Two Northumberland Routes have been ranked in the top 20 most scenic driving routes in the UK.

In a study conduced by Collect Service Go, the list of scenic routes was compiled from popular hashtags on Instagram, with two Northumberland routes positioned in third and fifth respectively.

Data shows that online searches for UK road trip have risen by 81% since April 2020, and 53% of Brits are opting for a UK road trip rather than travelling abroad, with 78% of holidaymakers intending to travel by car to their destination.

The Northumberland Coastal Route, which stretches 62 miles from the village of Cresswell in the south to Berwick upon Tweed in the north, came in 3rd place, with more than 75,000 posts.

Along the route, drivers can see Roman ruins, a slew of castles including the mighty Bamburgh, as well as stopping at villages such as Seahouses, Alnmouth and Craster for fish and chips or a pub lunch.

In 5th place was a shorter section of the Coastal Route – the 30 mile stretch from Alnmouth to Holy Island, with 64,890 posts. Travellers will again pass Bamburgh Castle on this route, before ending at the tidal island just off the region’s coast.

Also known as Lindisfarne, Holy Island has a spectacular hilltop castle, and drivers who are staying the night can sample mead made by the island’s monks.

Drivers planning this route should take note of the tide times for crossing Holy Island’s causeway – as vehicles sometimes get stranded when the tide recedes!

The overall most Instagrammed route in the UK was Scotland’s North Coast with 113,747 posts. Norfolk’s Coast Road came in second place with 103,652.