UK’s Happiest Road Trips Named in New Poll
A new poll conducted by leading fuel brand JET has revealed the UK’s happiest road trips. Taking the top spot was the Lake District, followed by Devon to Cornwall and the Peak District coming in third.
Conducted online in June 2023, 2000 UK drivers were asked to take a trip down memory lane and vote for the road trips they have the happiest memories of, as well as define what it is about those trips that makes them happy and how driving makes them feel.
Coming in 8th place was the iconic London bridge, Waterloo Bridge, with 10% of drivers citing the bridge as one of the UK’s happiest road trips. Stonehenge, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, came in 4th with the wildly romantic Norfolk Coast taking the 7th spot. The North Yorkshire Moors/Road to Whitby (5th); the Scottish Borders between Northumberland and Edinburgh (6th); Cotswolds roads (9th) and Snowdonia to Anglesey road trip (10th) also made the top 10.
The poll revealed that 52% of UK drivers experience feelings of happiness and joy with ‘driving through beautiful scenery’ (56%) and ‘a feeling of freedom’ (44%) identified as the top two factors for making driving a happy, pleasurable experience. Other happy-inducing factors included ‘listening to your favourite road trip playlist’ (37%); having uninterrupted ‘deep-and-meaningfuls’ with a partner/family/friends (28%); ‘singing like noone is watching’ (27%) and (although not strictly from a driver’s perspective) being a ‘passenger princess’ – which polled 17% of the votes.
When asked to explain the emotions experienced while on a favourite road trip – UK drivers were surprisingly candid about sharing their feelings. Alongside happiness (the top response taking 52% of the votes), just under half (45%) said that they experience feelings of ‘calm and contentment’ with 42% experiencing ‘excitement’ and one-quarter of UK drivers identifying a feeling of ‘mental clarity’ (23%).
Áine Corkery, Manager, UK Brand, Phillips 66 Limited commented: “At JET, we are all about facilitating and celebrating the joy of driving – and it’s gratifying to see how many UK drivers derive genuine happiness from taking to the road. We have an array of beautiful and spectacular road trips in the UK – ranging from iconic urban bridges through to wild coastal drives and glorious lakes – and as a driver-first company we look forward to being a part of this summer’s road trip adventures and the making of new memories.”
A recent poll conducted by leading fuel brand JET has revealed the UK’s happiest road trips. The Lake District took the top spot with 33% of UK drivers citing the National Park as their happiest road trip, followed by the stunning Devon to Cornwall drive in second place and the dramatic Peak District taking third. Stonehenge, the Norfolk Coast and Waterloo Bridge also made the top 10.
The poll revealed that people’s happiest experiences while driving include taking in beautiful scenery (56%), feeling a sense of freedom (44%) and having uninterrupted deep and meaningful conversations with loved ones (28%). 52% of drivers reported feeling happy and joyous while driving, with 45% feeling calm and content and 42% excited.
Commenting on the poll results, Áine Corkery, Manager, UK Brand, Phillips 66 Limited said: “At JET, we are all about facilitating and celebrating the joy of driving – and it’s gratifying to see how many UK drivers derive genuine happiness from taking to the road. We have an array of beautiful and spectacular road trips in the UK – ranging from iconic urban bridges through to wild coastal drives and glorious lakes – and as a driver-first company we look forward to being a part of this summer’s road trip adventures and the making of new memories.”
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.