Ben Barry journeys from relaxing Playa de Mogán to the spectacular Mirador del Balcón in Gran Canaria – retracing a World Rally Championship route along the way.

When the World Rally Championship made its first ever visit to Gran Canaria in 2025, it showed car fans that the Canary Islands didn’t just boast spectacular volcanoes and golden beaches – they also offer some truly exceptional driving roads.

Ahead of the WRC’s return from 23–26 April 2026, Detour set out to explore the GC-200 route used on the opening day of the rally, only in something a little less spicy and a lot more practical than a full-bore rally car – a VW T-Cross rental.

Located off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa, Gran Canaria is the third-largest of the Canary Islands and – with around 900,000 inhabitants – the second most populous island in the Spanish archipelago.

I land at Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria on the eastern coast and set out south along the GC-1 – a smoothly surfaced stretch of three-lane autoroute that loosely traces the shoreline. It leads first past industrial and commercial zones, then into more desolate expanses further south. It is not particularly appealing, but beyond the southern tip at Maspalomas, the landscape begins to close in around the GC-1. Soon I’m running through long tunnels that cut into the mountainsides, periodically re-emerging into piercing sunlight, before I drop down to the welcome sight of my accommodation at La Playa de Mogán. A fishing village with a crescent-shaped white sand beach, small harbour and calm water, it’s an easy place to switch off and recharge.

I do just that for a few days, before the pull of those rally roads takes over. I point the VW north, first inland towards the delicious-sounding Pie de la Cuesta, then onto the GC-200, which sweeps up into the mountains like a ribbon in the wind – the very road that, once closed to public traffic, rounded out day one of Rally Islas Canarias last year as drivers raced from La Aldea to Mogán.

My pace today is rather more measured, but that’s no bad thing given the stunning scenery. I climb into the craggy interior, the white walls and terracotta roofs of Veneguera dropping away below, while the jagged peaks of the Inagua massif rise above, their layered rock strata giving the entire vista the feel of a digital image that hasn’t quite downloaded.

Soon the iconic coloured cliffs of Los Azulejos fill my windscreen, where the western face of the massif is streaked with vivid turquoise – the result of a dramatic chemical reaction between lava and water.

The terrain becomes more varied now, richer green vegetation scattered across the otherwise monochromatic palette of ochres and greys. It’s cooler at this altitude too, with clouds periodically rolling through to knock the edge of the heat.

The road is sublime with its smooth surface, good sight lines and curves that wrap invitingly around the mountainside. Tempting as it is to channel a little WRC spirit, the T-Cross’s modest 1.0-litre turbo quickly curbs my enthusiasm, as do the bright warning signs suggesting helicopters – and perhaps even drones – may be monitoring speed.

After a long climb that takes me beyond the rally stage, I descend towards Molino de Viento – literally ‘windmill’ – an apt name given the buffeting crosswinds as I cross the GC-2 near sea level at Las Marciegas.

Blimey it feels stark here – small patches of farmland cling to barren soil, palms bend forlornly in the breeze – but the road soon coils into the Carrizo mountains in an immaculately surfaced three-lane stretch that allows me to slip past a slow-moving lorry.

Before long I rejoin the GC-200, heading into Tamadaba Natural Park. Narrower now, the road threads more precariously between wooden barriers and volcanic rock faces coloured purple and grey like old bruises, and climbs steadily towards Mirador del Balcón – a concrete viewing platform that extends over the cliff edge and is bordered by nothing more than glass.

I park and walk down to the viewpoint, my knees wobbling slightly as I peer over the glazed boundary feeling freakishly exposed. To my left, a chain of peaks descends towards the ocean, aptly named the Dragon’s Tail. Ahead lies the vast Atlantic, stretching endlessly beyond Gran Canaria’s western tip.

Breathtaking in daylight, Mirador del Balcón is also one of the island’s most remarkable places after dark. With virtually no light pollution, the night sky reveals an extraordinary canvas – not only can all the constellations of the Northern Hemisphere be seen from here, but almost 80% of those in the Southern Hemisphere too. On clear nights between January and June, even the Southern Cross can be glimpsed low on the horizon.

It’s a fitting end to a drive that proves Gran Canaria is far more than a sun-soaked escape. For those willing to venture inland and explore the island’s more remote western flank, it offers some of the most scenic driving routes imaginable.

Words & Photography Ben Barry Twitter/X | Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: RALLY STAGE

NAME: GrAn Canaria’s GC-200

ROUTE: Playa de Mogán to Mirador del Balcón

COUNTRY: Spain

Distance: 26 Miles

Researchers in China have discovered that the smell of peppermint in your car can potentially improve your driving.

