The freedom of the freeway used to be an exclusively male preserve - think Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider. But ever since Thelma and Louise put the pedal to the metal in the early nineties, women too have been discovering the joys of the road trip. So fill up your tank, connect your iPod to the car stereo - and head out on the highway...

An afternoon spin - London to Brighton
A speedy jaunt that you can easily complete in a couple of hours. Begin in central London (a great excuse to sneak in a shopping trip), and take the A23 south. As the hustle of the capital opens up to the beautiful countryside of the Weald, and then the South Downs, you'll get a real feeling of freedom.

Soon the road gets quicker (for some of the journey it's actually the M23), letting you experience the lure of the coast, pulling you towards Brighton. The town has changed considerably since the days when Mods and Rockers made the same journey for their seaside confrontations.

In fact, Brighton's not even a town any more - it's been a city since 2000 - and is sometimes nicknamed London-by-the-sea. Cool bars, funky clothes shops, unusual jewellery boutiques (not forgetting shopping mecca, The Lanes) make this the perfect place to unwind after your spin in the car.

Celebsville Central - The Cotswolds
As well as being one of the most beautiful parts of the country, the Cotswolds now rival Beverley Hills as the home of choice for A-list celebs. Whether you're coming from the west or the east, your foot-down fun comes early, as you take the M4 to junction 17.

The Cotswolds Then it's the A429 north towards Cirencester (the great place names start straightaway - you'll see signs for Stanton St. Quintin, Little Somerford and Shipton Moyne). Cirencester itself is a pretty little town, well worth a look. Then take the A417 east.

Just after Fairford, take the left turn to Southrop (home to Kate Moss), then follow the signs back through Hatherop and Coln St. Aldwyn's to Barnsley (no, not that one), where Liz Hurley has her 72-acre estate. Then rejoin the A429 heading north, and just after Bourton-on-the-Water, turn right to Westcote, where Sam Mendes and Kate Winslet share a 14th-century manor house.

Then head up to Stow-on-the-Wold, and along the A429 to the equally picturesque Moreton-in-Marsh. This beautiful road (it's been there since Roman times, though there has been the odd resurfacing) will eventually take you to the M40.

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Top 5 road trips in the UK