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Wantage to: Newbury
An interesting road in Oxfordshire? Well, it's mostly Berkshire. A great mixture of tight twisty bits, long straights and fast curves, rolling uphill and down. Mostly dry, clean and good visibility. Very few side-roads to worry about. Watch out though - some bends tighten up unexpectedly, and there's the usual risk of mud and c*** from the farms en route. Gravel on the first few bends in the woods. Only one Gatso to date (as you re-enter Oxon from Berks), and I've never seen a police car. Never really busy, but if you avoid rush hour you'll have it all to yourself. In summer I'll drive miles out of my usual way home to re-visit this old favourite ... and I just come back the same way, it's that good!
Callan to: Carrick on Suir
The northern 8 miles or so from Callan to Tullaghought is a mix of some bends and reasonably long straights with a nice sprinkling of fast sweepers.
From Tullaghought to Carrick, the road follows the river valley for a few miles and is a challenging succession of bends with a nice blast open mile a couple of miles from the end before you hit the final series of bends into Carrick.
Surface variable, mostly ok, but you take your chances, especially along the river valley. Probably not the supersports rider's favourite type of tarmac, but for something with half-decent suspension and ok tyres, it's a nice run.
Moretonhampstead to: Yelverton
this road is a fabulous route across Dartmoor. I have had more e-mail praising this road than any other. I reckon it's my favourite too.
Crianlarich to: Glencoe
This is one of many absolutely brilliant runs for those of us lucky enough to live about the middle of Scotland. It's a favourite circular run for locals, but can be done one way if you're touring or visiting. Best to avoid the main summer months, since it can get a bit busy with cars & coaches, and watch for Mr Plod (unmarked cars & bikes). Total distance as described below is about 120 miles I think. The route's all single carriageway A-roads, mainly good surfaces, with decent grip - not too many muckspreaders around, but watch for loose gravel at farm exits.
Starting at Crianlarich, the A85 to Tyndrum is a fairly quick, wide, road with some good open bends. Tyndrum has a couple of decent eateries, plus what's reputed to be the most expensive petrol in the universe. Take the A82 to go over Rannoch Moor and on through Glen Coe itself - if you don't have to stop and look at these hills, you're not human! Do watch out for hillwalkers wandering about on the road, though. Once through Glen Coe, there's food and fuel at Ballachulish. Take the A828, which is an interesting twisty road along the side of Loch Linnhe. Last time through (November 98), the surface was starting to break up in parts, so a bit of care was needed with cornering lines. At Connel, take the A85 along the side of Loch Etive and Loch Awe to return to Tyndrum & Crianlarich - again, a decent bit of road with a mix of tight corners in the first half or so, followed by more open straights and bends later.
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