The study, titled Cognitive activation and emotional regulation effects of olfactory intervention in the context of advanced driver assistance systems, tested a number of different scents with a group of 34 drivers in simulations of urban driving. Their awareness was monitored under three different “odour conditions” which is actually much more pleasant than it sounds. The base line measurements were taken with just the normal smell of the car, and then two distinct scents were added: peppermint and bergamot.

The boffins in Chengdu discovered that peppermint had a positive impact on drivers’ reaction times, while bergamot proved to have a calming effect in the stressful cut and thrust of city driving. “Olfactory interventions exhibit significant context dependence across driving settings. In urban driving, characterized by high information density, bergamot more effectively suppressed low-frequency electroencephalography indices and reduced variability, whereas peppermint sometimes increased variability. In highway driving, which is monotony-prone, peppermint sustained vigilance and reduced attentional drift," reads the study.

We’ve previously reported on how in-car smells can enhance your road tripping experience and now it seems that if you pick the right peppermint pong you might driver better as well.

In the space of just a few minutes it’s possible to drive through Worcestershire, Shropshire and Herefordshire.

It’s a fun idea in itself to zip through three English counties in quick succession, but even more so from behind the wheel of a locally-built lightweight sports car.

Tucked away near the church in the village of Bayton is The Pembleton Motor Company, purveyors of a brand new throwback to the 1930s. The T24 is a tribute to the cyclecars of the time, but with today’s build quality and a smattering of its technology.

It’s powered by an 850 cc V-twin motorcycle engine, sourced from Moto Guzzi, which drives the front wheels via a reconditioned gearbox from a Citroën 2CV. There’s only about 80bhp up for grabs but since the Pembleton weighs less than 400kg it’s very lively indeed.

Then there’s the total exposure to the elements – which today include bright sunshine and hail showers – which only enhances the sensation of speed. It’s a tiny thing, with barely room for two (although with surprisingly ample space for luggage) and that means that even the narrowest lanes seem to open up for the T24.

The A443 from Great Witley is only single carriageway, but there’s plenty of room to play in the Pembleton. Sections that might invoke a sharp intake of breath in an SUV are a breeze. The little car is at its best bowling from bend to bend, maintaining momentum and keeping the farty V-twin engine on the boil. The brace of exhausts pop and bang on the over-run, but the sound isn’t forced, or overtly aggressive -  it’s just another way the T24 induces grins from driver and passers-by alike.

The big four-spoked steering wheel is constantly alive, feeding back every inch of road to your fingertips, while the suspension remains surprisingly supple

At Newnham Bridge the A443 turns into the A456 with more wiggles as it briefly leaves Worcestershire for Shropshire at Burford, which blurs into the old market town of Tenbury Wells. From here it’s the A4112 Oldwood Road to Leominster which is the most engaging part of the route

Passing through picture postcard villages like St Michaels and winding through forest and open farmland the views are ever-changing and the road continually commands attention as it heads towards Hereford (in county number three). That’s especially true in the Pembleton, where driving at the national speed limit of 60mph feels like it’s starting to reach the edge of the envelope of the car’s capability, if not quite licking the stamp and sending it. What I mean is that you feel like you’re really motoring along, where in a modern car the enveloping is all about isolating you from the bumps, the noise and even the smells of the road

With the constant activity I barely feel the cold (except when hail stones start to bombard my face), at least until the straighter run on the A49 to Hereford. Here the T24 settles into a not uncomfortable cruise, but for longer trips of this kind I think I’d need a Biggles-style flying hat and goggles.

It would, of course, suit the Pembleton aesthetic, adding to the feel of time travel that this lovely lightweight provides.

Words Nik Berg Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Country Road

NAME: THREE COUNTIES

ROUTE: Great Witley to Hereford

COUNTRY: England

Distance: 30 Miles

The rough and tumble Ineos Grenadier 4×4 is now available at a selection of Hertz locations across the USA.

The Grenadier, famously conceived in a pub of the same name, is a highly-capable off-roader in the mould of the original Land Rover Defender, but with added an added level of luxury. That’s especially true in the Fieldmaster trim specified by Hertz, which includes heated seats, safari windows and a swanky sound system. The BMW three-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine is gutsy enough to clear any obstacle, especially when mated to the Grenadier’s four-wheel drive system.

“At Hertz, we’re focused on offering the newest and most exciting vehicles in the industry and giving customers access to modern, high quality rental options,” says Adnan Manzur, Senior Vice President, North America Customer Operations at Hertz. “With the addition of the Ineos Grenadier, we’re continuing to broaden customer choice and reflect travellers’ evolving preferences for unique, premium driving experiences that make the journey just as memorable as the destination.”  

“Introducing the Grenadier to Hertz customers gives more drivers the opportunity to experience our vehicle’s capability and engineering firsthand. It also highlights the strong demand we’re seeing as our brand continues to grow its presence across North America,” adds Gregor Hembrough, EVP, INEOS Automotive Americas.

