Drivelines
Scotland · Southern Uplands/8 min read

The 10 best scenic drives in the Southern Uplands.

The Scottish Highlands may steal the headlines, but the Southern Uplands offer a different kind of magic. From the desolate beauty of the Galloway Forest to the rolling heather of the Borders, these are the roads where the views do the talking.

By Drivelines·Published 06 May 2026
REGION OVERVIEW

A gentler wilderness

The landscape south of the Central Belt lacks the jagged aggression of the north, trading peaks for sweeping moorlands, deep glens, and quiet river valleys. The roads follow suit. They tend to trace the topography rather than blast through it, meaning you get long, flowing sightlines interspersed with tight, ancient stone bridges. While the surfaces can be patchy on the single-track routes, the lack of tourist traffic more than makes up for it.

Routes mapped
10
Total distance
239km
Avg curve idx
7.0/10
Map of all 10 routes in scotland-southern-uplands
StartEnd
Plan a drive to C26s
10
C26s · Borgue Coast · Expert
Single-trackRough surface

C26s

This brutally twisting single-track lane traces the rugged coastline with zero compromise. It is incredibly tight, heavily cratered, and demands constant steering inputs just to stay on the tarmac. You drive this one purely to access the spectacular, desolate coastal views, not for the joy of the handling.

The blind crests hide gravel washed out from the adjacent fields, so keep your speeds strictly in check.

Distance
9.1km
Drive time
0h 20m
Curve idx
10.0/10
Climb
62m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to St Cuthbert Road (B727)
09
B727 · Kirkcudbright · Expert
Mixed widthVaried surface

St Cuthbert Road (B727)

The B727 is a deeply technical, hyper-twisty route near the coast that rarely lets you travel in a straight line. The constant, tight radii and unpredictable cambers mean you have to work for every mile. While the glimpses of the Solway Firth are beautiful, the road demands your full attention.

The damp sea air often leaves a greasy film on the tarmac under the trees early in the morning.

Distance
17.6km
Drive time
0h 44m
Curve idx
10.0/10
Climb
235m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Martin's Bridge (B711)
08
B711 · Borthwick Water · Spirited
Single-trackVaried surface

Martin's Bridge (B711)

Following the Borthwick Water, the B711 is a quiet, rhythmic single-track lane that feels entirely removed from the modern world. The sightlines are generally good enough to let the car flow, and the views across the sheep-dotted hills are classic Borders territory. It requires respect for oncoming traffic but is otherwise a joy to navigate.

The passing places are generous, but the verges between them are soft and heavily rutted by tractors.

Distance
22.6km
Drive time
0h 29m
Curve idx
5.5/10
Climb
372m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Traquair Road (B709)
07
B709 · Traquair · Easy
Mixed widthVaried surface

Traquair Road (B709)

South from Innerleithen the B709 passes Traquair House, by its own claim the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland, then climbs the Paddy Slacks, a steady pull of about 130 metres to the watershed before the drop to the Gordon Arms crossroads on the A708 in the Yarrow valley. It then climbs again over to Tushielaw in Ettrickdale. It is a sequence of linked sweepers with long moorland sightlines, wider on the Tweed side and narrower over the tops. Curve density is modest, so it rewards a settled pace and reading the crests.

Sheep hold the road on the Paddy Slacks and are in no hurry to move. Innerleithen is a 7stanes mountain-biking hub with a ten-day games week in July, so the Tweed end is at its busiest at weekends.

Distance
25.1km
Drive time
0h 34m
Curve idx
5.0/10
Climb
544m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to B7027
06
B7027 · Barrhill · Expert
Single-trackRough surface

B7027

The B7027 is a raw, challenging single-track route that plunges through Galloway's more isolated terrain. The road surface is unforgiving, and the constant twists mean you are always working the wheel. However, the sheer isolation and the rugged, unspoilt surroundings make the effort worthwhile.

Potholes on the inside of the tighter bends are deep enough to cause damage if you cut the corners.

