Hagerty has named a Pennsylvania byway as its 2026 Road of the Year.

American auto enthusiasts know Hagerty as a classic car insurer and champion of the car community. Hagerty’s founders and its members have a real passion for driving, as demonstrated by its annual award for Road of the Year.

For 2026 the prize goes to Pennsylvania State Route 144, which runs 109 miles north-south, bisecting the state in its most mountainous region.

“Paved nearly a century ago to provide an automobile-friendly connector to lumber and railroad towns, the road now delivers a recreational paradise,” writes Hagerty’s SVP of Media and Editorial Larry Webster. “Outdoor pursuits on or near PA 144 include hunting, fishing, river rafting, hiking, off-roading, and of course, fantastic driving.”

Webster describes “large-radius sweeping curves carved with generally excellent pavement cut through a less dense, sun-drenched area of pitch pine and scrub oak,” and “abundant wildlife but not another human for miles.” Near Hall Run Creek Webster says: “This is where PA 144 is most like an amusement ride, hugging steep hillsides edged by steel guardrails.”

Visit Hagerty to read his full guide to Pennsylvania 144 and why it captured the award for 2026.

Perhaps it’s a cliché to liken a scintillating stretch of road to a rollercoaster. But with Timmelsjoch, the toll road which straddles the Austrian-Italian border deep in the Tirol region, the comparison feels uncanny.

You sit in its short, polite queue to pay your 20 euros (€28 return), excited tingles building in your belly as you ponder what G-forces await you. Much like a visit to a theme park, though, the anticipation begins much earlier. Getting to Timmelsjoch typically involves a drive from Innsbruck, whose mountainous approach is a sight to covet whether by car or plane.

Immersing yourself in its scenery doesn’t take long, and sticking in Kühtai as my waypoint – ski resort in the winter, verdant valley in the warmer months – proves a neat way to cut the highway miles short. This 26-mile stretch is warm, inviting and chockful of everything we love as drivers: hairpins, 90-degree corners and quicker, more flowing bends, all perfectly surfaced and wide enough to maintain decent momentum. The car helps, too. I’ve commandeered a Mini John Cooper Works for the journey, one of the few remaining small petrol hot hatchbacks on sale and an ideal device for a day like this.

Human endeavour weaves neatly into the work of mother nature here. Tunnels twist and bend sympathetically through the rock, their open sides allowing light to dapple their interiors, while the swooping Längental dam boasts banking to rival an American speedway, the reservoir it keeps in place as dazzlingly turquoise as any I’ve seen.

Reaching Sölden, I start to pick up more enthusiast traffic, the little Mini rubbing shoulders with the copious Porsches, Ferraris and McLarens of supercar tour groups. Yet we’re all pottering along at the same speed and I’m wincing far less as we skulk through contraflows or meet oncoming timber lorries. Out of Sölden you have the choice to turn right onto the Ötztal Glacier Road, among Europe’s highest passes and the shoot location of a Spectre chase scene, or carry on along route 186 to Hochgurgl and the beginning of Timmelsjoch.

Today, I’m doing the later, and the 186 plays its own support act ahead of the main event, its subtle jinks and chicanes an utter joy in something so nimble. This JCW may be a 1.4-tonne car nowadays, its onslaught of borrowed BMW tech not without consequence, yet it still handles gleefully.

Ten miles later it wends into a briefly dizzying ascent to the Timmelsjoch toll booth and its neighbouring café and motorcycle museum, a fine pitstop before rolling up to pay for the pass and begin our plunge into the Tirol scenery. The breakneck run to the road’s 2,509m peak begins right out the gate, with long straights, sweeping bends and a rapid climb to its crescendo through a series of hairpins. This isn’t a chance to wring out every last ounce of the Mini’s 231hp and 280lb ft; tourists pepper the route, as do the cows, sheep and goats who claim free reign over the road surface. Yet visibility is always vast and you can safely up your pace on demand, the road often quiet enough to spin around in a layby and repeat a favourite section with a mite more commitment.

The Timmelsjoch peak also marks the Italian border a switch in identity to Passo del Rombo. A shift in character, too: much like cresting the Stelvio Pass and descending its fiddly eastern side, leaving Austria means stemming the lovely, rapid flow you’ve hopefully enjoyed so far. I’m into a world of tight, nadgery lanes and the sort of acute hairpins that larger campervans take several bites to clear, slowing traffic further.

It’s a chance to slow down, rest the brakes and absorb the scenery, then, the pass’s lower stretches dipping through a cooling forest whose fresh scent simply has to be enjoyed with the windows rolled down an inch. The euphoric epilogue that signs off any great rollercoaster ride.

Words Stephen Dobie
Photography Mini

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Mountain Pass

NAME: Timmelsjoch

ROUTE: Innsbruck to Timmelsjoch

COUNTRY: Austria

Distance: 85 Miles

Father and son Phil and Will Churchill, and their trusty Aston Martin V8 Vantage have just covered 3,500 miles from Sydney to Perth as part of their ongoing Vantage World Tour.

The Churchill’s 11-day Antipodean adventure saw them lap the legendary Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst and cross the desolate Nullabor Plain, taking in Australia’s longest straight road, the 90 Mile Straight.

On this stage of the journey the Aston Martin’s odometer ticked over 250,000 km (155,000 miles) and marked its 33rd country as the car had previously been deployed by Aston Martin on a number of international adventures. In the Churchill’s hands it has covered 21,500 miles and visited 16 countries so far, with the journey set to continue later in the year.

Phil and Will have been fitting their epic drive into manageable two-week chunks to fit in with Will’s university schedule and Phil’s work commitments. The duo have also raised over £33,000 so far for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). You can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/vantageworldtour

The next leg of the Vantage World Tour will take the Churchills and their Aston Martin to India and Nepal, and, as always, we’ll be reporting back on their progress.