The Grenadier is available at selected airport rental locations as part of the Hertz Dream Cars collection, which also includes cars from Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati and Rolls Royce.

It may not be quite as death-defying as the Grand Tour made it look, but a drive up the Skeleton Coast is definitely life-affirming.

In one of the most hair-raising scenes of their Namibia Special Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May almost drowned in their beach buggies as they were caught between impenetrable sand dunes and the fast-rising tide. In typical Grand Tour style the trio took the most treacherous route as they headed up the Skeleton Coast, but this extraordinary drive betwixt sea and sand really isn’t that dangerous, despite the name.

It was author John Henry Marsh who first came up with the moniker for his novel based on the beaching of the ocean liner Dunedin Star, and the rescue effort that followed. This stretch of coastline has certainly seen its share of shipwrecks, caused in no small part by the dense fog that often hangs were land and sea meet.

The journey begins in Swakopmund, a town seemingly parachuted into position, not just from another continent, but from another time. Namibia was a German colony and it was here that the colonists made themselves most at home. The architecture is an almost fairytale-like reproduction of pre-war Germany and a stark contrast to the surrounding desert landscape.

The C34 follows the coastline almost due north for over 200 miles. Initially paved, the surface soon gives way to gravel. It’s a well-travelled route and, unless you plan to take a detour to the water’s edge then you won’t need a 4x4 (or beach buggy).

It is staggeringly straight which can tax the concentration, especially as it’s easy to be distracted by the ruins of old infrastructure, and the endless ocean views (fog permitting). Life on the Skeleton Coast is surprisingly prosperous despite the harsh landscape. You can expect to find flamingos, springbok, jackals and hyenas along the way, with seals basking on the beaches.

At Mile 108 you can stop for fuel and provisions, then a couple of hours in you’ll reach Ugab Gate where you’ll need to obtain a transit permit to enter the Skeleton Coast National Park. It’s free, but the gate is open only between 7.30am and 3pm. Arrive later and you’ll be turned away.

Terrace Bay is the end of the road for the general public and you’ll have to obtain an overnight pass and an advance booking if you want to stay. To go any further the only option is an organised tour. So that just leaves the return journey and a second chance to enjoy the spectacular sights of the Skeleton Coast.

Words Nik BergInstagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Coast Road

NAME: Skeleton Coast Freeway

ROUTE: Swakopmund to terrace Bay

COUNTRY: Namibia

Distance: 220 Miles

Google Maps is getting its biggest upgrade in a decade thanks to Gemini Artificial Intelligence.

The most significant change is a new 3D view, called Immersive Navigation, with smart zoom and transparent buildings to give users a clearer picture of the route ahead. Voice instructions will be much clearer and more natural, replacing phrases like “in 200 metres take the next left,” with “turn left after Starbucks,” or “go past this turn and take the next one.”

There are more route planning options provided with the pros and cons for each listed. You’ll be informed if taking a longer route might have less traffic, for example, or if a shorter option requires a toll payment. There will also be a new “Ask Maps” feature where you can easily seek out the best pit stops on a road trip or look for a specific restaurant.

The update is available in the USA and India with other countries to follow.

The new Google Maps should make day-to-day navigation easier, but for extended road trips, we’d still recommend the MIVIA app, which not only provides turn-by-turn instruction on the exact roads you’ve planned, but also connects you to a community of fellow road trippers and offers a range of benefits and offers. You’ll also find a wide selection of our own Detour road trip routes to follow.

Germany’s highest panoramic road has views and bends to die for.

The best roads don’t just take you from A to B. In fact, the ones with no real destination at all are often the most enjoyable.

That’s certainly the case with the Rossfeldpanoramastrasse that criss-crosses the border between Germany and Austria. It’s not a road that’s vital for moving people and goods, it wasn’t built with the military in mind. It was designed from the outset just for drivers.

The idea was first floated in 1927, purely to promote motor tourism in the alpine valleys between Lake Constance and Königsee. Construction would begin in 1937, which would involve building no less than 14 bridges and putting up extensive retaining walls and drainage. World War II saw an abrupt halt to the proceedings, however, and it wasn’t until 1955 that the road was finally open to traffic.

Although the original plan was for it to be part of a longer Alpenstrasse route all the way to Oberau, 100 miles west, it stands alone as a just under nine-mile drive that you take just for the joy of it.

To be truly pedantic the Rossfeldpanoramastrasse does actually have a destination: Obersalzberg. However, if you were just trying to get there from Unterau you’d simply head south for about eight minutes on the B319 instead of taking what amounts to a massive, but very worthwhile, detour on the B999.

