THREE MORE WILD ROAD TRIPS


1


North Coast 500, Scotland This bucket-list drive delivers a 512-mile


coastal loop from Inverness. The result: a sweep of pine-forested glens, a swell of bays and windswept beaches. The history is just as special, from best-in-the-world whisky distilleries to Brigadoon-type clan castles. There’s something particularly poignant about standing at a 5,000-year-old chambered cairn, or discovering three billion years of geological history at Knockan Crag, north of Ullapool. It’s now a familiar criticism that the route suffers from overtourism, but avoid this by coming off-season from October to April. How to do it: McKinlay Kidd has a nine-day North Coast 500 driving holiday, from £895 per person on a B&B basis, excluding car hire. mckinlaykidd.com


2


E-Grand Tour, Switzerland Around 300 years ago, the Grand Tour


became a rite of passage for Europe’s well- heeled, traversing the Alps to Italy. More recently, the Swiss have modernised this idea, developing a nationwide circuit of highlights to visit by electric vehicle, with clean, green super chargers at every stop. You could start in Geneva, taking the road east past the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyards to Montreux, then veer south to the Matterhorn above Zermatt. Alternatively, begin in Zurich and drive via the Rhine Falls to mirror-still Lake Constance, before turning south through Graubünden to glamorous St Moritz. How to do it: Trailfinders has a nine-day Best of Switzerland fly-drive, from £2,505 per person, excluding flights. trailfinders.com


3


Icefields Parkway, Canada No nature documentary can prepare you


for Alberta’s astonishing landscape. The 144- mile Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper is a run-through of Canada at its most epic, a place of flint-crested peaks and hidden valleys. Spotting black bears or moose by the roadside is common, as is embracing the characterful towns. Each season brings its rewards: winter and spring are for guided glacier expeditions, summer is for paddling across luminous Lake Louise, while autumn brings red and gold foliage. Jasper was hit by catastrophic wildfires in 2024, but this is a national park town where tourism is the lifeline — and locals are waiting, open-armed, for visitors to return. How to do it: Audley Travel has a 16-day Jewels of Western Canada self-drive tour, including flights, car hire and excursions from £5,355 per person. audleytravel.com


NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER – COASTAL COLLECTION 15


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