Driving over 1,000 miles just to lap a roundabout might seem insane, but when it’s also an art installation over 250 feet beneath the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, this epic journey makes total sense.

The Esturoy tunnel is one of four undersea tunnels that connect the Faroe Islands, linking the capital Torshavn to the towns of Runavik and Strendur. It took four years to construct and takes four days just to get to it by car from the UK.

In my case that car is the all-new Morgan Supersport 400 and the trip begins at the company’s 109-year-old home at Pickersleigh Road in Malvern, Worcestershire.

Not only is the Supersport 400 the most powerful Morgan ever made, it’s also the best-suited to serious road tripping. There’s a fixed hard top, space behind the seats and even a useable boot space.

Once loaded up, it’s a stop-start 200 miles to the Eurotunnel at Folkestone and then, over the next couple days I tick off France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark in quick succession.

The Supersport 400 is cool and comfortable in the midst of a heatwave, and an absolute monster on Germany’s autobahns. 150 mph is all too easy, if rather noisy, so a steady ton seems like the best compromise between speed and sound.

The Smyril Line ferry departs from Hirsthals at the northernmost tip of Denmark and despite being more than 700 miles distant the Faroe Islands are still part of the Kingdom of Denmark, albeit self-governing since 1948.

The crossing, on the MS Norrona, takes 36 hours, or 66 for the many automotive adventurers carrying on to Iceland. On board there’s a cinema, several bars, restaurants, a gym and even hot tubs to help while away the hours.

It’s a spectacular arrival into Torshavn, as the Norrona passes up through the fjords and it seems like all 1,500 passengers are on deck to witness it.

The capital is home to 21,000 of the 54,000 people who live on the Faroe Islands and I base myself at the Hotel Hafnia for a few days of exploration. That starts with the Esturoy tunnel, which has transformed the islands, with more than 6,000 people using it every day.

“You can travel when it suits you,” Teitur Samuelson of P/F Eystur, the company which built and runs the tunnels tells me. “It is not like with ferries, at certain times, with the risk of postponements and cancellations, as the weather conditions in winter are quite extreme and ferries regularly need technical maintenance. In addition, the capacity is unlimited.”

The 11km undersea route may now have been eclipsed by Norway’s new Ryfylke Tunnel, but the Faroe Islands could soon get its record back. “We are currently working on planning the Suðuroyartunnilin. It is an approximately 23 km long underwater tunnel to the southernmost island of the Faroe Islands. This is a mega project, so the planning is extremely important. This will be one of the longest underwater tunnels in the world,” adds Samuelson.

The massive cost of engineering the Esturoy tunnel is being gradually recouped through tolls, which are paid by an online system, so I register the Supersport to cover the 175 Danish Krone fare (£20) beforehand.

At this time of year, it just doesn’t get dark in the Faroe Islands, so plunging into the gloom of the tunnel is all the more dramatic. It’s quite a dive down, the road ahead plunging away into the bare rock cavern.

What’s also different from most road tunnels is just how curvy the route is, which helps keep the concentration levels up. Not that there’s much danger of nodding off in the Morgan, for in this vast echo chamber the car’s exhaust is amplified, wailing off the walls when I drop down a gear or two and mash the throttle. It sounds sensational, with a tremendous intake roar, accompanied by shotgun-like bangs from the exhaust on the over run.

Every kilometre there’s an emergency layby, with several wide enough to turn a truck, while the lighting subtly changes colour as you progress through the tunnel’s length.

Ten kilometres in is the roundabout that I’ve travelled all this way to see. It’s nicknamed the Jellyfish Roundabout for its organic shape and multi-hued lighting, and also features an art piece by local creator Tróndur Patursson which shows the silhouettes of Faroese people, lit by a rainbow of lights. Tune your radio to a specific frequency and you can listen to a soundscape crafted to accompany the visual artwork.

It’s really rather spectacular – all the more so when I remember that I’m well below the ocean floor.

There’s a choice of exits to Runavik, Strendur or return to Torshavn and during my time on the Faroe Islands I’ll travel back and forth on many occasions, never failing to marvel at this engineering wonder.

For further information about exploring the Faroe Islands check out https://visitfaroeislands.com/en

Words Nik Berg‍ ‍Instagram
Photography Nick Dimbleby & Matt Jennings

ROADBOOK

CLASS: TUNNEL RUN

NAME: ESTUROY Tunnel

ROUTE: Torshavn to Runavik and Strendur

COUNTRY: FAROE ISLANDS

Distance: 7 Miles

Speed is on the menu at this racy ristorante in Emilia-Romagna.

The small town of Varano de' Melegari is relatively unknown in the larger scheme of the automotive world. In fact, it may have ceased to exist a few decades ago, were it not for the efforts of its most famous son: Giampaolo Dallara. Signor Dallara set up shop in the town of his birth, effectively ensuring its survival by providing the bulk of employment for its residents. 

Attractions in the town include the Dallara Museum, where one can view the history of the world-famous racecar producer and the Dallara Academy, a learning centre for budding motorsport engineers and technicians. There is also the Autodromo Riccardo Paletti, should you wish to test a new race car far from the prying eyes of your competition. 

Those are the sights already on my list before visiting. However, it is the Circuit del Gusto, a few hundred metres from the racetrack, that is a pleasant surprise. The ristorante, whose name translates directly as ‘Taste Circuit’ has, unsurprisingly, a strong motorsport theme.

Circuit del Gusto is one of less than a dozen eateries in the small town, and during our mid-week visit it is the busiest. Stepping inside we are immediately greeted by the smell of cooking dough and melting cheese.

The walls are adorned with paraphernalia from various motorsport teams, including signed shirts, caps and race gear. There are also a number of model cars in display cases, mostly of the single-seater ‘red’ variety from Maranello.

