The new Ferrari Portofino M is an impeccable companion for exploring the UK and Ireland’s most spectacular roads and rediscovering the British Isles’ hidden gems.

‘M’ stands for Modificata. The updated Portofino has subtle visual changes from its predecessor (which received one of the world’s most coveted design accolades, the Red Dot: Best of the Best), to make it look even more assertive. The main changes are under its pulse-quickening skin, including more power from its 3.9-litre V8 turbo (612bhp, an increase of 20) and a new 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It’s also the first 2+ spider from Maranello’s stable to offer a five-position Manettino, including Race mode, making it adaptable to a more expansive range of driving conditions and missions. It promises to make the road trips documented in this compendium all the more rewarding.

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So, the last year hasn’t all been bad news. And while, for now, it’s still difficult to invite you, our friends and appassionata, to visit Italy, there’s plenty of the good life to enjoy right here in the UK and Ireland until we’re able to travel further again.

Within this guide, you’ll discover our recommendations for the dozen best places to enjoy a Portofino M (or, indeed, your own wheels) throughout England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; roads that are exciting, scenery that is jaw-dropping, and experiences that are fun and Instagrammable. We’ve also suggested nearby destinations that, if you squint, could be in Italy, and how you can savour a taste of bella Italia courtesy of Britain’s population of Italian chefs, baristas, ice cream makers and others.

Journey well and don’t spare the prancing horses.

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ABOVE: 2021 – Ferrari Portofino M drives to be had in Scenic UK and Ireland

ENGLAND

DARTMOOR, DEVON

The painterly bleakness of Dartmoor has encouraged the growth of many legends, not least that of the Hairy Hands – disembodied hirsute mitts that suddenly grab at one’s steering wheel or handle bars and force the victim off the road. It’s a ghost story that pertains to the Postbridge stretch of the B3212, which was purported to have seen an unusually high number of motor vehicle accidents in the early 20th century. So, you have been warned.

The B3212 might have a soulless name, but the unfenced undulating tarmac through the wilds of the moor is brimming with character. It towers and swoops over hills and down valleys, split by crystal streams and edged by treacherous bogs. More than haunting spectres, the main danger here are the sheep, and occasionally cattle, that like to sit prone in the road beyond the crests.

Further information:
www.visitdartmoor.co.uk
www.boveycastle.com
www.dartmoor-prison.co.uk
www.twobridges.co.uk
www.gidleigh.co.uk
www.moretonmotormuseum.co.uk

SNAKE PASS, PEAK DISTRICT

The A57 that stretches across Derbyshire’s Peak District is better known by a more emotive name; the Snake Pass. The A57 starts in Sheffield, to the east, and ends in Glossop in the direction of Manchester. The Snake Pass itself runs from the Ladybower Reservoir at Ashopton, its tarmac rising through the forest and wriggling north west across the Pennines for 14 thrilling miles, plateauing at 510m above sea level.

Further information:
www.visitpeakdistrict.com
www.packhorselongstone.co.uk
www.old-hall-inn.co.uk
www.fischers-baslowhall.co.uk
www.chatsworth.org
www.peakcavern.co.uk

BUTTERTUBS PASS, YORKSHIRE DALES

Yorkshire is not short on epic roads, and the crown jewel is the Buttertubs Pass. Hacking its way over the moody moors, the 6.8 mile-long road – officially titled Cliff Gate Road – weaves its way north from the market town of Hawes to the rural village of Thwaite.

It earns its name from the 20m-deep limestone potholes located beyond the tarmac, for in ye olden days dairy farmers would stop at the summit on hot days to rest, and they would stash their butter in these potholes to keep it from melting. More recently, it has featured on the UK section of the Tour de France. Get ready to react to copycatting Mamils hidden in the dips, therefore.

Further information:
www.yorkshiredales.org.uk
www.simonstonehall.com
www.farmersarmsmuker.co.uk
www.pbinn.co.uk
www.wensleydale.co.uk

HONISTER PASS, LAKE DISTRICT

“I’m making time!” repeated Richard E Grant’s Withnail, and it’s true that there is something about the Lake District that makes you want to put your foot down. England’s most verdant national park, the Lake District is as much a mecca for motorists as it is for hikers and cyclists, provided you can get away from the bottlenecks of Lake Windermere.

