Why It’s The Journey, Not The Destination, That’s Important

Much as we all love an extended road trip, every single time you slide behind the wheel should be an experience. Remember that shiver of pleasure the day you went from supercar virgin to a paid up member of what is a truly an exclusive club? Well, here at Radical Rally we’re all about ensuring the thrill of the romance is as fresh today as it was the day your vehicle first seduced you with its ample charms…

Why We Love Driving

Can you remember what made you fall in love with driving? Perhaps it was the sense of freedom – of being in charge of your destiny. Maybe learning the art of car control, or the feeling of power as you hit the gas? Undoubtedly for supercar owners, there’s the thrill of speed, the wheels eating up the miles as you roll and the advanced ability of your vehicle to take corners and bends without a twitch.

The following are some of our favourite reasons we love being out on the open road, no matter where we might be heading.

• The sense of control: Behind the wheel is perhaps the one place where you experience true control. Your ability to handle the power is yours and yours alone, and every decision you make is crucial to the quality of the drive. This level of total control is something 21^st century life doesn’t often allow, making it one of the premier reasons to love being in the driving seat.
• Privacy and solitude: How often do you really get that yearned-for ‘me time’? In a country where 24/7 attention is not only expected, but demanded, it’s certainly not a common occurrence. Shutting out the world as you drive gives you the peace and clarity to exit the rat race, allowing you to direct your thoughts and emotions in whichever way you choose without any external influences.
• The adventure: Every drive is a quest – an undertaking of discovery. What’s around the next corner? Are you ready for the unexpected? You’re honing your driving skills and pushing the boundaries of how to best test your car’s power and ability. To be honest, nothing compares. The day the rush of driving your supercar dims is the moment you subconsciously resign yourself to swapping your supercar for ownership of a people carrier (let’s pray that time never arrives…)
• Late night drives to a favourite playlist: The hours of darkness are one of the ultimate times to enjoy your supercar. Bluetooth your essential playlist as you roll and boom! It’s as close to paradise as you can get on Mother Earth.
• Smiles per gallon: Okay, okay, we know it’s litres now, but it’s not as catchy. The roar of the engine, the gurgle of the exhaust, the whoosh of the turbo… Quite simply, we love the unique sounds our cars make as we drive. And if the sound of a perfectly tuned V8 revving at full chat doesn’t move you almost to tears then, to put it bluntly – there’s not much hope of us being friends…

To Plan Or Not To Plan?

A question we often contemplate is whether or not to map out a driving route or whether to ‘go rogue’. The latter would always be the preference because, after all, there are nearly always multiple ways to get from A to B.

Sure, you might be planning a substantial road trip, maybe heading to a particular country or region of the UK. But who says you have to follow a mapped route? How many times have you passed a turning and wondered where it leads? 

More importantly, what’s stopping you from finding out? Just turn, drive, and see what destiny brings. In today’s age of sat-nav and GPS, you’re unlikely to get lost. And if you do? Well, it just might lead you to a road that offers one of the most memorable drives of your life…

Great Driving Roads In The UK

Okay… So sometimes you might want to have a destination in mind. In the UK, despite its relatively small size and ever-growing amount of traffic, we’re delightfully well off for awesome roads to drive, enjoy and test our skills. It doesn’t matter where you live, there’s sure to be a classic driving opportunity within easy reach.

We could wax lyrical about commonly known routes such as the EVO Triangle (complete with its recently installed speed cameras), Cheddar Gorge (Somerset) and the Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District. But we urge you to check out roads closer to home. That way, whenever you have a spare hour or two you can get out and drive, just for the sheer hell of it.

Roads such as the following:

• The B660 – Bedford to Kimbolton, or go further, all the way to Peterborough (Bedfordshire/Cambridgeshire) 16 miles.
• The B664 –  Medbourne to Uppingham (Leicestershire/Rutland) 7 miles.
• The B3157 – Weymouth to West Bay (Dorset) 18 miles.
•  A4/M40/A40 – Maidenhead to London (Berkshire/London) 24 miles.
•  B27 – Newcastle to Slieve Gullion (Northern Ireland) 40 miles.
•  The Central London Circuit (a middle of the night drive, unless you enjoy traffic jams!) 10 miles.
• The A866 – Haydon Bridge to Penrith (Cumbria) 37 miles.
• The TT Motorcycle Course (Isle of Man) 38 miles.
• The B3236/A36 – better still, stay on the clifftop lanes for the latter part – Boscastle to Bude (Cornwall) 25 miles.

Or… Discover your own. 

(we also have some great suggestions for amazing driving roads in Europe if you want to travel further afield)

The key to supercar happiness is the immediate thrill of the road beneath your wheels, not where you’re heading. Relish those revs and indulge your inner Hamilton with every bend and curve. Above all, enjoy.

We’ll see you out on the road.

Image by Jan Alexander from Pixabay