Eyeing the menu we note dishes named Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati and Dallara. Other racing themed names on the extensive menu include 12 Cilindri, Delta Martini, Schumacher, Hamilton, Niki Lauda and Lando Norris. Ham features strongly on the menu as the town of Parma is just up the road.

The burgers, which come highly recommended, feature the names of two-wheel heroes such as the VR46, the Petrux and the Dovizioso, and both are great. Post dinner we take time to check out the paraphernalia before indulging in a spot of dolce.

Some other diners are clad in corporate gear with the logos of a few leading racing teams. Most seem like race mechanics and engineers, wolfing down pizza as fast as they can and downing a quick beer before, no doubt, heading off to their BnB before another day of thankless testing. There are no famous faces in attendance, but one or two are wearing their ‘fast shoes’.

Varano isn’t as famous as Maranello or Modena, but should petrolheads find themselves in this part of Italy, Circuito del Gusto is definitely the place to satiate one’s hunger.

Words & Photography Sudhir “Banzai” Matai Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: restaurant

NAME: CIRCUITO DEL GUSTO

ROUTE: VARANO DE’ MELEGARI, EMILIA-ROMAGNA

COUNTRY: Italy

It’s high time to head out on a high-altitude, high-octane driving adventure. To sweep through the switchbacks and climb to heights that will take your breath away.

If you’re an advocate of alpine automotive adventures then you’re in the right place, as Detour has a multitude of mountain pass guides available.

Here’s ten of the best to get you started.

A cavalcade of Cayennes and Dakar 911s has just crossed the vast expanses of the Gobi desert.

On the Porsche Gobi Desert Experience, a group of hardy owners departed from the city of Hami in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China right into the heart of the desert.

Driving across gravel fields and dunes the drivers tested their car’s off-road ability, as well as their own resilience. Camping under the stars in roof top tents, it was the journey of a lifetime for those lucky enough to take part.

“Ultimately, this journey was never about perfection, but about perseverance, trust, and the certainty that true luxury lies in genuine achievement, no matter where the journey leads,” reports Elisa Weber-Behluli. “The Cayenne tells the stories of our journey through every terrain and every challenge. It is more than a vehicle, much more a companion, a friend who will not fail even at the ends of the Earth. We turn away from the Gobi as if it had a face we will never forget. Its waves of sand, its endless expanses, and its merciless harshness leave traces that are bigger than we are ourselves. An adventure that knows no comfort zone – and whose effects linger long after, far beyond the desert.”

Discover more Porsche Travel Experiences here.

An Electric DENZA Z9GT has embarked on an epic journey to follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo along the route of the Silk Road.

Starting from Rome, the Marco Polo Drive of Peace will take 43 days to reach Hong Kong travelling a distance of more than 9,300 miles, with the Denza Z9GT shooting brake leading the charge. The idea for the drive, some 750 years after Polo’s big adventure, comes from Patrick Zhong, Founding Managing Partner of M31 Capital, and Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development. Their mission is to “to promote sustainability, electric mobility and global connectivity” along the way.

Patrick Zhong explains: "When we travel today, from Rome to Hong Kong, we take a flight, watch a movie, have a good meal and sleep a little bit, and then land. But when Marco Polo travelled, you had to do this step by step. Being on the road allows to you experience the majestic splendour of the world in slow motion. You appreciate the multi-dimensional nature of this place, experience the world for real. We're very lucky to be able to do that on this trip – truly a journey of peace, culture and sustainable development."

During the journey Sachs will also host a series of online lectures as the route passes through Croatia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and China before reaching its final destination in Hong Kong.

The historic Kop Hill Climb tops out a day’s drive in the Chilterns.

Since as far back as 1910 the Chilterns have echoed with the roar of internal combustion.

It was motorcyclists who first came to Kop Hill to test their machines against the steep incline, but soon the Kop Hill Climb would become a major fixture in British motorsport.

In its heyday the likes of Malcolm Campbell in Bluebird, Henry Seagrave in his Sunbeam and Raymond Mays behind the wheel of a Bugatti would thrill the crowds. Count Zborowski took his aero-engined Ballot up the 900-yard course in a scant 26.7 seconds, while Freddie Dixon rode his Douglas motorcycle to a record, averaging 81 mph from a standing start.

In 1925, however, the engines stopped when a spectator was injured and Kop Hill would host no more competitive events. In 2009, the event returned as a festival of motoring with historic vehicles once again taking to the course in demonstration runs.

Except for the annual festival on a September weekend, Kop Hill is a public road. Just outside the market town of Princes Risborough, off New Road, it’s marked by a small signpost that’s battling against early summer growth escaping from the neighbouring field.

Unlike other hillclimb venues, Kop Hill is short on hardcore corners, with the first few hundred metres almost dead straight. The biggest challenge is one of visibility as the road heads into the woods, bright sunlight giving way to near darkness as you enter the tree tunnel. Intermittent patches of dappled light can make it hard to spot the occasional pothole, or any on-coming traffic (much of which will be pedal powered, as the hill forms part of the official Chilterns Cycleway).

Peering out across the long, louvred bonnet of a Morgan Plus Four I can almost picture the heroes of yesteryear powering up the hill.

The initial part of the climb is a steady 1 in 6, reaching a plateau before the only significant right-hand bend. Then the gradient steepens to 1 in 4, topping out at a blind crest and the final run to the junction with Peters Lane. During the festival weekends soap box racers start their gravity-powered runs at the top, free-wheeling all the way back to New Lane.

At road legal speeds it takes not much more than a minute to cover the course in either direction, but fortunately the winding roads through the Chilterns to get here are even more enjoyable.

Highlights include Park and Rignall Roads from Great Missenden to the east, while to the southwest is the A40 and the dramatic drop and sweeping corners of Aston Hill. Join the A4010 Wycombe Road north and it will take you right to the foot of Kop Hill. If you’re coming from Tring on the B4009 it’s worth a short detour on foot to climb Coombe Hill for one of the best views of the Chilterns.