The district’s finest uninterrupted driving is to be found on the Honister Pass, which is the section of the B5289 between Seatoller and Gatesgarth. Rising to 356m, it forms part of a scenic circuit. The Honister Pass is only 3.7 miles long, but if you start in Keswick and take the B5289 south past Derwent Water, follow the Honister Pass west and take the right hand turn north up the Newlands Pass to Braithwaite, then take the A66 east for a few minutes back to Keswick, you’ll have racked up 23 miles of smiles.

Further information:
www.thelakedistrict.org
www.honister.com
www.kirkstile.com
www.lenclume.co.uk
www.theforestside.com
www.hop-skip-jump.com

A686, CUMBRIA AND NORTHUMBERLAND

The Pennines never disappoint, and the A686 is a particularly majestic marriage of geography and engineering, full of zig-zagging and gear-changing joy throughout. You will insist on manual-mode here.

The beguiling 37 miles that connect Penrith, Cumbria, with the village of Haydon Bridge in Northumberland ranks as one of the north of England’s top three bits of blacktop. Crossing the River Eden, the road starts climbing and the landscape begins to brown from Melmerby to 580m above sea level at the Hartside summit, providing views across the Solway Firth and to Scotland. In the winter months the road is often snowed over. The well-sighted road leads to Alston, a charming village with quaint cobbled streets which claims to be England’s highest market town (they’re locked in a bragging battle with Buxton). The A686 beyond Alston cruises through another astonishing panorama of windswept upland before blasting down to the River Allen’s wooded gorge and throwing in some more stellar switchbacks for good measure.

Further information:
www.visitcumbria.com
www.visitnorthumberland.com
www.shepherds-inn.co.uk
www.anchorhotelhaydonbridge.com
www.lordcrewearmsblanchland.co.uk

WALES

THE EVO TRIANGLE, SNOWDONIA

Spectacular Snowdonia is Wales’ largest national park and one of the outdoor adventure capitals of these isles. Along with Mount Snowdon and hundreds of hiking trails, it features 50+ lakes, Roman ruins, white water rapids and narrow-gauge railways.

Located in the rolling heart of the Denbigh Moors, the triangle formed between the A5, which runs to the south, A543 to the west and B4501 to the east has earned its nickname thanks to the never-ending number of EVO Magazine (and other) photoshoots that have taken place here since 1998. Car publications have helped make it a mecca for enthusiastic motorists.

Further information:
www.visitsnowdonia.info
www.portmeirion.wales
www.bryntyrchinn.co.uk
www.royaloakhotel.net
www.palehall.co.uk

BLACK MOUNTAIN ROAD, BRECON BEACONS

So wild is the Brecon Beacons’ wilderness, that this is where the SAS train. The roads which criss-cross it are as majestic as the land itself. There’s the B4560, A470, A470, A4059, A4067, and best of all the A4069, aka Black Mountain Road.

Located in the western area of the national park, it’s famous for its twists, dips and climbs, and is known to many petrolheads as ‘the Top Gear road’. Stretching from Upper Brynamman up to Llangadog, it’s 20 miles long and reaches a height of 493m above sea level. From a driving perspective, the road is best tackled from north to south, especially the hairpin known as Tro Gwcw, or ‘Cuckoo Turn’, but the breathtaking views of the Tywi Valley are best appreciated going the other way, so you should turn around and come back the way you came.

Further information:
www.breconbeacons.org
www.walnuttreeinn.com
www.felinfachgriffin.co.uk
www.gliffaeshotel.com

SCOTLAND

NORTH COAST 500

There are many roads around the world capable of vying for the title World’s Greatest. From the scenically spectacular – Australia’s Great Ocean Road, say, or California’s Pacific Coast Highway; and the exciting – Italy’s Stelvio Pass and Mount Fuji’s Touge roads; through to the dangerous – Bolivia’s Yungas Road or, for that matter, Germany’s killer Nürburgring. But we’ll wager that the most joyfully sublime route of them all is right here in the UK: Scotland’s northernmost coastal and highland roads.

