We all know Route 66 , the most iconic US road. Until recently, there wasn’t really anything equivalent in Europe. Well, it’s no longer the case as we now have route 57! An incredible itinerary which will take you through England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Over 2,500 miles of incredible landscapes, winding roads, charming villages, and 57 must-see destinations along the road.
I received an email about this road trip and thought I should share the info with you because it is currently being driven by Jess Shanahan in an electric car! Yes you heard me well: an electric car!! A KIA Soul EV to be precise and I must admit it looks pretty cute! It may sound incredible to do such a long road trip in an electric car, but this is precisely one of the goal of such an adventure: to bust the myth about electric car range, amongst others.
You can follow Jess on the official Route 57 website: www.route57.org.uk as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. At this point she is in North Scotland and still has one week to go. I would say that by having done 2/3 of the trip, she has already made her challenge a total success!
The Electric Car
Most of us have the wrong perception about electric cars. As fervent road trippers and all things eco friendly, Mr A and I certainly did our research on this topic, and yet we’re guilty as charged. Driving range, price, access to charging stations and style… We weren’t convinced and, I admit, when we bought our new car 3 years ago, we went for a fossil fuel car, instead of an electric one.
This route 57 road trip experiment shows either that we were very wrong, either that things evolved really fast. Not sure, but we are going to look into electric cars again very soon!!
If you’re not yet convinced, you can check out the infography below created by the AA. They bust every misconception people have and especially the ones on driving range and price.
Credit: www.theaa.com
And electric cars are not just eco-friendly, they are quiet!!
It’s not the first time Kia is encouraging road trippers to use electric car. Check out this fun video below. (if video doesn’t appear click on the link)
The Electric Roadmovie from The Electric Roadmovie on Vimeo.
The Route 57 Itinerary
The itinerary is composed of 10 shorter road trips put together. Jess is driving this road in 3 weeks but the total recommended time is 5 to 8 weeks, that is if you want to enjoy each of your stops. You can get more details on the itinerary on this page.
I looked it up closely and it really is an amazingly complete trip. I would still have to add one or two stops to not miss some of the UNESCO World Heritage sites but that’s just me 😉
Plus we would probably skip some bits, like the Scottish part. We’ve already done a 2 weeks road trip there and even if I’m dreaming to go back, there are so many other destinations on our list… Not sure what I would do, really!
One change I would do for sure, if we wanted to drive the whole thing in one go, is to make sure we start and end in the same city as we would have to rent a car. There are ferries between Ireland and Whales so that’s probably the best solution to not have to drive all the way back on the same roads.
Driving in the UK
Driving in the UK may seem daunting because yes, you have to drive on the left and you are probably used to driving on the right side of the road. Fear not, it’s actually much easier than it seems. Once you’re in traffic, it all comes very naturally as you just follow the flow. It’s a little bit harder on smaller roads, when every now and then, you might have an instant of hesitation and panic as you wonder which side of the road you’re suppose to occupy. Your first time on a round about might trigger a little bit of stress as well! But really, it’s far easier than you may think!
