Fall for the lure of the open road

XMOOR

Route (approx 42 miles): The rugged coast and rolling hills of Exmoor are seen in all their glory on this trip.

Take the A39 from Minehead and explore the national park’s 34 miles of coastline.

Don’t miss Porlock Hill, a one-in-four gradient not for the fainthearted, from which you can enjoy beautiful views towards the coastal town of Lynmouth, dubbed Little Switzerland by the Victorians for its slopes and scenery.

Lunch Tuck into a T-bone or a fillet steak from the owner’s butchers in Minehead while enjoying views over the Royal Forest Exmoor at the highest inn in the national park, Culbone Stables Inn (01643 862259 / www.culbonestablesinn.co.uk) on the A39 near Porlock Hill.

Sight: The small parish church at Oare was made famous by RD Blackmore in his Victorian novel Lorna Doone.

It’s where the romantic heroine was supposedly shot while standing at the altar waiting to wed her sweetheart John Ridd.

Leg Stretch: In the village of Countisbury, just before Lynmouth, stop in the car park opposite the Blue Ball Inn.

Join the marked footpath 100 yards up the road to begin a 1.5-mile circular walk ending at Countisbury Church.

Admire deep-sided valleys, ancient woodland, rugged cliffs and breathtaking seascapes.

Stay:The Victorian family-run Gascony Hotel (01643 705939 / www.gasconyhotel.co.uk) is just 50 yards from Minehead’s seafront.

From £35pp (two sharing), B&B. Information Visit Exmoor: 0845 166 1001 / www.exmoor-visitor.info

LAKE DISTRICT

Route (approx 25 miles): Buttermere is one of the region’s finest lakes.

Photo opportunities lie around every bend as you leave Keswick on the B5289, passing Rosthwaite and climbing the Honister Pass.

On the crest of the hill, Buttermere comes into view, enclosed by a clutch of imposing fells.

When returning, bear left at St James’s Church in Buttermere village and follow the tranquil Newlands Valley back to Keswick.

Lunch: Bridge Hotel, Buttermere (01768 70252 / www.bridge-hotel.com) boasts views of Red Pike and neighbouring fells.

Try the local Cumberland sausage, Cumberland hotpot or rainbow trout from nearby Borrowdale.

Sight: Honister Slate Mine, at the top of Honister Pass, is England’s last working mine.

Open daily, it offers guided underground tours and you can fill your boot with as much slate as you can carry for £20.

Leg Stretch: Walk off your lunch with a four-mile amble around Buttermere Lake, surrounded by numerous crags and peaks, including Alfred Wainwright’s favourite, Haystacks.

Stay: Ellas Crag Guest House (01768 778217 / www.ellascrag.co.uk) 10 minutes’ drive from Keswick, has mountain views from every room. Prices from £30pp (two sharing), B&B.

Information; Cumbria Tourism: 01539 822222 / www.golakes.co.uk

YORKSHIRE DALES

Route: Taking you through the heart of the Dales, this spectacular drive takes in many locations used in BBC’s long-running vet series All Creatures Great And Small.

Starting at the market town of Hawes, take the A684 to Leyburn.

The B6270 for Grinton heads over Bellerby Moor, passing Grinton Lodge, now a youth hostel but seen as a POW camp in the TV series.

After Reeth, return to Hawes via Gunnerside, turning left on to the high moorland road over the wonderfully named Buttertubs Pass, a breathtaking drive.

Lunch: Sample homemade puddings such as syrup sponge or homemade fruit cake and Wensleydale cheese at the Copper Kettle Café (01748 884748) in Reeth, a picturesque village noted in the Domesday Book.

Sight: Four miles before Leyburn, turn off the A684 for Bolton Castle, a 14th century medieval fortress (open March- Oct) used to imprison Mary Queen of Scots for six months.

Leg Stretch: Nine miles from Hawes, leave the A684 for Aysgarth Falls, where the River Ure tumbles over limestone rocks.

One of Wensleydale’s most popular spots, the falls appeared in the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

Stroll along the riverside walk linking the lower, middle and upper falls.

Stay: The 17th-century Punch Bowl Inn (01748 886233 / www.pbinn.co.uk) near Low Row has lovely views of Swaledale.

Doubles from £97.50 per room (two sharing), B&B. Information; The Yorkshire Dales: 01969 666210 / www.yorkshiredales.org

Britain’s Best Drives, Thursdays, 8.30pm, BBC4.