It’s become known as the North Coast 500. Some call it Scotland’s Route 66; a 516-mile loop from Inverness to the tip of the isle and circumnavigating back. It’s popular in Summer with supercars, caravans, bikers and cyclists, each tackling it at their own pace but pausing regularly to absorb the cracking views.

Further information:
www.northcoast500.com
www.rocpool.com
www.thedalmore.com
www.thealbannach.co.uk
www.rhueart.co.uk
www.badachrodistillery.com
www.thetorridon.com
www.kishornseafoodbar.co.uk

OLD MILITARY ROAD, THE CAIRNGORMS

The Cairngorms is the UK’s largest national park and home to four of its five tallest mountains. Through it blasts the Old Military Road, which should be savoured like the finest single malt.

This 80-mile stretch of road, which cuts through the ski station at Glenshee, is accessed by heading north towards Perth and then picking up the A93 towards Blairgowrie. The landscape begins to rise after the Bridge of Cally where this fast-flowing A-road becomes something of a rollercoaster. The most spectacular stretch is the Cairnwell Pass which, at 670m, is the highest public road in Britain. The Cairnwell chairlift at Glenshee Ski Centre runs throughout the summer, till the end of September, if you want to top the views you’ve already been enjoying from the car. Skiing itself starts from 19 December.

Further information:
www.visitcairngorms.com
www.ski-glenshee.co.uk
www.thefifearms.com
www.caorunngin.com

A82 FROM DUMBARTON TO GLENCOE

Driving a Ferrari on the A82 towards Glencoe, it’s useful to know that Italy’s version of MI6 is called AISE (Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna), because this is the road that James Bond calls home. Which nation’s secret agents have the better company cars is open to debate.

The A82 starts north west of Glasgow, drives past Dumbarton, and then burrows its way along beautiful Loch Lomond and The Trossachs national park and onto Loch Tulla and the high plateau of Rannoch Moor. Ruler-straight sections give way to an asphalt helter-skelter ride. The vast, peaty moor is positively Tolkien, and narrows towards the Toblerone peak of Buachaille Etive Mor; a lone pyramid guarding the entrance to the valley. Take the unnamed left before the mountain, running along the River Etive, in search of a 007 photo op.

Further information:
www.lochlomond-trossachs.org
www.clachaig.com
www.bridgeoforchy.co.uk
www.innonlochlomond.co.uk

NORTHERN IRELAND

CAUSEWAY COASTAL ROUTE

Skirting the Irish Sea and rugged North Atlantic coast, the Causeway Coastal Route is a scenic drive taking the A2, B15 and A2 again in an arc between Belfast and Londonderry. The journey through County Antrim includes bracing beaches, craggy cliffs, biscuit tin villages, fishing hamlets, sweeping bays and ancient fortresses. Such is its raw, elemental beauty that Lonely Planet has voted it the No.1 region in the world to visit.

Taking the A2 north out of Belfast, with the sea to your right, one passes Carrickfergus Castle, one of Ireland’s best preserved Medieval buildings.

Further information:
www.causewaycoastalroute.com
www.discovernorthernireland.com/gameofthrones
www.londonderryarmshotel.com
www.thefrenchrooms.com
www.amiciportstewart.squarespace.com

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

WILD ATLANTIC WAY

The west coast of Ireland should be included in every top five list of The Most Beautiful Places in the World. The Wild Atlantic Way is a 1,500 mile touring route that starts in the rugged mountains of Donegal in the north, passes through buzzy Galway and ends at the unspoilt southern beaches of Cork, with stunning Atlantic views to the starboard side for much of the way. And along the route, you’ll find incredible seafood and unforgettable pubs. Lots of them. Take your time with this one.

From Donegal, drive south along the N15. As you head towards Sligo you’ll also pass Ben Bulben, Ireland’s answer to Cape Town’s Table Mountain and, just beyond Sligo, Carrowmore which is home to 60 megalithic tombs. From Sligo, take the N4 followed by the N59 and drive west towards Aughris Head, where the fabulous thatched Beach Bar awaits. At Ballina, take the R314 north. One of the most impressive stretches of the Wild Atlantic Way is Dún Briste, a 50m high sea stack upon which the waves smash.