Rolling through mountain pastures, pretty chalets dotted hither and thither the road introduces itself gently with curves few and far between. It’s only when you get to the toll booth, pay your nine Euros and enter the forest that the fun really starts. Running almost parallel with the Austrian border as it climbs ever higher the Rossfeld starts throwing in switchbacks and steeper gradients. All the while the mountain views become more and more spectacular and you’ll definitely want to stop at one of the laybys for some alpine air and photographs.

Throughout its length the road remains wide and with clear sight lines – it very clearly was conceived with the driver in mind. For a brief moment you’ll find yourself over the border in Austria before sweeping back into Germany without even having to offer up your passport.

You’ll reach the road’s peak at 1,570m before beginning to descend again through tightening hairpins, before hitting the tree line again and being buried in towering forest.

If it all looks quite familiar that’s because the Rossfeldpanoramastrasse has featured in The Sound of Music and as the road to Brunwald Castle where Indy sets his father free in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

As the road is open year round you can join the 100,000 other driving crusaders who tick the Rossfeldpanoramastrasse off their bucket list annually.

Words Nik BergInstagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Mountain PasS

NAME: Rossfeldpanoramastrasse

ROUTE: Unterau to Obersalzberg

COUNTRY: Germany / Austria

Distance: 12 Miles

The Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena has just opened a special exhibition featuring famous rock star cars.

The Greatest Hits –Music Legends and their Ferraris is much more than just a static display, it’s a celebration of music and motors, with visitors donning headsets for a podcast-style guide to the exhibit, featuring music and fascinating stories of the link between Ferrari cars and chart-topping stars. Did you know, for example, that Cher once raced a 250 LM or that Pavarotti owned an F40? (how he fitted into it is another question).

“Ferrari and music share a common creative framework, based on a balance between technical discipline and expressive freedom,” says Ferrari. “In both fields, performance represents a central moment, whether on stage or behind the wheel. The exhibition reflects this parallel by presenting the automobile as a personal and cultural expression associated with artistic identity. The exhibition features artists who have selected Ferrari as a symbol, source of inspiration, or companion in their professional and personal journeys. The cars on display are presented as evidence of these individual relationships.”

Among the marvellous musical machines on show are Nick Mason’s 250 GTO, Herbert von Karajan’s 250 GT Lusso, the one-off SP12 commissioned by Eric Clapton, global superstar J Balvin’s 512 TR, and the SF90 XX owned by Swizz Beatz.

The Greatest Hits –Music Legends and their Ferraris is open daily until February 2027.

Detour has joined forces with route-planning app MIVIA to share our favourite driving roads with an even wider car community.

Among the first of the growing list of routes are ten of the Best of British drives, and by using the MIVIA app you can access accurate turn-by-turn instructions for each one – absolutely free.

Just download the app and search for ‘Detour’ and you’ll find a full description and route guidance for each of the brilliant British road trips below. We’ve also added international routes including French Fancies, A Taste of Italy, Sensational Switzerland and American Dream Drives.

Here’s what to expect in the Best of British collection:

the British Touring Car Campion of 2024, Jake Hill, made his first appearance at a race track when he was just 12 days old. Unsurprisingly, his favourite detour is To road trip to the greatest circuitS of them all.

“I have good friends that live in Kent who also do some racing themselves, and we always try and do a trip to the Nürburgring every year in our track cars, or road cars. It is always such a joyful experience, not only to go to the Nürburgring itself and have a laugh, but also the road trip there and back. It's so nice driving out with a group of friends and that’s a big part of what makes the trip. So that's always, that's always a good one.

There's one coming up that is going to be special for me. I've planned the stag do for one of my really good friends, who I'm the best man for, and we're doing a Le Mans road trip. We’re all going to going to take a trip down to watch the 24 hours Le Mans, and that, I'm sure, will be one to one to remember, as well.

I've always wanted to go Alps driving tour with friends, but I haven't had the chance to go and do that really, so maybe this year, but we'll see. But either way, I'm really looking forward to Le Mans. That's going to be that's going to be fantastic.”

Words Nik Berg

In the heart of Slovenia’s popular tourist region, Detour discovers a mountain pass with neck-craning vertical views.

The mountain peaks of the Julian Alps tower over every driver who ventures across the Vršič Pass, a spectacular a gorge-like passage carved right through Slovenia’s rugged limestone heart. Known as the ‘Russian Road’ – after the First World War Russian prisoners who constructed it – the hairpin-filled trail route designed to connect the Soča and Sava valleys for military logistics. Now, it provides a stunningly scenic alternative to the more well-trodden fast road route between the two destinations, which crosses in and out of Italy.

My drive begins from the south east, in the bustling mountain town of Bovec – an adventure hub nestled in the forested hills, where activities range from white water rafting to aerial adventures such as paragliding. A few miles north, I take a sharp turn onto the 206, briefly turning back on myself before heading east alongside the Soca River, an icy glacial flow that turned a radiant turquoise blue in the sunshine. 