No matter your route to get there, a climb up Kop Hill will certainly top a great driving day in the Chilterns.

Words Nik Berg‍ ‍Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Historic Hill Climb

NAME: Kop Hill

ROUTE: New Lane to peters Lane

COUNTRY: ENGLAND

Distance: 0.7 Miles

Bentley’s historic factory in Crewe now has a visitor centre that welcomes everyone.

Previously the British luxury car maker only let its wealthy customers into its hallowed ground, but the new centre features a front-of-house area where anyone can pop by and sit in a modern Bentley. Those wishing to discover more about the storied company’s past, present and future can also book a tour that takes in an immersive digital journey starting in 1919 when Bentley began.

Selected cars from the firm’s heritage collection are on rotating display, as well as the entire current line-up, including limited edition coachbuilt cars by Mulliner.

“Opening our doors to a wider audience marks an exciting new chapter for Bentley,” explains Wayne Bruce, Director of Visitor Experience and Heritage. “CW1 House and Lineage have been created to offer a truly immersive experience of our brand, from our rich heritage to our vision for the future. We are delighted to now welcome members of the public to Crewe, giving them the opportunity to explore our world of craftsmanship, innovation and luxury first-hand.”           

The hour-long tour costs £20 per person and will take place on selected weekdays with full details to be found at https://www.bentleymotors.com/uk/en/about-bentley/factory-tours.html

It hasn’t escaped Detour’s notice that there’s a fairly major sporting event taking place in the USA, Canada and Mexico, and it got us thinking…

What if there was a World Cup of Road Trips, where each country’s best driving roads were pitted against each other to determine the greatest on the planet?

On this site you’ll find over 350 road trips in more than 70 countries to choose from, so we’ve dug into the archive and created our own unique tournament, to highlight the best Detours in each nation. Read on to see who hoists the glorious gold trophy.

Group A

Mexico plays Highway 40D from Durango to Mazatlán. With 115 bridges and 61 tunnels on its 159 mile route through the mountains, it’s one of the most incredible feats of engineering in the Americas.

South Africa has a strong squad with a dozen routes on Detour, but is fielding the short Chapman’s Peak Drive for its combination of astonishing ocean views and coastal curves.

South Korea is hoping to get the crowds crooning with its Singing Road, which plays Mary Had a Little Lamb via your tyres as you drive along at 100 km/h.

Czech Republic is opting for speed by selecting its D3 motorway from Prague to Linz, which has a limit of 150 km/h, making it one of the fastest roads in Europe.

Winner: South Africa. A close call with Mexico, but Chapman’s Peak drive is more thrilling from behind the wheel.

Group B

Canada is playing it cool with the Dempster Highway, high up in the Arctic where temperatures plummet to 50 below and Ice Road Truckers are usually the only ones brave enough to make the journey in winter.

The passes of Switzerland are world famous and it’s hard to single one out from the dozen amazing alpine drives we’ve got on the site. However, if forced to field just one, it would be the Bernina Pass for its year-round opening, majestic mountain views and challenging curves.

Winner: Switzerland. A striking but straight highway or a scintillating series of switchbacks, it’s an easy win for the Swiss.

Group C

Brazil’s Costa Verde route throws in captivating views of sea and sand and the option of heading deep into the jungle.

Morocco could field drives in the Sahara desert or high in the Atlas Mountains, but it’s the dramatic Dades Gorge and its telegenic twists and turns that get sent out to face the opposition.

Scotland is also spoiled for choice. The North Coast 500 would be an obvious contender, but it’s the Snow Roads that get selected. Whether in winter or summer these routes through the Cairgorms are stunning.

Winner: Morocco. Scotland will always feature on Detour’s favourite drives, but head-to-head with the Dades Gorge makes the Scots the underdogs, ahead of Brazil.

Group D

The USA has a plethora of bucket-list drives from sea to shining sea, but this year Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary so the host nation simply has to pin its hopes on The Mother Road.

Australia’s options vary from incredible ocean drives to deserted Outback bashes. The Stuart Highway which runs through the very heart of the country from Adelaide to Darwin over more than 1,600 miles is a strong contender for the Roadaroos.

Turkey is playing a dangerous game by putting the Derabasi Turns on the pitch. Climbing over 1,000 feet in just three miles this dirt road features 13 switchbacks and perilous drops.

Winner: Turkey. The home nation is in a tough group here and really nobody is a loser, however the heart-in-mouth moments on the Derabasi Turns make it top of the group.

Group E

Germany gets lucky as the only country in its group to have routes on Detour. However, that doesn’t mean picking one to play is easy. Obvious options include the Nürburgring (a toll road) or a flat-out autobahn, but we’re sentimental so it’s the Romantic Road that gets Germany through the Group Stage.

Winner: Germany. An easy pass through the group stage through lack of competition on Detour. We’ll have to fix that before the next tournament.

Group F

The Netherlands is fielding the most colourful road trip in Europe - the Tulip Route. Will it be bloom or bust?

Japan’s Touge roads are legendary thanks to the outlaw drift racers who slid their way through the mountains. For some, driving the Irohazaka Winding Road is an almost religious experience.

Sweden could play the Santa card with a Lapland drive, but instead it’s a darker Scandinavian Noir route over the infamous Bridge to Denmark that aims to scre the opposition.

Winner: Japan. A colourful play by the Netherlands and a sombre mood from Sweden can’t knock Japan from the top spot.

Group G

Belgium banks on its neighbour for its entry with the brilliant drive from the Nürburgring to Spa-Francorchamps. It’s well worth taking the longer way between these two iconic race tracks.

New Zealand is a remarkable country and it’s the Remarkables Road on the South Island that gets pitched here.

Winner: Belgium. For motorsports fans a drive between two of Europe’s most famous race tracks on a twisty road is a shoe-in.

