Nice Drives Near London

Anyone who enjoys driving will, on occasion, feel the need to get behind the wheel and ‘just drive’. You don’t necessarily want to go anywhere; you simply want to enjoy the open road.

If you live in a city the need to go at a speed greater than 30mph and do so for more than 5 minutes can be even greater. There can be no doubt that the biggest city in the UK is London. With over 6 million residents, blocked roads and congestion charges, driving around the city is hardly a fun thing to do. So we have compiled 5 drives you can enjoy to get you out of the city for a day, because it can be difficult to find a nice stretch of tarmac to tootle along.

For the purposes of compiling this list we have assumed that London is anything inside the M25 and the starting point of the journey taken from a location near the M25 – in other words, if you were journeying north our starting point would be junction 1 of the M1 rather than Hyde Park, so you will need to factor in these start points to your overall journey. We’re also ignoring motorways and have tried to pick routes that would make a Sat-nav cry, because it’s all about the journey rather than the destination.

Note: All distances and times are approximate and are for the whole journey – either the circuit given or to get to the end point and back again.

1 Sevenoaks to Hastings

You can simply use the A21 (76 miles, approx. 2 hours, there and back). Or for a more roundabout route:

• From Sevenoaks, use the A21 towards Tonbridge, then use the A26 to Royal Tunbridge Wells.
• Next, take the A267 down to the A22
• Follow the A22 to the A27 and head towards Pevensy and on to the A259
• Follow this road through Bexhil and into Hastings, driving along the coast.
• Keep following A259 out of hastings and eastwards to Rye and then head northwards on A268
• Drive along the A268, passing through Sandhurst and into Hawkhurst.
• Head north up the A229 all the way through Staplehurst and into Maidstone.
• Come off the A229 and onto the A20 (London Road)until it becomes the A25
• Keep driving until you get to the A225 and back into Seven Oaks.

This circular route will take 115 miles, approx. 3.5 hours, and goes through countryside, along the coast, passes several small towns and villages and uses a mixture of dual carriage ways, B-roads and country lanes.

2 Dartford to Dover

Simply motor along the A2. The journey is 115 miles, and takes approx. 3:40.

Why not take a picnic and sit upon the white cliffs watching the ferries and ships move in and out of one of Britain’s busiest ports?

3 Brentwood to Norwich

Just use the A12 and the A140. Nearly 189 miles and will take approx. 4 hours.

Take a fast road through the countryside and past various small towns and villages. Feel free to depart at any point and head down some country roads for a more sedate run should you feel the need.

4 Cotswolds

Use the A40 to get to the Cotswolds and then simply pick a road and explore. It is 65 miles to Burford (approx. 1:45).

Or, for a more planned trip, you could head to Cheltenham (87 miles on A40, approx. 2:15 hours) and do one of The Romantic Road routes.

• Route 1 - Starting in Cheltenham head northwards for Winchcombe, then Stanway, Stanton, Broadway, Chipping Camden, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Upper Slaughter, Lower Slaughter, Cheltenham. The journey is approx. 75 miles and will take you through some stunning countryside and wonderful little villages.
• Route 2 – Start in Cheltenham and head sout-east to Northleach, then Burford, Lechlade-on-Thames, Fairford, Bibury, Cirencester, Painswick, Cheltenham. This journey is a little longer at 90 miles and takes in other villages and towns that have made the Cotswolds famous as a tourist destination.

5 Surrey Hills area

The Surrey Hills are picturesque and an area of outstanding natural beauty, so you could probably take a trip through every weekend for a year and never see the same place twice and never be bored or disappointed. But for a long Sunday afternoon trip, try the following:

• Start by Leatherhead and use A24 to get to Horsham.
• From there head to Five Oaks and on to Petersfield
• Then drive through country lanes to Chichester.
• From Chichester  head to Brighton via the A27 OR
•  Use B roads by heading to Bognor Regis, on to Littlehampton, Worthing, Brighton.
• Then back up to Leatherhead via A23 and A24.

This journey is 143 miles, and will take 4 hours.

Rob Powell works for confused.com, the car insurance comparison website.