The open valley of small farms, wooden hayracks and stone cottages slowly tightens as hills covered in dense alpine forest envelope the road towards Trenta, where I turn north and begin a relentless ascent. The scenery quickly becomes wilder and more remote as the cliffs grow steeper and the road becomes more contorted, travelling through an arm-aching 26 hairpin bends to reach the summit. At the top, the road flattens and the world opens up to wildflower-filled alpine meadows, stretching out to mountain peaks on all sides. A sizeable car park at the 1,611m summit offers a pause from the journey, with a cluster of mountain huts that vend ice cream to cool off from the scorching heat.

I take the chance to explore this area for an hour or so, taking in some of the mountain air by joining a circular hiking path that leads to a variety of spectacular viewpoints. One of the main highlights is the Heathen Maiden (Ajdovska deklica) – a face-shaped rock formation cast in the northern face of Mount Prisojnik, where legend tells of a stone maiden who wept for the fate of her people and is now immortalised in the cliffs. Time permitting, it is possible to explore further for hours, taking on longer trails that spread far and wide from the parking area and offer stunning 360-degree views of this otherwise impossible to reach heartland.

Returning to the road, I continue my journey along the flat, passing through a mass of cars at the summit before beginning the descent. Quickly, the road begins to snarl up again into a sequence of 24 sharp hairpin bends, many of which still contain their original banked curves and cobble stones. As I quickly lose altitude, the cliffs become bigger, creating a far more enclosed section than the one on the drive up, with occasional pull-offs providing a chance to stop and enjoy the more open sections, with sweeping views toward Kranjska Gora, the deep green forest carpet below and the sharp mountains of Triglav National Park.

The relentless descent eventually drops into the Pišnica River valley, where a widening landscape dominated by lush pine forest and distant towering peaks concludes at a picturesque lakeside park just outside Kranjska Gora, looking back on the towering mountains through which I have just travelled. The full route runs roughly 24km from Kranjska Gora to Trenta and can be completed in under an hour without stops – but with views this good, why rush it?

Words & Photography Will Gray

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Mountain PasS

NAME: Vršič Pass

ROUTE: Bovec to Kranjska Gora

COUNTRY: SLOVENIA

Distance: 15 Miles

When Martin Reynolds was planning a four-week road trip to Spain in his newly-restored Jaguar XK150, he turned to Detour for guidance.

Ultimately the goal was to fill the Jag’s boot with wine, including a few bottles of Shiraz to match the car’s colour, but along the way he wanted to put the XK through its paces on a mix of roads – including taking in a mountain pass or two.

After looking through the wide selection of Spanish road trips on the website Reynolds elected to tackle the Col du Portillon. No sooner had he and the XK made it up and down the Pyrenees pass Reynolds got in touch. “I did this today in my 1959 Jaguar XK150 – one of the first mountain pass routes I have ever done and certainly the first for me and the XK,” he wrote. “Car didn’t miss a beat – unlike the driver. Route was quiet and the distance on the way down between the switchbacks deceptively long. Saw several on bicycles – well done to those. Thank you Detour for bringing this to my attention.”

Reynolds later went on to include his experience in a story for the XK Gazette, writing: “The XK150 cruised up and over the pass, taking the hairpins in its stride stopping en route to enjoy the stunning views, passed a lovely MGB coming down, overtook lots of masochistic cyclists and was overtaken by several fearless motor bikers. Pausing at the top I met a German couple from the Baltic coast riding an enormous BMW motorbike and via a serpentine route from home had covered 2500 miles already and overtaken me twice on the way up the mountains but somehow, I had beaten them to the top- the hare and the tortoise come to mind…”

After completing his 2,000-mile road trip Reynolds is already plotting his next drive to Ireland – fortunately we’ve got a few Detour guides for that as well.

In the great British Boaty McBoat Face tradition of giving things the most obvious of names, Scotland’s Snow Roads are exactly what the moniker suggests.

There’s 90 miles of them, stretching from Blairgowrie to Grantown-on-Spey on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park, passing ski resorts, castles – including a current royal residence – plus whisky and wildlife aplenty to enjoy along the way.

Today, as well as plenty of the white stuff to deal with there’s an added layer of anxiety to deal with. The Smart #5 I’m driving is fully electric and this part of Scotland isn’t exactly brimming with rapid chargers. While the situation is definitely improving, and major destinations such as Aviemore have plenty of options to add electrons, the Snow Roads have yet to fully embrace the electric revolution and you’ll only find a smattering of 50 kW chargers in the towns.

Having fully charged at 150 kW in Perth it shouldn’t be a problem, but with temperatures hovering around zero the Smart’s heater is sapping range. A realistic 160 miles seems possible, especially if the downhill sections regenerate some energy.