Group H

Spain is always a front-runner in the World Cup and Detour’s title fight is no different. We’ve got a host of different roads that could have mad the cut, from the Road of a Thousand Bends to playing Fast and Furious in the Canary Islands. It’s the Llosa del Cavall in Catalunya, where a single stretch of road is light a greatest hits album.

Saudi Arabia may well be in the record books for having the world’s longest, straightest road, but it’s still a long shot for the cup.

Uruguay’s Atlantic coast road reveals beautiful beaches, great golf courses and fine wine. An unexpected play.

Winner: Spain. A good effort from the competitors, but we’ve not found a road quite like the Llosa del Cavall anywhere else on the planet. Bucket list stuff.

Group I

France is another team with a massive pool to pull from. Amazing alpine passes, curvaceous coast roads, tree-lined avenues, race tracks past and present, all compete to represent the nation. A tough choice, but the simply super road to Superbagnères is Detour’s pick.

Don’t underestimate Norway. Whether it’s the road to Hell or a drive to Nordkapp this Nordic nation offers endless driving adventures. The Atlantic Ocean Road is a prime example. Featured in a Bond movie, this amazing route includes eight bridges that span a series of small islands, some so low that you feel you’re skimming the sea, while others are a roller coaster ride into the sky and down again.

Winner: Norway. France put up a fight, but you can’t beat a Bond location, especially one as beautiful as the Atlantic Ocean Road.

Group J

Argentina isn’t just handy with a ball, the country is world famous for motorsport, and with roads like the Uspallata Pass high up in the Andes it’s no surprise that Argentina turns out some very tasty drivers.

Austria is an alpine driver’s dream come true. There are too many amazing mountain roads to list, but the Grossglockner High Alpine Pass is going to be hard to beat.

Jordan’s Kings Highway has existed for millennia – you’ll even find this desert drive referenced in the Bible. Is making history in this world cup a possibility?

Winner: Austria. The Grossglockner was built just for drivers and it shows.

Group K

Portugal kicks off with a scientific study that says its N222 is the best road in the world. But driving is about emotion as much as physics, so will it be enough?

A drive from Colombia’s capital to its Caribbean coast offers a diverse mix of lush rainforest and craggy Andean peaks. Variety is the spice of life.

Winner: Portugal. A close call, with Colombia offering the road less-travelled, but we do like a challenging road and the algorithm reckons the N22 is just that.

Group L

England is Detour’s home nation, so forgive us if we throw our support behind the Lions’ drives. We’ve got many, many English road trips on Detour and it’s tough to pick a favourite, but things don’t get much more quintessentially English than Driving the Picture Perfect Wye Valley in a Morgan.

Croatia’s Adriatic Highway is a seashore drive to savour as it hugs the coast from Rijeka to Dubrovnik. A decent qualifier for sure.

Panama’s place on the Pan-American Highway also puts Central America into the competition. Calling it a highway is optimistic as it can be narrow, twisty and treacherous in places.

Winner: England. Home team bias wins out, but that certainly doesn’t make the other two losers.

THE FINAL

Detour’s rules of the tournament are less complex than FIFA’s so we’re just pitting the winners of each group against each other in one massive kickabout – or driveabout to be more accurate. Although we drive with our hearts, it’s Germany’s Romantic Road that is the first to fall. It’s a lovely route, but not such a dynamic drive. Portugal may have science on its side but while the N222 offers plenty of twists and turns it’s not so scenic. Belgium drops out for the same reason, for a truly great drive one needs a beauty and bends. South Africa’s Chapman’s Peak score on both but is quickly dispatched, and so too is Morocco’s Dades Gorge and Japan’s Irohazaka Winding Road, and even Turkey’s treacherous Derabasi Turns. England narrowly misses out on a medal, simply because the final three are so strong. Taking the bronze medal is Spain, the Llosa del Cavall is amazing for just how much variety it squeezes in. Silver goes to Norway’s Atlantic Ocean road, which is just breathtaking (and Bond-famous). Lifting the World Cup is Austria thanks to the absolute icon that is the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, tunnels, twists, mountain views and a toll that keeps traffic levels low, make it a deserved winner.

A massive engineering project to build four undersea road tunnels linking the Shetlands has been proposed to boost the Scottish islands’ population and economy.

Under the proposal Yell, Whalsay, Unst and Bressay would all be joined to the main Shetland island by tunnels buried under the seabed. The idea echoes a scheme that revitalised the Faroe Islands.

According to a report by BBC News the cost of the tunnels would top one billion pounds, but, in the long run, it would be cheaper than refreshing and maintaining the ferry fleet currently employed.

To join Yell to Shetland would require a 4.2 mile tunnel dug 50 metre below the seabed and would cost £352 million, plus a further £90 million to maintain it over the following 60 years. A ferry, meanwhile, would weigh in at £548 million as a minimum. The Whalsay tunnel would be £427.5 million, plus £95.5 million for maintenance, which would be just over half the price of ferries. To build the Unst link is estimated at £375 million and the Bressay tunnel £268 million.

“Emma Macdonald, the Shetland council leader, told the BBC: “When islands have fixed links like causeways, bridges and tunnels, they experience repopulation, economic growth and a reduction in average age. Doing nothing is not an option in Shetland. We have islands depending on old, unreliable, carbon-heavy ferries, which are depopulating and continually at risk of ferry breakdowns.”

Shetlands councillors are expected to make their decision at a meeting at the end of June.

Tracking the Queensland coast for over 1,000 miles from Brisbane to Cairns is the Bruce Highway. There’s little danger of getting lost, but it’s not always plain sailing.

We were already well north of Townsville when I began to worry. The fuel warning light of our rented motorhome had just flicked on and there were no signs of civilisation.

I was mentally kicking myself for not stopping to fill up at the last servo (as the locals call it), which was now at least 20 miles in the rear-view mirror. We had two choices; press on in the hope of finding fuel ahead or track back. Either way it would be touch and go.

