Charlotte's Road Trips to Remember

From Donegal's wild Atlantic coastline to winding mountain passes and the snow-dusted Alps, Magee 1866 Creative Director Charlotte's road trips have always been about adventure, comfort and layers made for the journey. Think warming coats pulled tight against the sea air, soft knitwear for alpine mornings, and a picnic blanket, woven in Donegal, always within reach. These are layers made for roads well travelled.

Best Romantic Road Trip: Ardara to Port via Glengesh Pass

I'm not necessarily one for romantic road trips, but if I were, the drive from Ardara to the small pier at Port through the dramatic Glengesh Pass in County Donegal would be hard to beat. In a relatively short distance, this route captures the essence of Donegal: craggy hills, narrow bog roads and peat-stained rivers flowing into glassy lakes, before arriving at a secluded pier overlooking a dramatic stretch of Atlantic coastline. It's the perfect place for a picnic, a sunset and, if you're lucky, a little dolphin watching.

Best Childhood Road Trip: Donegal to the French Alps

My most memorable road trip as a child was our winter journey from Donegal to the French Alps. We travelled from Dublin to Cherbourg by ferry, then spent three or four days driving through France, staying in small hotels, enjoying traditional French food and, of course, stopping for plenty of pâtisserie along the way. This was before Google Maps, so we relied on a paper map and the Michelin Guide. We didn't take a single wrong turn.

The Road Trip I'm Dreaming Of: French Alps to Italy

This summer, we'll take the children from the French Alps into Italy, stopping first in Turin, home to one of our favourite museums, the Armeria Reale, before continuing down to the coast. The coastline here is spectacular, with pastel-coloured houses perched on cliffs above a sparkling sea. More importantly for the children, the roads are filled with dream cars, Ferrari, Bugatti and Lamborghini among them. We'll finish in Lerici, spend a couple of days there, and then continue on to Florence.