macclesfield to the Cat and Fiddle Inn at 1,689 ft over 7.5 miles of straights broken by sharp, often blind bends across open moor. The inn was Britain's second-highest pub until it shut in 2015 and is now the Forest Distillery's shop. The stretch carries a 50 limit and rear-facing average-speed cameras that have been in place since 2010, after the road was rated the most dangerous in the UK. What remains is a road that rewards reading the camber and placing the car early; the corners lose nothing at the posted 50.

The camera sites pair up unpredictably along the whole climb, so hold 50 from Macclesfield to the A54 junction. Cheshire East shuts the road in snow. Both the A537 and A54 closed in January 2025, so check before a winter run.

Distance
13.7km
Drive time
0h 16m
Curve idx
7.9/10
Climb
492m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Snake Road (A57)
03
A57 · Dark Peak · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Snake Road (A57)

Macadam's 1821 turnpike over the Pennines, the A57 climbs from Glossop to 510 m where it crosses the Pennine Way, then runs down past the Snake Inn to Ladybower at Ashopton. Curvature is modest for a pass, long, well-surfaced sweepers rather than hairpins, and the difficulty is in the ground under it: four active landslip sites, a single-lane section that has run under lights at Alport, and a surface patched repeatedly since Storm Eunice opened three slumps in a single mile in 2022. It rewards smooth inputs and a long view; the corners are predictable, the road state is not.

Check Derbyshire County Council's Snake Pass page before you go: it is one of the first roads in the county to shut for snow, it closed outright for three weeks in June 2026 for borehole work at Doctor's Gate, and anything over 7.5 tonnes is diverted. The Snake Inn shut in 2019, so do not count on a stop at the top.

Distance
14.9km
Drive time
0h 16m
Curve idx
4.4/10
Climb
356m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Mortimer Road
02
Mortimer Road · Strines Moor · Easy
Mixed widthVaried surface

Mortimer Road

Mortimer Road is Hans Winthrop Mortimer's 1771 turnpike from Penistone towards Bamford, a commercial failure that left behind a narrow moorland road running around Bradfield Dale at about 310 m. This 9.7-mile section from Midhopestones to the A57 stacks steep drops and climbs, Ewden Bank most of all with 126 m in a kilometre at 12.5% average and two hairpins, and passes the Strines Inn, where a listed take-off stone marks where the extra horse was unhitched. Width and surface vary; it asks for gradient management and sightline reading, not pace.

The right-hand hairpin near the top of Ewden Bank is off-camber and stays damp year-round from a spring under the trees. Locals have petitioned for a 50 limit and more chevrons after repeated crashes at the bends, and the council is looking at average-speed cameras.

Distance
15.6km
Drive time
0h 20m
Curve idx
5.0/10
Climb
505m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Hebden Bridge Road (A6033)
01
A6033 · South Pennines · Spirited
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Hebden Bridge Road (A6033)

From Hebden Bridge the A6033 climbs 329 metres in under seven kilometres to the 433-metre summit at Cock Hill, then runs over Oxenhope Moor and drops into Oxenhope. The steepest pitches are in the town itself, where the road is narrow and busy; above Pecket Well the gradient eases and the bends open out onto the moor. It sits in the Road Safety Foundation's top 50 highest-risk A-roads, which is why the bends were widened and the surface renewed from Bedlam Bends to the Bradford boundary in 2020 to 2021. The tarmac is good and the corners still tighten over crests: a road for smooth, methodical inputs.

It closes more often than most A-roads: weekday closures through 2020 for the safety scheme, and again in summer 2025 while Bradford rebuilt three collapsed Victorian culverts under the moor section. Check before treating it as the way to Haworth.

Distance
14.2km
Drive time
0h 23m
Curve idx
7.1/10
Climb
402m
// KEEP READING
Sibling guide · Driving
Top 10 driving roads in Manchester
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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