It was a rookie error, made worse by the fact that it wasn’t just me who was at risk but the whole family. The only consolation was that it was so noisy in the back that young Max and Oscar couldn’t hear the swearing up front.

Since leaving Brisbane it was a problem I hadn’t even contemplated. While not exactly densely populated, the Sunshine Coast is well-geared up for travellers and we passed plenty of big-name fuel stations as we headed north.

We’d stocked up on food and water for our five-day drive, and initially our biggest concern was the aftermath of a typhoon which had done considerable damage to buildings and hurled palm trees across the highway.

As the A1 Bruce Highway cut inland towards Gympie the lush green bush seemed even more vivid after the storm, and we made steady and uneventful progress to our first overnight halt. A small township pub near Marlborough was happy for us to stay in its car park as long as we tucked into their grub. We also managed a few games of pool before retiring for the night, to the sounds of the local fauna.

The next morning, we paralleled the coast once more, running alongside old railway tracks, the ocean just tantalisingly out of view to our right. At Townsville, though, we’d get a proper taste of it, taking a boat tour out to the barrier reef for snorkelling and a desert island visit.

All in all, it was proving to be an amazing family adventure. Until it almost went wrong. On the next leg of the Bruce Highway there are few fewer places to refuel and refresh. 60 miles or more might separate the two closest servos. So, after a quick look at a map which we’d barely needed to refer to until this point, we pulled a U-turn and made it back to the pumps on fumes.

Cairns came as a relief, a bustling city, with no shortage of amenities and family activities. Any lingering anxiety was washed away in the warm ocean, and the kids had barely noticed the unplanned detour anyway.

We made plenty of memories on this trip, but that one moment I’d rather forget.

If you’re planning on following the Bruce Highway don’t make the same mistake I did and keep your tank topped up.

Words Nik Berg‍ ‍Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: OCEAN DRIVE

NAME: BRUCE HIGHWAY

ROUTE: Brisbane to CAIRNS

COUNTRY: AUSTRALIA

Distance: 1,060 Miles

Ineos, maker of the rugged Grenadier 4×4, has partnered with navigation platform onX Offroad to release a new trail route for every state in the USA this summer.

Already well underway, the campaign will see a trail a day added until 4 July. It’s a topical time for some British-American collaboration as this year marks the 250th anniversary of the declaration of American Independence.

The onX Offroad app already includes 615,000 miles of unpaved roads and more than half a million points of interest across the USA, and Grenadier owners will be granted 50 days of Elite membership.

“The Grenadier was born from the belief that adventurers need real capability,” says George Ratcliffe, President of the Americas for INEOS Automotive. “It’s a modern successor to the legendary 4X4s of the past – built for those who live, work, and explore off-road, engineered with durability, longevity, and exploration in mind. With 50 States, 50 Trails, we’re inviting people to get out and experience the incredible diversity of the American landscape, supported by a vehicle proven through rigorous off-road testing.”

Off-road enthusiasts who don’t own a Grenadier can take advantage of a 50 per cent offer on onX Offroad’s Premier and Elite packages.

The Isle of Man may be synonymous with the TT, but coastal roads, open moorland and empty tarmac tell a wider story.

Starting at Port St Mary in the island’s south, a sleepy fishing village where masts bob gently in the harbour, this route begins with a climb over Meayll Hill past an abandoned WWII radar station and Cregneash, its cluster of traditional croft cottages untouched by time. Below lies The Sound, the rushing channel separating the island from the Calf of Man, but the islet broods beneath a stubborn cloud, refusing to reveal itself properly.

Looping back uphill, the horseshoe bay at Port Erin is framed by tall grassy headlands, before the road turns inland to the Sloc Road. The tarmac winds and climbs steadily through open moorland as the rearview mirror fills with an expansive, misty sweep of the southeast coast stretching towards Douglas. Somewhere out of sight, the whistle of the steam railway drifts across the hills.

Descending towards Niarbyl through pine forests and moorland, the road narrows and loses its centre line. A long, deep blue stretch of the west coast is visible beside the gently undulating asphalt. Heading inland, a sharp switchback swings around picturesque Glen Maye, tucked into the folds of a valley.

Peel arrives in pastel shades and narrow streets before the marina opens out beneath Peel Castle, sprawling across St Patrick’s Isle just offshore. The route follows the coast northeast towards Kirk Michael, sparkling sea on one side, low sandy cliffs ahead and another pleasing switchback. The mountainous interior recedes, replaced by the patchwork fields of the northern plains.

The TT begins to make its presence felt here. Orange course signage appears intermittently, and every bend invites thoughts of superbikes attacking the same corners at impossible speed.

The route towards The Ayres has an almost East Anglian feel: open fields, scattered cottages, distant rolling hills and occasional flashes of sea. At Bride, a detour heads to the island’s northern tip where the red-and-white Point of Ayre lighthouse stands above dunes, shingle beaches and nesting grounds for migratory birds.

Turning south, Snaefell, the island’s highest peak, dominates the skyline inland above Ramsey, and before long the road follows the long sandy beach past the town’s elegant seafront buildings.

A meander onto the Maughold Road passes whitewashed cottages and a stone church clustered around a sharp bend in the eponymous village, surrounded by neatly divided fields high above the shoreline.

Back on the main road, the Manx Electric Railway runs alongside, tram tracks and tarmac tracing the coastline in parallel towards Laxey. Broad switchbacks lead to Baldrine, while King Edward Road crosses the high stone arches of Groudle Glen Viaduct. Moments later, a wide sweep around the headland brings Douglas into view: the promenade stretches ahead beneath Victorian seafront buildings, the ferry moored across the bay as the water to the left merges into the horizon.

The Old Castletown Road follows the coast through grassy hills, with more fleeting sea views, before the route glides past the airport into Castletown and beneath the walls of Castle Rushen, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval fortresses. Minutes later, the rocky shoreline returns on the approach to Port St Mary.

