Total 911 Great Roads

B4000, Lambourn, UK

• Great Roads
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• Josh Barnett
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• 0 comments

This Great Road was initially published in issue 94 of Total 911.

We’re going to share a bit of an industry secret this entry. As with many things in life, there’s often a hidden story or reason for things turning out as they do. Sometimes it can be obvious, but there are other times in which things may not be so clear.

If you’re a regular motoring magazine reader, then there may be a few spots in the UK you recognise from photo shoots. Wales and the ‘Evo Triangle’ is probably the most obvious, but there are plenty of others, too.

If you’ve travelled around the UK, you may recognise bits of North Yorkshire, South Wales and, in the case of anything with a Porsche, Lambourn in Berkshire. Over the years, lots of Porsches have been shot around here for car magazines. Why, I hear you ask?

The answer is simple. If you get a press loan of a 911 on a short timescale, then Lambourn is the nearest place to head from Porsche GB HQ. When Total 911 had the famous Viper Green ‘YGT’ registration 997 GT3 RS, we were the very last people to drive it before it went off the fleet, and only had it for a few hours.

So last-minute was the loan, in fact, that as soon as we returned it, it went straight on a waiting trailer to be sold. Moreover, thanks to a certain Top Gear presenter driving it the long way around Europe, we were asked to put as few miles on as possible. You guessed it – that meant we went to Lambourn.

This isn’t just a Wikileaks-style big reveal, though; Lambourn really is a great place to head to for roads. We’ll focus our attention on the B4000, but there are others, too.

The area is popular for training racehorses, and the roads through the open, spacious gallops make for very good driving. Often well sighted with enough character to allow enjoyment, it is definitely worthy of a trip.

The B4000 heads north-west out of the village centre, and almost immediately you’ll see its appeal. Threading through a picturesque valley, it is almost the perfect ‘road through scenery’. Ashdown House is on the left, set back from the road, as you roll from apex to apex through some green and pleasant land.

The bends are gentle, and allow time to get the entry and exit via the apex just right, in typical 911 style. It can be addictive stuff. At the speed limit, simply working on getting a good line is enormous fun in such a dynamic car.

Ashbury village appears after a quick six miles, but to add more of a drive I’d suggest turning right on the B4507 past the White Horse at Uffington, and then right again near Childrey onto the B4001 to form something I jokingly refer to as the ‘Lambourn Triangle’.

By contrast, the Uffington road is a totally different to the B4000, with lots of altitude changes and narrow, chicane-like alternating bends for entertainment. It’s slower, but a good time for appreciating the 911’s rear end handling bias. In further contrast, the B4001 is quite straight, but with a steady rise through great views over the gallops back into Lambourn.

So if you’re passing through the area and spot a couple of cars parked up with a photographer in attendance, you’ll now know the reason why – especially if it’s a current registration Porsche!