First, however, there’s the climb up from Blairgowrie, which is gentle at first on the A93 Balmoral Road, through woods and open farmland. It’s a pleasant road that gradually increases in elevation without you even realising it. Mostly open bends mean you could get quite a lick on, but there are well-signposted speed cameras to discourage you from doing just that. For the vast majority of the drive the speed limit is 60 mph and the Scots recently voted not to reduce it on this and other rural roads. It strikes a sensible balance between safety and the need to make progress.

As the mountains begin to loom larger the first smatterings of snow begin to appear. At the Spittal of Glenshee, after ascending rapidly through a series of tighter turns, the landscape suddenly switches from colour to monochrome as if someone just changed the film in their camera. Snow blankets the landscape, the road a dark grey line cutting a ragged course through its centre.

At the Glenshee ski resort the Cairnwell Pass is the highest paved road in the UK, rising 2,198 feet (670 metres) above sea level. There’s actually too much snow right now and only one of Glenshee’s chair lifts is delivering die-hard winter sports fans up the mountain.

If you’re expecting switchbacks like Stelvio then the Cairnwell Pass will be disappointing. Instead, it offers a more meandering approach to mountain climbing and descending, which means there’s time to enjoy the view instead of endlessly working steering, brakes and gears.

As even more snow falls I’m conscious that the Smart is shod with summer tyres, but, maybe because of the weight of its battery pack, they seem to cut through to the tarmac below and I’m able to push on.

At Braemar there’s further sport to be had on the UK’s highest 18-hole golf course, while things take a more regal turn beyond the Bridge of Dee on the approach to Balmoral. Even though the snow tends to stay only on the high ground, the Royals are known to keep away in the winter months, but visitors are welcome year-round 

Reach Ballater and it’s a left on to the A939, passing the so-called Ringing Stone of Glen Gairn and the glorious birch woodlands and lochs of the Muir of Dinnet nature reserve.

From Tomintoul it’s just a short detour to discover the reserves of the Glenlivet distillery or make the final few miles to Grantown-on-Spey. Perched below the 3000-ft peak of Ben Avon it’s the highest village in the Cairngorms and busy with hikers and mountain bikers braving the weather.

As for the Smart #5 it’s acquitted itself well in the wintry conditions, proving comfortable, warm and able to go the distance. Like the Snow Roads then, the Smart name seems about right.

Words Nik Berg Instagram
Photography Jonny Fleetwood Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Mountain Passes

NAME: The Snow Roads

ROUTE: Blairgowrie to Grantown-on-Spey

COUNTRY: SCotland

Distance:90 Miles

If you can’t afford to a drive a Ferrari, maybe you can at least drive with a Ferrari.

Jordan and Ferrari have come together with a retro-look sneaker that tifosi will love. The Air Jordan 4014 “Ferrari” features a design that melds the classic 1998 Jordan 14 with the 40 model, along with the traditional Prancing Horse colour scheme.

The shoe’s upper is in Challenge Red suede, with accents of Vibrant Yellow, together with a black sole and tongue. The legendary Jordan logo appears in a Ferrari-like shield on the side, and there’s racy carbon fibre detailing on the toe, plus a metallic silver “bumper” on the rear, all inspired by the motors of Maranello.

Despite the clear Italian connection, these new Jordans aren’t actually an official co-lab with Ferrari. Nonetheless these speedy sneakers look set to become extremely collectible when they release this spring. At around £200 you’re not paying Ferrari prices either.

Jack Kerouac criss-crossed America to write On the Road - the seminal novel for the beat generation. Here’s how to follow his route.

The driving adventures that inspired On The Road actually took place between 1947 and 1950 when Kerouac and his pal Neal Cassady set out on a journey of discovery. Mixing with musicians, poets and drug pushers in the immediate post-war era, Kerouac encountered, and later describe, an America that was previously in the shadows.

When he came to put words to paper in 1951 the process was just as fevered as his drives had been. The original manuscript is a 120 foot long scroll, typed over three weeks, uninterrupted by punctuation, and fuelled by Benzadrine and caffeine. It took until 1957 to be published, but when it was, On The Road soon became a best-seller.

In On The Road protagonists Sal Paradise (Kerouac) and Dean Moriarty (Cassady) take no less than four different road trips and fan Julien Nègre has created a brilliant interactive route map (below), which charts them all.

Part One is perhaps the most notorious drive in the book, where Sal leaves New York for California with only $50 and a “stupid hearthside idea that it would be wonderful to follow one great red line across America.”

Departing New York, Paradise heads north west to the shores of Lake Erie. “It was an ordinary bus trip with crying babies and hot sun, and countryfolk getting on at one Penn town after another, till we got on the plain of Ohio and really rolled, up by Ashtabula and straight across Indiana in the night,” writes Kerouac.