The Isle of Man feels like a nation of country roads: coastal drives, mountain routes, forests, plains and fishing villages all compressed into one small island. Traffic is scarce. Congestion, if it exists, seems confined to Douglas.

But the island’s appeal isn’t speed. It’s freedom: empty, pothole-free roads, no speed cameras in sight, and the rare pleasure of simply driving without constantly watching the dial.

Words & Photography Indi Bains

ROADBOOK

CLASS: ISLAND LIFE

NAME: Alternative ISLE OF MAN

ROUTE: Port St Mary to Port St Mary

COUNTRY: ISLE OF MAN

Distance: 76 Miles

The Rainbow Bridge linking Port Arthur and Bridge City in southeast Texas is set to scare motorists again after being closed for a year for vital repair work.

From certain angles it looks like the crossing over the Neches River is an almost vertical climb and, since 1938 when it first opened, it has set hearts racing as drivers approach its 680 ft long span. In 1997 the bridge, which clears the river by 177 feet, was made one-way westboard, which has helped to alleviate anxiety, but last year, to add to drivers’ fears the Rainbow Bridge was deemed unsafe.

Among more than $10 million of repairs, the whole length of the concrete deck has now been replaced, along with 1200 rivets, so it is ready to take around 30,000 cars and trucks that brave it every day.

In Taylor' Sheridan’s Yellowstone the Dutton clan are forever driving their pickups (or a Bentley in Beth’s case) across the breathtaking Montana landscape. here’s how to follow them.

Yellowstone – and all its spinoff shows – must have done wonders for Montana tourism. The Big Sky state never looks anything other than beautiful, even when the storyline is at its most brutal.

This road trip through the show’s locations starts (spoiler alert) where John Dutton’s story ends: in the State Capitol of Helena. Here you’ll find the Governor’s Office which dates back to 1896, just over a decade after the Dutton family first arrived in Montana. Taking US 12 westwards is a gentle warm-up to what the state has in store, as flat pastureland gives way to gradually more mountainous terrain.

At Garrison you pick up the I-90. There was a time when Montana had no daytime speed limit, but drive at the posted 80mph and you’ll reach Missoula in less than two hours. Here you’ll find the Community Medical Center, which doubled for Bozeman General Hospital, along with the settings for Ruby’s Cafe on Regent Street, the real life Gray Wolf Casino (season five) , and the Missoula County Court House which was used for Summer’s trial in the season four finale. Missoula Montana airport also featured.

Take 93 south through vast open plains to Hamilton where you’ll find the location of the Montana Livestock Commission office, and then rejoin the 93 which will lead you to Darby and Dutton Ranch. Actually it’s really called the Chief Joseph Ranch and has been a Montana landmark since 1883. There are cabins to rent if you want to sleep where the Duttons did.

The road continues through the Bitterroot Mountains where many a spectacular scene was shot. Talking of shooting, the infamous Train Station, where the Duttons would dispose of troublemakers, is actually based on a real area called The Zone of Death. This 50 square mile part of Yellowstone Park includes parts of Freemont County, Idaho, and Gallatin and Park Counties in Montana. With a conflict between state and judicial district boundaries, it’s not possible to assemble a jury from residents of the same county and jurisdiction if a crime took place here, which is how the Duttons got away with murder.

The ride to the real train station location is long, taking MT 43 through a truly sparse landscape, then northwards on the 569 to Anaconda. Join the I-90 all the way to Belgrade and you can detour to explore the Zone of Death or head into Bozeman, where the Y-branded Dutton Ranch cowboys would head to let off steam. You’ll see Main Street in many scenes, although interiors were mostly shot elsewhere.

John Dutton’s reign over Yellowstone may have ended, but with shows such as Marshals, Dutton Ranch and the upcoming Yellowstone 1944 continuing the legacy there’ll be more locations and more reasons to visit Montana for many years to come.

Words Nik Berg‍ ‍Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: TV tour

NAME: DRIVE LIKE A DUTTON

ROUTE: Missoula to Bozeman

COUNTRY: USA

Distance: 430 Miles

The Isle of Man’s reputation may rest on two wheels, but tucked away on the former RAF Jurby airfield is one of the British Isles’ most eclectic motoring collections.

The Isle of Man Motor Museum houses more than 500 vehicles spanning over a century of motoring history, from TT-winning motorcycles and steam cars to military vehicles, buses, fire engines and even spacecraft – with plenty of Americana thrown in for good measure. The vast, pristine showroom in the island’s north feels more like an aircraft hangar – apt for its setting.

At its core is the Cunningham Collection, assembled by father and son Denis and Darren Cunningham. It began with a simple passion, as Darren explains: “Dad and I love cars and anything unusual that has an engine in it”. The collection grew steadily from the 1980s before expanding rapidly after 2003. “It got to the point where we needed to find somewhere to put all of the vehicles under one roof,” he says. The museum opened in 2015.

The sheer variety is striking. One moment you are admiring the Peel P50 – the world’s smallest production car, built on the island in the 1960s – and the next you are standing beside the Royal Humber Super Snipe used by the late queen and Prince Philip during their 1953–54 Commonwealth tour, before suddenly coming across the Almaz-206 Soviet space capsule.

Some exhibits are personal. “It was the first car I rode in,” Darren says of the Jaguar XJ12 Coupé, which later became the museum’s first exhibit after restoration.

On the mezzanine level, a wall of historic TT signage overlooks more than 300 motorcycles, including Joey Dunlop’s Honda CBR600, ridden by the 26-time TT winner.

Allow at least half a day to explore. If time permits, The Old Guardhouse Café next door serves homemade food in the airfield’s original WWII-era guardhouse.

