A Caterham (00)7 and the road to Skyfall make for a truly cinematic adventure, reckons Nik Berg.

The road to Maratea on the Meditaterranean coast of Italy is a real rollercoaster ride, says Simon Heptinstall.

From midnight club meetups to mountain touge runs, the frozen beauty of Hokkaido and the musical thrum of “melody roads” driving in Japan has so much to offer. Here are five of our favourite automotive adventures.

Never let the wild Atlantic weather put you off. The west coast of Ireland is wonderful in any season, says Gavin Conway.

As the best athletes in the world go for gold in Tokyo it got us thinking about the Olympics of driving – so we dived into our archives to bring you winning drives for the Detour Olympics.

If the mountain hairpins of the Targa Florio are too tame then perhaps driving up a volcano will put some fire in your road trip.

This old stagecoach route between Moorpark and Fillmore must be among the most photogenic roads in California.

The Bakhchysarai Highway is one of the world’s most dangerous roads – and not just because it’s in a war zone, says Simon Heptinstall.

The meandrous curves on this circular route will lead you through the fairytale-esque surroundings of Lake Vyrnwy, and the lost village of Llanwddyn that lies beneath its shimmering waters, says Charlotte Vowden.

Spain’s Costa Brava hides one short stretch of sensational old-school road. It’s a glorious sequence of hairy corners, dizzy drops and amazing but distracting views of the Mediterranean hundreds of feet below.

With a highly anticipated Pentagon report on the possible existence of alien life raising eyebrows in the global ufologist community, Luke Ponsford recounts his journey to Area 51.

A g’day – or a more likely a g’week or more – is guaranteed if you take a drive Down Under on one of these remarkable routes.

Whenever Bill Dunn felt Cornwall calling he would just jump in his car and drive. Even when there was sometimes a slim chance of making it.

This little-known Austrian road is likened by locals to a cable car – as it goes straight up a mountain. The route rises 5,000ft… in just seven miles.

Incredibly steep and probably more suited to sheep, the Hardknott Pass is a right of passage for drivers and cyclists, says Simon Heptinstall.

For most road trippers circumnavigating Australia would be a journey of months, maybe even years. John Mahoney did it less than a week. Non stop.

From the hutongs of Beijing to the majesty of the Great Wall, driving in China is a culture shock for Gavin Conway.

How many European countries can you drive through in a 24 hours? Simon Heptinstall once managed an even dozen.

The Toyota GR Yaris on the epic route of the 1993 Network Q RAC rally along the finest roads England, Wales and Scotland have to offer – strap in!

Gavin Green took a Range Rover on an ancient frankincense trail to Oman’s Empty Quarter in search of a lost city. A camel may well have been a better choice.