Posted on June 03, 2009 by Fiona Hilliard

Thanks to everyone who entered our recent Ultimate Drive travel writing competition.  We received a huge response and really enjoyed reading about your holiday adventures. Admittedly it was a difficult task selecting the best entries (you are a talented bunch!) but after much to-ing and fro-ing we did manage to whittle down the entries to three overall winners.  Each will receive an iPod Shuffle. 

Congratulations to our winners:

Steve Cawte for his informative piece about driving from San Francisco California to Lakeport California:

“I discovered this route by accident in 2003 while on a motorcycle holiday riding around California and Nevada. Last year, I had a 10-hour layover in San Fran on the way back from another motorcycle vacation to Australia.  I rented a Nissan 350Z (you really need a rear wheel drive car with a bit of get up and go for this one!) from the airport. I headed for Highway 101 across the Golden Gate, (you only pay coming back) and stayed on the 101 for about 2 hours until I hit Hopland (180Kms).  I then turned right on to SR175 to Lakeport. You’ll have one of the best drives ever over a mountain pass, around bends and very little traffic. Best thing is to have a quick stop in Lakeport then come back the same way. If you have some time, turn off the 101 southbound at Healdsburg and head for Guerneville where you can find a great tour of arguably the best champagne producer in CA, Korbel. (closes at 5:00 pm daily). From here, drive to the coast and the fabulous Highway 1. I had to turn back inland at Bodega to join up with the 101 back to the airport, but you can carry on down ‘1′ past Stinson Beach to join up with the 101 again for a great cruise. California roads are in good shape, especially if you are on a bike, but the Nissan was a lot of laughs for a one off rental. Have fun…….”

Allison Watson for her descriptive reflections on travelling the length of Portugal’s coastline:

“Flying to Porto for a 2-week holiday in Portugal, we could see the long coastline stretching forever. We picked up a Ford Focus from Argus and packed-up, luggage, wetsuits and surfboards. Over a week, we drove the entire coast of Portugal. Highlights included Peniche, a typical old fishing town. We drove up and down dirt tracks (sorry Argus – promise the car was fine) and checked out incredibly talented locals and kamikaze foreigners at Coxos and Supertubos. Ericiera is a white-washed, chilled town which just contains locals and surfers. The cooler Atlantic means no touristy mayhem like the Algarve. We stayed in the Ninth Beach eco-lodges in Ericiera. Includes a big outdoor BBQ and freshwater swimming pool! Sintra is a fairy-tale town with castles, overhanging trees and cobbled streets – worth a trip. Over the weekend we drove to Lisbon. The Bairro Alto in Lisbon is a must-do before you die! Try a local tapas restaurant and then some mojitos, really cheap, strong and good! Try to find the bar where you have to ring the doorbell, it’s like a surreal private members club. After Lisbon we drove to Lagos and met our friends for the 2nd week. It’s a great base if you have non-surfer mates. They soaked up sun on the south-coast while we headed west to Sagres and Amado. Even convinced them to give it a shot! They convinced us to come to Aqualand waterpark. I won’t lie, it was great! Drove to a restaurant in the cliffs and watched sunset before a DJ pitched up for a beach-party. Other nights ate, drank and danced to the wee hours in Lagos. People think of Portugal as the Algarve or ignore it. Having driven the length (great roads!) if you want inexpensive, fun, adventurous, good food and wine it’s highly recommended!”

Kristine Harvey for her entertaining tale about driving to Salerno in Italy:

“Planning driving around southern Italy this summer? Don’t forget your deodorant. A burglar’s tool-kit may prove handy too. I’m still reliving last July’s Italian adventure. After its lock broke, I was imprisoned inside a windowless toilet cubicle for 45 minutes. The outside temperature was 106° F. What it was in there, who knows. Desperate needs. Heading from Basilicata’s coast towards Salerno, I couldn’t wait for the Autostrada services. But I enjoy getting off the beaten track… Salandra is definitely not beaten track. Somewhere off the metaponto-Potenza road, it has a ‘motel’ with a cafe that serves as a halt for buses. Infrequent buses. The only soul around was a coffee-pourer. Leaving my Scottish husband to get refreshments, I raced to the outside toilet block. Did he wonder why I was taking so long? No. The dearly beloved was too busy slurping coffee and reading roadmaps. So there I was, shrieking aiuto (help!) and banging the door to no avail. Eventually I heard footsteps. But despite my hollering, the lorry driver first did what he came in to do. This is probably too much information, but it sounded more like a horse. At last, the fellow realised something was amiss. He couldn’t free me, so went to fetch help: the equally useless Scotsman and a cleaner rattling a bunch of 12 keys. None fitted. The cleaner then vanished. Getting ever sweatier, I switched to Anglo-Saxon at its most basic and started cursing the Scotsman. Suddenly, laughter and chattering. ‘’Hello, lady.’’ It turned out to be saviors: Italian boy scouts who had just piled off a mini-bus. It only took them two twirls of a toggle (well, two minutes) to free me. So here’s my tip for an Italian road trip. If you’re ever in Salandra, avoid the middle cubicle…”

Written by Fiona Hilliard

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About the Author:  Fiona likes to travel – especially to cities. Her favourites include: New York, London, Copenhagen, Madrid and Lisbon. Just don't mention budget airlines, baggage restrictions, airport security queues…

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