Sportive

Six of the best UK roads

Marine Drive (Great Orme), Llandudno, Wales

The sweeping hairpins of Bealach na Ba form the UK's toughest climb (Pic: Stefan Krause, via Wikimedia Commons)
Northern Ireland's rugged coastline makes for some great riding (pic: Richard Watson, via Fusion Media)
The Tour of Britain peloton took on Marine Drive earlier this year (pic: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
The Hardknott Pass is the toughest climb in the Lake District (pic: Shirokazan, via Creative Commons)
Horseshoe Pass is set against a stunning backdrop in north Wales (pic: Simon Pix, via Flickr Creative Commons)
Haytor has become a regular feature of the Tour of Britain (pic: Paul Hayes-Watkins)

Marine Drive (Great Orme), Llandudno, Wales

As featured on stage two of this year’s Tour of Britain, Marine Drive, which runs around the Great Orme in North Wales, won praise from the professionals.

Stage winner Mark Renshaw was among those to highlight the scenic route which took the peloton up the side of the Orme and down into Llandudno.

The Marine Drive is a four-mile route around the base of the headland with spectacular views aplenty – the dramatic coastline to one side and the rolling North Welsh countryside to the other.

Carved into the cliff-face, the road features a 300-metre ascent before gliding back towards the sea with very little other traffic for company.

Puffin Island, Anglesey, Snowdonia and Conwy can all be viewed from the iconic Great Orme, which also hosts the annual Great Orme Road Race.