Words & Photography Indi Bains

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Museum

NAME: Isle of Man Motor Museum

ROUTE: Jurby, Isle of Man IM7 3BZ

COUNTRY: UK

Two of the greatest race tracks in Europe are less than two hours apart if you take the most direct route. There’s a longer way, however…

This being Detour, it’s the only option I consider when plotting my drive between the Nürburgring in Germany and Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps. But first there’s the small matter of collecting a car for this racy road trip, and it’s at Frankfurt airport, around 100 miles to the east of the ‘Ring.

And what a car it is. A 2026 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. With a 6.2-litre mid-engined V8 developing almost 500bhp, America’s sports car is finally ready to mount a serious challenge to Europe’s supercar elite. It’s even available in the UK, in right-hand drive, but this car is configured for the Continent.

Ultimately, my destination is the WEC 6 hours of Spa-Francorchamps where I’ll watch the LMGT3 Corvettes and their Cadillac Hypercar GM stablemates compete against the European establishment, but for now the focus is to get there by 6.30 pm to obtain my accreditation.

I’m in the car by 1pm so there should be plenty of time, but the Friday afternoon traffic around the airport has other ideas and I crawl along for almost an hour. The ‘Vette is less bothered than I am, with its eight-speed dual clutch transmission left in automatic, it seems content enough to trundle along with its engine barely above idle.

Eventually, I am through the worst and heading north on the A3. German autobahns have a reputation for their lack of speed limits, but the reality is that the majority of the network is restricted. Variable limits are used to manage the traffic flow, there are plenty of roadworks, and so for a while I’m see-sawing between 100 and 130 km/h with everyone else. Then, at last, there’s a gap in the traffic that coincides with an unrestricted section and I floor it. The Stingray surges forwards, numbers on the head up display rising rapidly.

I’m looking far ahead, intensely watching the closing speeds of the cars ahead in case one should pull into my lane. For a brief moment the speedometer reads 260 km/h – that’s a tad over 160 mph, before I have to hit the brakes. Sustaining such a high speed would definitely put me back on target, but the reality is that it’s impossible.

Nonetheless, the miles fly by and soon I’m joining the A48 west. At Kaisersesch I take the exit in search of something more scenic and I certainly find it on the L98 to Cochem.  Passing first through farmland, then forest it’s a lovely road that becomes increasingly curvaceous, before dropping down to the banks of the Mosel river, at the postcard-pretty town. River boats cruise the water and multi-coloured houses front its banks, while the whole lot is overlooked by its dramatic castle. Definitely worth the detour.

Leaving Cochem requires a hairpin-heavy climb, the Corvette powering out of each bend with just a little shimmy from the rear end before the traction control intervenes. It’s not a small car, but it’s extremely agile, with pointy steering and plenty of feel. Even in sport mode it’s quite supple, too. This is not the American muscle car of old.

I join the B259 which wiggles back to the A48 at Ulmen. A quick sprint down the autobahn and I’m off again on the B257 to Vulkaneifel, the road cutting through deep forest in this landscape, formed, as the name suggests by ancient volcanic activity.

The L46 to Kelberg and the B257 takes me the final stretch to the Nürburgring. It’s a public day on the circuit, and all manner of fast cars are joining the queue for tickets to a lap, but I only have time for a quick photo if I’m to take the most enjoyable route to Spa.

The B258 leads to the Belgian border and, if like me, you don’t manage to lap the ‘Ring, it’s the next best thing. It’s a brilliant road with even more bends than the Nordschleife’s legendary 157 corners. True, there are speed limits (rigidly enforced by cameras in the towns along the way) but locals certainly drive it with gusto.

Approaching the Belgian border the road suddenly straightens beyond Schöneseiffen, becoming a tree-lined avenue through a valley of wind turbines, before bringing back the bends as it crosses into Belgium. The route to Spa is in parts densely forested, in others desolated empty as I follow the N649, N647, N676, N68, following signposts for Malmedy, Hockai, checking my watch on the final stretch to the circuit.

I arrive in the nick of time as the circuit office readies to close. Of course, the more direct route would have been much faster, but with a car like the Corvette at your disposal would you have done anything different?

Words Nik Berg‍ ‍Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Circuit tour

NAME: Nürburgring to SPa-Francorchamps

ROUTE: FrankFurt to The Nürburgring to SPa-Francorchamps

COUNTRY: Germany / Belgium

Distance: 200 Miles

People have crossed the sand between the tides for centuries, and now Porsche has electrified the experience by driving a Macan over Morecambe Bay.

The near-ten-mile route that links Arnside to Grange-over-Sands in Lancashire is a public right of way, but these days few brave the crossing. Fewer still in electric cars, where salt water and high voltage aren’t exactly an ideal combination.

In preparation, the Porsche team wisely consulted the King’s Guide to the Sands, Michael Wilson. It’s a role that dates back to 1548 and Wilson’s job is to read the sands and pick the safest route across.

“People have always crossed at low tide,” Wilson explained. “It used to cut as much as three days off their journeys, and there was a scheduled stagecoach service before the railway was built. Today, the official right of way is not defined to one particular route. The Monk’s Road, as it’s called, is actually the whole bay – wherever the Guide deems safe.”

“It can be very dangerous out there if you don’t know what you’re doing,” he added. “There have been tragedies on the sands all through recorded history, and they sadly still happen when people venture out on their own.”

Under Wilson’s guidance the Macan set out. “As the journey continues, the sense of scale grows,” reports Porsche. “The shoreline fades and the fells become more distant. It almost starts to feel more like a desert than the seabed. The Macan remains quiet, allowing the sounds of the wind, water and birdlife to come through. Timing remains critical. Areas that are dry will soon be submerged. In order to stop before an impassable bed of sinking sand and to avoid disturbing the wildlife, Wilson sticks to the plan and retraces our wheel tracks before the incoming tide erases them.”

If you fancy taking a trip across the bay yourself then a guided walk is the safest option, but we’ve got also plenty of other choices if you want to go for a beach drive.