10 Incredible UK Autumn Road Trips, From Day Drives To Week-Long Routes

Wind your way up through Britain's deepest gorge while the bracken turns every shade of copper, then stretch your legs along the Mendip ridge as the light fades. Park up, get the kettle on, and let the whole day slow right down to the pace of the hills.

Scotland's most famous route is packed all Summer, which is exactly why you should save it for Autumn. With the crowds gone, the single-track roads, empty beaches and amber glens are all yours. Grab a cuppa by a loch, fall asleep to rain drumming on the roof, and switch off completely. While one week is the perfect time to see everything, a weekend works for shorter stints.

Muse to poets, writers and painters for centuries, this wild stretch of Cumbria is home to England's highest mountains and deepest lakes, all glowing bronze come Autumn. Spend the day out on the fells, then thaw out in a cosy village pub with a warm roast and a crackling fire.

Loop around the island's lighthouses and tucked-away coves in that crisp Autumn air. With the summer lot long gone, the coastal path is pretty much all yours. Breathe it in and let the wild sea breeze knock away your worries.

Less crowds, more mountains: a 90-mile journey through the Cairngorms of ancient forests, whisky-rich glens, dark skies glittering with stars and villages that feel frozen in time. The Highlands are best savoured slowly, one stop (and one dram) at a time.

Chalk cliffs, the Seven Sisters and beech woods lit up orange. This is the weekend for big skies, long walks and unashamedly early nights. Roll out of bed to sea mist and a proper whiff of woodsmoke and, trust us, you'll be wondering why you don't do this more often.

Take the winding road between Manchester and Sheffield while the moors clear out for the season. Keep an ear out for the red deer rut booming across the valleys (honestly, it's a sound you won't forget), then settle in for the night under a sky that's bursting with stars.

Turquoise bays and wind-blasted headlands feel even wilder once Autumn rolls in. Off-grid nights, seals bobbing about offshore and coast paths with nobody on them make this a proper reset for the head and the legs.

Those enormous skies and salt marshes come alive at dusk, when the starlings put on a show. Comb the empty beaches, spot the seals hauled out on the sand, and get back into the simple rhythm of the tides. It does wonders.

Save the wildest for last. Misty mountains, the Fairy Pools and glens that do brooding better than your books main character. Trust me, there's nowhere better to properly unplug and just be.