Distance
24.1km
Drive time
0h 35m
Curve idx
8.5/10
Climb
290m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Ayr Street (B729)
05
B729 · Dumfriesshire · Expert
Mixed widthSmooth surface

Ayr Street (B729)

Fifteen miles of B729 between Carsphairn and Moniaive, most of it over open moor and through the conifer blocks around Auchenstroan, with the Water of Ken crossed on Smeaton's single-arch bridge about five miles out of Carsphairn. The high corner density comes from the road following the ground closely, and the width keeps changing: two lanes at either end, a long single-track section through the middle, and a run beside Kendoon Loch near the A713. Read well ahead: the surface flatters, the blind crests and the logging traffic do not.

The middle third is proper single track with passing places, not just narrow, and it is timber country, with a forestry haul road coming straight onto the B729 at Auchenstroan.

Distance
24.3km
Drive time
0h 34m
Curve idx
8.1/10
Climb
259m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Main Street (A714)
04
A714 · Galloway · Expert
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Main Street (A714)

Leaving Girvan at Shallochpark, the A714 turns its back on the coast and works fourteen miles inland to Barrhill through Pinmore and Pinwherry. It carries an unusually dense run of medium-radius bends for a two-lane A-road, on a surface that was relaid at the Girvan end in 2017, and offers very few straights long enough to relax on; it rewards vanishing-point reading and a settled, unhurried rhythm rather than pace.

The B734 that peels off at Pinwherry is too narrow for lorries, so coast-bound HGVs stay on the A714 with you; a Porsche and a Renault met badly near Pinwherry in September 2023, and the driver was charged.

Distance
23.6km
Drive time
0h 27m
Curve idx
8.4/10
Climb
322m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to The Holm (A708)
03
A708 · Moffat Water Valley · Easy
Dual-trackVaried surface

The Holm (A708)

The A708 is a long, majestic run that cuts straight through the heart of the Southern Uplands. Tracing the valley floor, it offers unhindered views of the surrounding ridges and the vast expanse of St Mary’s Loch. The curves are long and relaxed, asking little of the driver technically while delivering massive scenic rewards.

Stop at the Grey Mare’s Tail car park to stretch your legs; the view back down the valley from the path is better than the one from the driver's seat.

Distance
28km
Drive time
0h 34m
Curve idx
4.2/10
Climb
733m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Mennock Pass (B797)
02
B797 · Mennock Pass · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Mennock Pass (B797)

The B797 climbs the Mennock Water from the A76 to 467 m at Wanlockhead, Scotland's highest village, making it the highest of the three passes over the Lowther Hills. There is nothing in the valley but the road and the burn, and the corners are open, medium-radius and well sighted; the gradient sits at 2 to 3% for the first half and then steps up to around 12% below the village, which is where the sweeping rhythm turns into gradient management. Two-lane but narrow, with plenty of lay-bys.

Sheep own the tarmac above Wanlockhead and there is no street lighting between the villages; gritting is patchier south of Leadhills than on the Abington side, so in a cold snap the Mennock side of the pass is the one that goes first.

Distance
23.3km
Drive time
0h 33m
Curve idx
5.1/10
Climb
487m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Thomas Telford Road (B709)
01
B709 · Eskdalemuir · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Thomas Telford Road (B709)

Named for the engineer born up the valley at Glendinning in 1757, this is the Eskdale half of Britain's 58-mile B709: out of Langholm along the Esk to Eskdalemuir, past the Samye Ling temple, then over high wet moorland and through the forestry to Ettrick and Tushielaw. The southern section is the fluent part, with open, well-sighted bends through sheep country, while the 16 miles between Eskdalemuir and Ettrick are single track with passing places. It rewards patience and looking a long way ahead rather than steering effort.

Timber lorries work this road and there is no phone signal for long stretches; the sharp left over Eskdalemuir Bridge by the church is where the road changes character, and it is a poor place to break down.

Distance
41.2km
Drive time
0h 51m
Curve idx
5.1/10
Climb
968m
// KEEP READING
Sibling guide · Driving
Top 10 driving roads in the Southern Uplands
Parent region · Scotland
Top 10 scenic drives in Scotland
Nearby · The Scottish Highlands
Top 10 scenic drives in the Scottish Highlands
Nearby · Central Scotland
Top 10 scenic drives in central Scotland
Index · Every region
All Top 10 Field Guides

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