Rest and be Thankful

A WELL-KNOWN Highland road has been named the most scenic drive in Scotland in a move that could boost tourism in the area.

? The A817 from Loch Lomond to Garelochhead is renowned for magnificent views
The ten-mile stretch of the A817 from Loch Lomond to Garelochhead, which rises up through Glen Fruin, was voted top in Scotland in a poll of motorists to find Britain's best drives. It eclipsed the A87 between Invergarry and Skye which has previously been voted the best stretch of road north of the Border.

The A817 crosses part of the spectacular Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and is renowned for its magnificent views and gentle curves. It is also one of the UK's top five drives, according to the survey of 3,000 members of the Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA).

The road was built in 1990 to carry military supplies for an expansion of the Clyde Submarine Base at Faslane and armaments supply depot at Coulport.

Following completion of the work, the road was opened to the public and has since become a firm favourite among motorists from around the country. It takes drivers 1,000ft above Glen Fruin and rises and falls hundreds of feet, leading to the description of being as close to riding on a rollercoaster as you'll get on public roads.

The television programme Top Gear has used it for test drives and said: "You don't need to go too far for the best drives in the world, because some of them are right here on your doorstep in the UK. You really want to be on this road." The M6 across Shap Fell in Cumbria is the surprise top choice in the survey, followed by the B3306 costal route from St Just to St Ives in Cornwall; the A592 past Ullswater in the Lake District; the A470 through the Brecon Beacons in Wales; and A817 in fifth place.

Contrary to previous surveys which have singled out country roads, the CSMA research gives prime position to a 34-mile six-lane stretch that carries thousand of heavy lorries each day.

The route climbs to an elevation of 320 metres - equivalent to 1,049ft - and is reputed to be the UK's second-highest section of motorway after the M62 on Saddleworth Moor.

Mark Rothery, CMSA's chief executive, said: "This research proves that British drivers are still in love with our beautiful countryside."