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AS A MOTORING journalist, one of the perks of my job is that I get to test cars in some pretty stunning locations and on some great driving roads.
However, it turns out that the best roads I have driven have been whilst travelling not working.
Now, disclaimer time: I’ve not driven the classic ‘best roads in the world’ – the Stelvio Pass, Big Sur, the Col de Turini etc – but the roads I have driven are just as impressive in their own right. Plus, they are routes that perhaps not too many people might have heard of. It is these that I would like to share with you.
1. The Forgotten World Highway, New Zealand
In 2007 I travelled around New Zealand in a Nissan Serena (don’t judge) and the one road that sticks out in my mind all these years later is Highway 43 on the North Island – aka the Forgotten World Highway.
The road starts sedately, passing through picturesque scenery, but then you hit the first of many saddles and that’s when the driving fun begins as you try to negotiate the tortuous corners.
This road takes you through the quirky Whangamomona Republic – both a goat and a poodle have been President here – and then on to the wondrous Moki tunnel, aka the Hobbit’s Hole – a 500-metre tunnel hand carved with pickaxes. On the other side of the tunnel the road turns to gravel as you drive through the stunning Tangarakau Gorge. The road then climbs several more saddles affording fantastic views of Mt Ruapehu before dropping down to follow the Whanganui River, which, in a world first has been legally recognised as a living entity. All of that happens along one 148km stretch of road and that is why it is one of my best ever drives.
2. Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim via Route 66
In 2010, I drove from Las Vegas to the Southern rim of the Grand Canyon in a Ford Focus saloon. And yes, it’s probably an obvious choice… but Arizona’s Route 66 between Kingman and Seligman is the longest remaining stretch of the historic highway and not one that you hear much about. The views are expansive but it’s the places you see along the route that are the real highlight. The towns are full of history and old world charm.
The old Route 66 is quite challenging to drive because, well, the road is in bits. But there are enough pitstops along the way so you can get out and crack your spine back into place. When you do get back on to tarmac the roads are so straight and empty that you’d swear they were never-ending. You can literally see for miles all around.
The route will also take you past the Hoover Dam, through an Indian reservation and the beautiful Kaibab National Forest as it cuts its way though the ever changing scenery of Arizona till you reach the breathtaking Grand Canyon. It really is a classic road trip that shows you a slice of American life that is slowly disappearing.
3. Ruta 40, Argentina
Ruta 40, known in Argentina simply as ‘La Cuarenta’, is the longest highway in the country and one of the longest in the world with a length of over 5,140km. The road is legendary partly due to Che Guevara who travelled along much of it on his motorbike.
In 2009, I did the 1,572km stretch between Torres del Paine on the border with Chile and San Carlos de Bariloche. The road cuts though some fabulous untamed landscape and it is eerily empty.
You can go for hours without meeting another car and for me, that is one of its best features. Much of the road is unpaved and usually consists of gravel or dirt (at least, it did in 2009), and the many hairpin turns are followed by endless-seeming straights.
You have nothing for company apart form the immense blue skies, decorative clouds, Andean condors and the dusks and sunrises over the endless steppe. This really is one of the most epic drives in the world.
4. The Transfăgărășan Highway, Romania
Jeremy Clarkson said the Transfăgărășan Highway is “the most amazing road I’ve ever seen”, and I agree with him one hundred per cent.
It is a marvel of engineering and the history of its construction is just as incredible as the drive itself. This truly is a driver’s road thanks to its never ending twists and turns and undulation.
You are constantly changing gear and giving the car a good workout. It really takes a lot out of you too! But the roadpasses some very pretty scenery – you can stop off and visit the ruins of Vlad the Impaler’s castle, or take a cable car ride though the think forest of the Carpathian mountains.
My only quibble is that the route is only 100km, it is far too short and you’ll want to turn around and do it again. You can read the full account of my Romanian road trip here.
5. Ballaghbeama Gap and Glannagilliagh, Co Kerry
If I were to pick one road here in Ireland that is really enjoyable to drive it is the Ballaghbeama Gap and Glannagilliagh. These roads run from Capparoe Cottages on the Ring of Kerry and cut across the mountains in the centre of the Iveragh Peninsula till you reach Caragh Bridge.
