11 of the best road trips in the UK and Ireland

When to go: in summer, when the beach towns are at their finest.

How long to go for: you can explore pretty thoroughly on a long weekend.

This is big-sky country, dominated by sweeping beaches and flat-as-a-pancake farmlands. Back in the 19th century, some of Norfolk’s beach towns were a draw for the well-to-do to take to the water, and there’s a sense of faded Victoriana to many of the old-school seaside locations dotted along the coast. Start a good, old-fashioned road trip in Norwich, which in 2012 became England’s first Unesco City of Literature and is packed out with old buildings turned into antique shops and restaurants serving Cromer crab (we like Benedicts). Wind into the Norfolk Broads, made up of more than 125 miles of waterways, before skipping northbound along the seaside towns that dot the coast.

The entire stretch of the north Norfolk shoreline is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – seek out Wells-next-the-Sea, a pretty seaside town with candy-coloured beach huts and classic bucket-and-spade charm, or vast and wild Holkham Beach for four miles of wind-whipped golden sands backed by pine dunes. The beach is part of the grand Holkham Estate, also home to The Victoria Inn – a red-brick, ivy-covered 19th-century inn with smart rooms. Driving away from the coast, the heath-like landscape of south Norfolk is brilliant for tramping across in any weather. Thetford Forest and nearby Breckland are Special Protection Areas where wildlife wanders freely – golden pheasant, roe deer and hare can all be found.

Where to stay: the area is home to one of the loveliest log cabins in the UK, Settle, a Scandi-inspired hideout set beside a lake with a wood-burning fire, candles and plenty of blankets. Or rustic inn The Chequers Inn in Thornham has a gorgeous restaurant.