During a recent visit to the pub, my friends and I got talking (read: loudly bickering) about the best driving roads in and around the UK, as we tried to find activities to look forward to after the dark and dreary winter months.

While we regaled each other with tales of life-affirming blasts down Cheddar Gorge, Snake Pass and the Wild Atlantic Way, it struck me that all of the things that make these stretches of Tarmac great can actually be found in one place: the Isle of Man.