The scenery is wild and varied and, apart from the sheep, you usually have the place to yourself, which is good cause the roads can get quite narrow in places. The route is great to drive with lots of bends, climbs and descents – but best of all you get off the beaten track, avoid the crowds of tourists on the Ring of Kerry, and get into some very remote and what feels like unexplored territory. It’s an adventurous drive.
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I’d rather not whip my phone out in Dublin. Thanks tho.
@Niamh: never rang or accepted a phonecall or checked a text in Dublin before?
@Niamh: yeah sure you hardly see anybody on their phones in dublin these days ;-)
@Niamh: Embarrased about the outdated iPhone?
@Dave Murphy: Sure I take my phone out in Dublin all the time and never had a pro
@Niamh: yet as soon as you sit down on the bus what do people normally do next?……come on niamh!…
@Niamh: Do people even rob mobile phones anymore? Phone security is at a stage where most criminals know it isn’t a particularly lucrative business anymore. Phones are difficult to unlock these days. Was given an iPhone by my granny. She didn’t want it but she had forgotten the iCloud password, had no proof of purchase etc etc.. It wasn’t quick or easy to get sorted
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: Do you feel better that you took the time to write such a stupid sarcastic comment. I’ll stay with the swipe card I’d rather not whip my phone out in Dublin.
@Dave Murphy: no funnily enough I have such a good phone it’s safer not to take it out of my pocket in Dublin. Thanks.
@Eon Cocker: yes they rob them all the time actually.
@Niamh: nothing sarcastic about it .your comment was ridiculous.
I came here to see if people would moan about something inarguably positive. I’m not disappointed…
@RichieC: whinging on the Journal is de rigueur for a certain cohort
@DJ François:
Yup.
Online Liveline!
@Michael Kavanagh: I know a woman from Clontarf who has something to say about all of this…
Surprising this is an exclusive, it’s been the norm in many parts of the world for a long time. Surely the “tech centre” of Europe would eventually follow suit??
Making fancy announcements about little things, like this, is in lieu of actually building world-class transport infrastructure. Infrastructure which is still many years away because the powers-that-be don’t have the urgency that is required.
For example, the start date for the construction of MetroLink should be brought forward to next year, not 2021.
@J. Reid: Don’t be surprised if it does not get cancelled again……
@J. Reid: It’s almost as if the NTA are working on several multi-year projects at the same time and The Journal are reporting on all of them!
Why spend money setting up and administering an expensive system when a solution already exists. It’s called a bank card.
The cost of administering Oyster is the very reason why TfL pushes hard to have users use bank cards directly where possible.
Hopefully the tender is won by either a bank or a card issuer whose proposed implementation is precisely this.
@Gerard: but if you use a bank card here and don’t have free banking, you would pay an extra 30c per transaction.
@Sinead Regan: incorrect. Change your bank.
@Sinead Regan: 30c are contactless transactions not negligible!
@Gerard: Absolutely we should be able to use a bank debit card. Our daughter lives in London so we are over at least twice a month…hardly anyone uses Oyster Cards now most people just use their bank cards as the fare is the same….its so easy to use
@Gerard: I think the plan is you can use either. The app is aimed particularly at students who can avail of cheaper travel, not really possible with bank card
@Gerard: did you read the article ?
“In the coming years, NTA will incorporate the latest developments in account-based ticketing technology, allowing use of contactless credit and debit cards and mobile devices as a convenient means of payment,” the spokesperson said.”
Will they supply the phones?
I truly hope that this system will be available to slightly older adults too. It seems to be all about students. We use NFC too…
I for one will continue to have my cardboard train tickets ready for inspection and clipping.
I do wonder why the bus conductors are so slow lately. Must be on strike sgain.
Yeah, because I really want to be whipping out my phone at a LUAS stop.
At least if somebody lifts my leapcard i only lose what’s on it.
@Kendra Jackson: Do you ever look around you at Luas stops? Unless yours is located in the 1900s, everyone has their out while they wait.