Further information:
www.thewildatlanticway.com
www.thebeachbarsligo.com
www.odowdsseafoodbar.com
www.theghotel.ie
www.glenloabbeyhotel.ie
www.aniarestaurant.ie
www.dingledistillery.ie
www.castlewooddingle.com
www.dinglebayhotel.com

ANGLO -ITALIANO

Where can one experience Ferrari’s homeland without having to leave the British Isles? Allora…

PORTMEIRION:
Portmeirion, in North Wales, is a magical place. Behold, a Mediterranean vision emerging from the dark hills; a merry jumble of domes and turrets in ice-cream shades. Situated on the estuary of the River Dwyryd, it was the lifetime’s work of eccentric landowner and self-taught architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. Many of Portmeirion’s colourful cottages, grottos, tiny castles and towers look Italianate, making a Ferrari Portofino M feel at home. The Hotel Portmeiron offers 14 bedrooms, but you really ought to rent one of the stage set-like self-catering cottages. They promise, like the Ferrari, pure escapism.
www.portmeirion.wales

CLIVEDEN:
Situated just 30 miles west of London, between the M4 and M40 motorways in Berkshire, Cliveden House is one of the most exclusive hotels in the country; a mating of Italian style and British taste. Crowning an outlying ridge of the Chiltern Hills and designed by Sir Charles Barry in 1851, it blends English Palladian architecture with the Italian Cinquecento, rendered in Roman cement. Your Ferrari will be perfectly on point here, its rakish glamour attuned to the house’s history of celebrity and scandal. The ‘Cliveden Set’ in the 1930s were the influencers of their day – thinkers, artists, moguls and movie stars. Then, in July 1961, John Profumo met Christine Keeler beside the swimming pool and the British government was almost brought to its knees. More recently, Meghan Markle spent the night here before her wedding to Prince Harry. If she’d wanted to escape, a Portofino M would make a perfect getaway car. From here, there are wonderful roads that plough into the Chilterns, where you’ll find some of Britain’s best vineyards. Daws Hill, near Chinnor, makes a fabulous range of fruity and crisp fizz.
www.clivedenhouse.co.uk
www.dawshillvineyard.co.uk

PORTHCURNO:
A stone’s throw from Land’s End, the Cornish village of Porthcurno is home to the Minack Theatre. Perched on ragged cliffs, this open-air amphitheatre is Roman in its inspiration and looks like it’s been there for 2,000 years. It conjured romance when it was used as a location in the 1944 film Love Story, with Margaret Lockwood and Stewart Granger. A Portofino M would be an excellent companion on a blast west along the A30, taking in Bodmin Moor and Jamaica Inn, once an epicentre of smuggling. For more luxurious lodgings, check into The Idle Rocks; a 20-room boutique hotel in the pretty little fishing village of St Mawes, which is situated across the Carrick Roads estuary from Falmouth.
www.minack.com/minack-theatre
www.idlerocks.com

Italian restaurants in the UK are enjoying a renaissance, as chefs from the Mediterranean’s boot go back to their roots. Using traditional regional recipes with great British produce and imported delicacies, these five eateries promise the best Italian cooking outside London – or, indeed, Italy.

CALDESI IN CAMPAGNA, BRAY
Montepulciano-born Giancarlo Caldesi is committed to seasonality and sustainability, using Berkshire produce in his regional Italian dishes, which include Tuscan caciucco fish casserole, and slow-cooked beef cheek in red wine. Fine dining in a cosy setting by the Thames, and recommended by the Michelin Guide as well as this one.
www.caldesi.com/caldesi-in-campagna

AMANO, WEST MALLING, KENT
Using high-end Italian ingredients and Kentish farms, Roman Fabio Moschini cooks simple and robust recipes learnt from his grandmother. These include spaghetti carbonara made with guanciale, and chicken escalope with pea risotto. An added bonus is the Grade-II building’s four boutique guest bedrooms, meaning you can order that second bottle of vino.
www.amanorestaurant.co.uk

CIN CIN, BRIGHTON
Cheers in Italian, Cin Cin has just 20 covers at a counter looking into an open kitchen and bar. Owner David Toscano’s family are from Calabria by way of Australia, and David serves updated Sicilian dishes such as tagliatelle with sardines, saffron and pickled sultanas, and fazzoletti served with grey mullet, purple sprouting broccoli and stracciatella cheese.
www.cincin.co.uk

