Our UK tours guru Jake talks us through one of his favourite roads in the country, 17 miles of deserted tarmac in the Scottish Borders.
Written by: Jake Smithard
I often get asked about my favourite driving road and it isn’t necessarily a straightforward answer. Like all of us, I have my favourites in each region, and when it comes to finding the very best roads, there are a few factors to consider — little to no traffic being at the top of my list!
I am in a fortunate position where I can say I have driven a lot of the roads in the UK (of course this is important when tour planning!) and there’s one road that always sticks in my mind — the B6357 from Cleuch Head to Newcastleton, in the Scottish Borders.
The road starts slightly narrow for the first couple of miles as you flow through the trees but then as you descend into a slight dip, passing two farm buildings either side, the road widens and you pick up a dashed white line that leads you into driving heaven. From here you have 14 miles of quiet, smooth tarmac to enjoy with good visibility of what lies ahead.
I’ll never forget when I first drove the road in 2022 while on a recce for an upcoming borders tour. With a massive grin on my face, I genuinely thought to myself, “This cannot get better”, before swooping around the next corner to more twists and turns perfectly laying ahead of me.
One part to be aware of is at mile seven where you come into a long right-hand bend that progressively tightens. Three-quarters of the way through the corner you will spot a small sign for a cattle grid, it is off-camber, incredibly slippery (even in the dry) and can easily catch you out!
Since first discovering the B6357, I have ensured to return at least a couple of times a year, either on a tour or purely for pleasure and the outcome has always been the same — pure driving fun! This is a road where you can really get into a flow, use the camber, keep your eyes ahead and just simply enjoy. After multiple visits, I can count the total number of cars I have seen on one hand and there is no better feeling than 17 miles of uninterrupted driving, although you may need a breather after!