This is nuts. Years behind and let’s not forget about NFC capable phones too either it’s not a mandatory technology built in
@James O’Brien:
… Did you miss the part where they are introducing other card types as well? Giving people additional options isn’t “nuts”.
@Sara O’Dowd: think you missed the point in relation to headline. Though I can see why.. Also we are way behind with NFC payments even with banking here alonsgside other things so this is why we once again suffer. NFC capable phones will be a standard when NFC becomes standard. Thanks.
If we could just get rid of the “having to validate” a pre-purchased online ticket before use I’d be 100% happier. It’s literally unfathomable that currently a bus driver cannot validate a ticket, yet a corner shop can ??? Mental
@Eon Cocker: when you buy a ticket online, it has to be written to the card somehow. The corner shop has an internet connection, your bus does not. This isn’t a problem with Leap, it’s the way smart cards work the world over.
But isnt it just as handy to use your phones nfc to top up the leap card
@Lisa Byrne: well a bank card would be handier altogether.
Wow, that’ll make such a difference to the infrastructure and service….
Will you be able to pay for taxis fares with this aswell as they come under the Nta ?
@eddie mallon: Surry bud, the machine is out of order there now.
Another screw up by the NTA. They really should stop and think at this stage.
@Gary Kearney: how so?
@Gary Kearney: By trying to provide more and easier options to pay for public transport?
@Gary Kearney: i don’t what is more mind boggling, this comment or the fact ten people liked it.
DO you mean they screwed up originally by not providing it or at least earlier like in London?
I think it’s a great step forward but I would be more than happy if they would make the top up app available on iOS.
We have literally been waiting years for it.
@Ciara Kenny Devlin: I believe that’s a problem with apple. They don’t allow any app (outside of Apple pay) to use the NFC (near field communication) chip in the phone. Nothing we can do on our side.
@Mick Hennessy: They could still have made an app that didn’t make use of NFC. All we wanted to be able to do is top up. Could have been linked to a bank account or debit card. The NFC is only really useful for validating pre-purchased tickets. The fact they need to be validated at all before use is a ridiculous obstruction put in place by Leap and TFI for no reason and has no benefit. A pre-paid ticket should be validated on first use regardless of what mode of transport you use
@Mick Hennessy: ‘nothing we can do on our side’ sums up the thinking….those pesky Apple lords are the problem…how about accepting Apple Pay on the buses ? God forbid we might actually try something the customers want…FFS
@Dave Hammond: I don’t work for NTA, Dublin Bus or anything like it, I just forgot who was in charge and said our side, meaning the side of those people in Ireland. And yeah, I totally agree, let’s use contactless terminals (which by default support google and apple pay) let’s have our cards on our phone, let’s improve things. I’m just saying, it’s not for the NTA to just “make the top up available on iOS” there’s more to it than that.
@Mick Hennessy: I understand Mick , as someone who works on the mobile sector and been living abroad its just frustrating to have to listen and watch some of our Irish mentality – as many people have pointed out Apple Pay is accepted on london tubes and trams and rail services to pay as you go and yet for all our talk about ireland being a tech hub and all the tech giants based here we are just way way too slow moving with the times – the inefficient public services need a massive overhaul and tech can play a key role in moving us into the 21st century in many sectors including transport / health / education etc etc – the only system they are making decent strides in is of course Revenue – the one that collects the government money – but almost every other major department in this country is in the dark ages – (wasn’t having go at your personally btw ) rants ends ;-)
Eircoach has this technology already
@Stephen Brennan: You’re right, Aircoach introduced payment with contactless cards and also phones.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/business/aircoach-now-offering-contactless-pay-on-board-870267.html
Great idea, I know is available in other places, but better late than never…
I wonder however how they’ll deal with people whos phones have died… There will be genuine cases, but I’d imagine it’ll be the number one excuse for not having a ticket.
I’m more baffled that this is news today than the news it contains… how is this an innovation??? The current system is so backwards that this is a catch-up activity, not an innovation
21st century here we come whoop whoop
That’s great news
Lol, yep any day now for this, NTA as successful as ever (◔_◔)
Great plan lads. Meanwhile, I still can’t top up my Leap on iOS…
More phone use
have your say