Home About Us FAQs Contact Us Buy A Car

Blog

#LoveDriving with WeBuyCarsforMore

We are real car and driving enthusiasts at WeBuyCarsforMore. So many of us spend the vast majority of our time behind the wheel staring immediately at the back of someone else’s car – as a nation we’re losing our love of driving!

When was the last time you just drove somewhere for the sheer love of the journey? We want to bring this feeling back to Britain, so we are launching the #LoveDriving campaign, to help us remember why we all love cars and driving so much in the first place.

The series will look at everything we love about driving, including great roads and our favourite cars.

Our first recommended route is a cracker and starts in our own beloved North East and heads directly to Edinburgh. If you have any suggestions for routes, do let us know via either of our social media channels – Facebook and Twitter.

Remember to drive safely – these are all stunning routes, so take your time, soak up the views and take plenty of breaks to enjoy the scenery. Have fun!

A68 from Newcastle to Edinburgh

There are two scenic routes between Newcastle and Edinburgh: the A1 is quicker and gives stunning views of the North Sea and Bass Rock. More breathtaking still, is the A68.

You head out of the historic city of Newcastle on the A696, picking up the A68 slicing diagonally across the very edge of the Northumberland National Park, Kielder Forest to the left, the untamed Cheviot hills looming ahead to the north.

The A68 high up at Carter Bar on the edge of the Cheviots is a perfect spot to stop and stare at the sunset. The Border Country lies before you as the sun dips over the land. The sky turns orange and the hills darken to silhouettes. As the road is rarely busy here, you can simply pull over and watch from your car.

Assuming you’ve driven the route in daytime, the views along this next section are stunning. The light changes here, taking on an ethereal blue tinge, the further north you journey. Heavy clouds often hang overhead, but a dark mood suits this landscape, as does the winter snow.

The few towns have a rich history for example, Jeburgh, home of Mary Queen of Scots,. It’s well worth a short detour to Scott’s View near St Boswells, where you can view the long-legged Leaderfoot viaduct crossing the River Tweed in the valley below.

This once carried the East Coast main line between Carlisle and Edinburgh and is a marvel of Victorian engineering. You can also linger on a bench at Scott’s view, reputed to be one of Sir Walter Scott’s favourite views of Border Country.

Brown signs will temp you to more stops at forests and ancient homes such as the Thirlstane Castle stately home.

Past the border into Scotland, the Lammermuir Hills rise to the east of the road, the Moorfoot hills to the west. The town of Pathhead boasts a fine bridge over the Tyne by Thomas Telford, and finally Edinburgh awaits your arrival.

Back to Blog