EUSEBI DELI, GLASGOW
What started as an Italian grocery store in Glasgow’s East End back in 1975 has shifted and expanded to the city’s West End, showcasing simple regional dishes and seasonal favourites. They bring tomatoes and herbs in from Calabria, flour from Rome and cured meats from Umbria. The pasta is made fresh on the premises.
www.eusebideli.com

MONO, EDINBURGH
Chic Mono adds modern Italian flair and experimental ingredients to simple traditional dishes, matching vivacious flavours with pristine contemporary presentation. It offers five and seven-course tasting menus, the latter including BBQ mackerel with fennel, orange and white vermouth, and grouse alla Milanese. The wine list is equally forward-thinking, championing lesser-known grapes and regions through independent and sustainable Italian producers.
www.monorestaurant.co.uk

Summer is here and it’s hot in the city. Here are our three tips for top gelato in London.

MARINE ICES, CAMDEN
Launched in London by Italian Gaetano Mansi back in 1931, this ice cream parlour was a pioneer and continues to draw long queues to this day. Go for the nostalgia factor as much as their old-school flavours. Try the Ferrari Rocher.
www.marineices.co.uk

GELATORINO, COVENT GARDEN
Classic artisanal ice cream made for purists and sold in true Italian style, Gelatorino’s ambrosial flavours include amaretto, zabaione and amarena, as well as fruit sorbets. www.gelatorino.com

3BIS’S GELATO, NOTTING HILL AND BOROUGH MARKET
Made in small batches on site each day, 3Bis uses the same Italian ingredients as their two Rimini parlours, such as Sicilian pistachios and Calabrian liquorice, alongside British flavours. www.gelateria3bis.co.uk

In need of a capital pick-me-up before hitting the road? This is the place:

BAR ITALIA, SOHO
Immortalised in song by Pulp, this lively 24-hour Frith Street coffee shop has been perking up thespians, artists, ravers, bohemian office workers and the denizens of London society since 1949, and has been owned by the Polledri family throughout. Their espresso is the liquid equivalent of a turbo-charged V8.

Portofino M messed up your hair? Then find a real Italian barber…

AVANZATO, MAYFAIR
Barber to the stars, Stefan Avanzato will keep you chopped, clippered and combed with his cuts and traditional Italian shaves.
www.avanzatogroominglounge.com

It’s the end of a long day and you’ve earned a restorative after all that driving. The Royal Automobile Club’s mixologist Fabio Ali and his Cocktail Bar colleagues suggest the following Italian aperitivos with a uniquely British twist:

SWEET ESCAPE
This cocktail will transport you to the Amalfi Coast, cruising beside the azure sea in an open-top Ferrari, the late afternoon sun descending and your passenger’s chiffon scarf fluttering in the wind. The London gin and Italian liqueur nods to the cross-continental journey, while the cordial summons the freshness of the Tyrrhenian air. Finished with a crisp English fizz, it’ll refresh the senses like a downshift from your eight-speed ‘box.

Ingredients:
50ml No.3 London dry gin
20ml Italicus (bergamot liqueur)
25ml elderflower and cucumber cordial Spray of rose bitters
Topped up with sparkling English wine

NC500
Each pull of this drink is like a stamp on the throttle, or a kick in a wild stallion’s ribs. Named after the North Coast 500 (as described in this book), this whisky cocktail is evocative of those furthest Highland mountain passes, infused with the sweet and refined taste of Italian liqueur.

Ingredients:
50ml Royal Automobile Club Whisky 25ml Amaretto
10ml Maraschino
Three drops of quince bitters A twist of grapefruit
Topped up with soda water

A ‘MITO’
A Negroni with an anglo-saxon twist. Sweet vermouth is replaced with ‘London mix’, so it has notes of ale and tea. The bitter Campari and addition of cherry liqueur give this aperitif a heightened red glow reminiscent of a certain thoroughbred sports car.

Ingredients:
40ml Sipsmith London Dry Gin
40ml London mix (London Pride beer, Earl Grey tea, sugar) 5ml Cherry Hering
20ml Campari

Tell Fabio what you’re having.
www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk

CREDITS
Text: Adam Hay-Nicholls

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