He passes through Chicago, past the penitentiary at Joliet, then to Rock Island. “And here for the first time in my life I saw my beloved Mississippi River, dry in the summer haze, low water, with its big rank smell that smells like the raw body of America itself because it washes it up.”

Next up is Davenport, Iowa, and Iowa City, before he reaches Des Moines where: “I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future, and maybe that's why it happened right there and then, that strange red afternoon."

Into Nebraska, then Wyoming and Denver Colorado where Kerouac noted: “the road is life,” and onwards via Salt Lake City (“a city of Sprinkers”), Nevada and into California to San Francisco.

The journey then continues south to Los Angeles on “the fastest, whoopingest ride of my life. We made Sabinal to LA in the amazing time of four hours flat about 250 miles.” Then it’s eastwards again through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. “I slept all the way to Pittsburgh. I was wearier than I'd been for years and years. I had three hundred and sixty-five miles yet to hitchhike to New York, and a dime in my pocket."

When he finally arrives back where he started Kerouac writes: “I had travelled eight thousand miles around the American continent and I was back on Times Square; and right in the middle of a rush hour, too, seeing with my innocent road-eyes the absolute madness and fantastic hoorair of New York.”

The America of Kerouac may have changed in the 75 years since he wrote On The Road but it still calls out to roadtrippers everywhere. Even today the road is life.

Words & Photography Nik Berg Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: Literary drive

NAME: ON the Road with Kerouac

ROUTE: new York to San Francisco to New Tork

COUNTRY: USA

Distance: 8,000 Miles

Mercedes-Benz is marking 140 years since founder Karl Benz invented the automobile with a truly epic drive across Europe, South America, North America, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Three brand new S-Class luxury saloons will begin and end their journey in Stuttgart, Germany taking in iconic roads such as Route 66, which celebrates its centenary in 2026, along with the world’s biggest cities such as Buenos Aires, Shanghai and Sydney.

“Our ‘140 PLACES’ journey will see the new S-Class visiting customers and fans all around the world, bringing the Mercedes-Benz heritage to life in every corner we reach. We’re truly looking forward to meeting people in six continents, celebrating together and sharing highlights on our brand channels. We can’t wait to catch up with you along the way,” explains Christina Schenck, Vice President Digital & Communications and Investor Relations, Mercedes-Benz AG.

Mercedes fans can follow the trip on the company’s community website and YouTube channel, and owner’s clubs will be invited to events along the route.

Floodwaters and firing ranges are just some of the hazards of this Northumberland road trip.

A glance at the satnav screen shows the map abruptly change from green to blue but there’s no bridge over the troubling water ahead.

Instead, to get across to Holy Island there’s a causeway which can only be crossed at low tide. That means there are just two windows a day when it’s possible to drive the mile-or-so to get to the fabled Lindisfarne.

As the name implies it is indeed a holy place, where, in 635 AD St Aidan founded a monastery and began to spread the word of Christianity across the globe. Making the crossing today I imagine that many a driver says a prayer, hoping that they’ve read the tide tables correctly.

The causeway is less than half an hour’s drive from Berwick-upon-Tweed, the border town that’s rich with history. You’ll find Elizabethan walls, Georgian houses and bridges from the Industrial Revolution.

The A1 is single-carriageway here as it runs south in a loose parallel with the coastline and a taking detour over to Lindisfarne is straightforward as long as you time it right. According to the local county council between ten and 20 drivers don’t and require rescuing from the RNLI.

Given that the tide isn’t fully out when I arrive, and a combination of salt water and lithium batteries sounds like a recipe for disaster, I turn the Smart #5 around and head back to the A1 to skirt around the National Nature Reserve, before taking the B1342 to Bamburgh, where the ancient castle has loomed over the town for more than 1,400 years.

The B1340 closely follows the beaches of Bamburgh and Seahouses, before heading a little inland as it leads towards Craster and its picturesque harbour. A quick about turn and Alnwick is the next destination. Again, it’s a castle that most people visit for – even more so since it appeared as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.

Westwards on the B6341 sees a complete change of scenery, over Alnwick Moor to Rothbury. It’s lovely flowing stretch of road, though a series of wild ups and downs can unsettle a stomach. The Smart’s soft suspension soaks it all up and, for a large and heavy, electric SUV, it’s reassuring on the bendy bits as well.

That’s good because beyond Rothbury the road takes a twistier turn as it continues towards the massive 58,000-acre firing range of Otterburn Camp. The red flags, which signify explosive activity, are flying so I don’t stop until I reach Otterburn itself.

From here you could head north towards Kielder Forest or perhaps even complete a loop of the Northumberland 250 route, but for me a long drive south awaits instead.

Words & Photography Nik Berg Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: COAST ROAD

NAME: THE CASTLES aND COAST OF NORTHUMBERLAND

ROUTE: Berwick-upon-tweed to Otterburn

COUNTRY: ENGLAND

Distance: 78 Miles

Detour road trips are now available in the new MIVIA app.

