Guides

Scenic drives, route-planning how-tos and the back roads worth taking the long way for — written for drivers and riders across the UK.

How-to

How to Plan a Motorcycle Tour of the UK

Eight steps from first idea to first bend: one region and a realistic daily mileage, the right season, kit and packing, booking beds and ferries, Highland fuel, ULEZ and LEZ rules for bikes, group riding and a backup day.

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Route guide

The Lake District's Best Driving Roads (and How to Survive Hardknott)

Hardknott, Wrynose, Honister, Kirkstone, Whinlatter and the A591, pass by pass — what each road is really like, a day loop from Keswick, and how to get over a 1-in-3 hairpin in first gear with your nerve intact.

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How-to

How to Find Scenic B-Roads (Without Local Knowledge)

OS map colours, Street View, brown signs and National Landscapes — how to shortlist scenic UK B-roads anywhere without a local tipster, and why Avoid motorways still isn’t a scenic mode.

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Comparison

brieflylost vs Google Maps for Scenic Drives

Honest UK comparison: Maps wins for fastest A-to-B; brieflylost wins when you want B-roads, country lanes and a drive worth the long way.

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Route guide

Five Scenic Drives in the Cotswolds

Honey stone, dry-stone walls and five verified B-roads — Stow to Stanway, Cleeve Hill, Broadway Tower, the Slaughters and the Fosse Way — plus villages, pubs and tips for an unhurried day.

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Route guide

The Complete Guide to UK Scenic Drives

The country's most beautiful drives, region by region — the North Coast 500, Snowdonia, the Lakes, the Cotswolds and more, plus when to go and how to plan one off the motorway.

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Local insight

The Hidden Driving Roads of Surrey

Everyone knows Box Hill. Almost no one knows the lanes behind it — Ranmore Common, Coldharbour Lane, Friday Street, Leith Hill and the Greensand villages, plus where to stop.

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Opinion

When the Motorway Stops, It Traps You

A recent M25 closure left drivers stranded for around eight hours. Why a blocked motorway leaves you with no way out — and how the back roads always give you one.

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Opinion

We've Optimised Driving to Death

Navigation apps got very good at finding the fastest route — and not much else. Here's what got lost along the way, and why the nicest route is sometimes worth taking instead.

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Comparison

How brieflylost compares to other UK route planners

brieflylost vs Google Maps, Waze, Calimoto, Scenic and Kurviger — features, pricing and which app suits scenic, back-road driving.

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More on the way

We're adding new guides regularly — region-by-region route guides, how-tos for planning multi-stop day drives, and the hidden back roads of individual counties. Check back, or get the app and start exploring now.