That means accurate turn-by-turn navigation for each journey direct from your Apple or Android phone. The MIVIA app is completely free to download and use, and Detour’s first routes are also available at no cost.

Download the MIVIA app and search for ‘Detour’ and you’ll find 20 routes, grouped into the Best of British, French Fancies, A Taste of Italy, Sensational Switzerland and American Dream Drives.

The MIVIA app also gives you the freedom to plan and share your own drives, discover places and be part of a bigger road tripping community. You can connect to fellow drivers and join group drives, learn about new events and take advantage of exclusive deals and offers.

We’ll keep adding new routes to the MIVIA app and we’d love to hear your feedback on the app and our road trip routes.

France’s deepest canyon delivers a drive that’s turnful in the extreme, but can also be touristy to a similar degree.

Timing is everything if you want to enjoy the cliff-hanging challenges of the Gorges du Verdon. At first light, not only will you find the route far-less travelled, but you’ll get to enjoy the shift in mood as the sun rises and the canyon emerges from the shade to display its true colours. The glacier-fed Verdon River is a glorious turquoise as it thunders through the gorge and this circular route gives you the chance to see it from both sides.

The village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie in Haute Provence is our start and end point, and the route can be tackled in either direction. Set out clockwise and as you follow the winding D952 Route de Castellane south on the through forest, you’ll emerge to a gobsmacking view of Le Lac de Sainte-Croix in the distance. Hugging the limestone wall of the gorge the road continues to rose with every turn (of which there are plenty). There are steep drops into the ravine below, with only occasional concrete barriers.

Grab your camera at Belvédère de Mayreste for a panoramic view over the Verdon and, if you’re ready for break, take a pit stop at Le Relais des Gorges, before tackling a vigorously winding section to the next  photo opp – helpfully known as Point de Vue. Pass through La Palud-sur-Verdon and you could take an extended Detour on the Route des Crêtes, or keep going on the increasingly twisty route to the aptly named Point Sublime viewpoint.

By now the walls of the gorge have closed in somewhat and the road has dropped down closer to the river’s edge. It’s more claustrophobic with the rock face overhanging the asphalt and corner after corner. Reach Pont de Solais and you can have a paddle in the river before crossing the water and joining the D955 south.

You’ll lose sight of the Verdon for quite some time, but the Soleis road will keep you plenty entertained. At Trigance take the D90 into a more open landscape, although that doesn’t make the route any less curvy. Turn right onto the D71 and you’ll find yourself in a more barren landscape, before nourishing waters of the Verdon bring a verdant green back into view. Reach the Corniche Sublime and the roads gets even more challenging for the run into Aiguines where there’s an especially exercising run of hairpins.

The D19 will see you to the shores of Sainte-Croix and you’ll cross the azure waters at Pont de Galetas before a final short run alongside the lake and back into Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. The village is famous for its pottery if you want to pick up a keepsake, but we rather suspect that the drive itself will have been enjoyable enough to lodge itself in your memory.

Words Nik Berg Instagram

ROADBOOK

CLASS: RIVER RUN

NAME: Gorges du Verdon

ROUTE: Moustiers-Sainte-Marie to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

COUNTRY: France

Distance: 57 Miles

Fancy a spot of 007 role play? Then Aston Martin has the answer with a very exclusive Italian driving tour to mark the 20th anniversary of Casino Royale.

“From unforgettable driving adventures to exclusive behind-the-scenes access, this immersive journey will put guests in the footsteps of the world’s most famous secret agent,” says Aston Martin. The trip is one of three ultra-limited journeys under Aston Martin’s Ascend programme for its “most distinguished clients.” Also being offered under the banner are experiences at the Le Mans 24-Hours and Formula 1 race in Austin, Texas.

For those that don’t manage to snag a spot the British sports car maker is hosting a series of Supertours in Morocco and around Royal Ascot and the Goodwood Festival of Speed, while Aston enthusiasts who want to get on circuit themselves can participate in Supercharged track days at Silverstone and Millbrook, or more exclusive Unleashed events at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, Austria’s Red Bull Ring and Monza, Italy.

“We are delighted to offer these exceptional opportunities for customers and admirers to immerse themselves in the ultra-luxury lifestyle of Aston Martin,” says Finbar McFall, Global Marketing Director at Aston Martin. “From the exclusivity of Ascend to the adrenaline rush of Unleashed, each programme reflects our unwavering commitment to creating unforgettable memories. Whether it’s cultural discovery, track performance, or the thrill of a scenic drive, there’s something to captivate every Aston Martin afficionado.”

Aston Martin hasn’t published prices for its driving experiences, but if you have to ask you probably can’t afford them. Check out the Aston Martin Experiences site for details.