Through many a land your journey ran,
And showed the best the world can boast:
Now tell me, traveller, if you can,
The place that pleased you most.
– Henry Van Dyke

Yes, it’s true we run through many-a-roads to get to our destination, but what really matters in the end is not the destination, but the journey. And an inseparable part of the journey is the ROAD! What earlier was a dirt road through the country is now a paved highway running for miles, but the romance to hit the roads and lose oneself on the travels is something that will never change. For centuries, men have toiled to carve roads out of hills and mountains and laid roads in dirt, and in the most scenic of countryside, but the road is only a part of the setting, rest all remains the same – in some places still as beautiful as it was ever since the world came into being. The only add-ons might be some potted plants on a nook or a wild berry shrub that happened to sprout out on a roundabout or the trees on both the sides of the road that meet above to form a canopy. The beauty lies on every bend, around the corner, straight ahead; all we need to do is slow down a bit, for the open road that still softly calls, like a forgotten song of childhood.

Here, we stumbled upon some pictures that speak volumes of the timeless beauty of some roads that we might have missed in our bid to reach the destination.

1. Himalayas

Ladakh, India

A road to heaven (Image Source: blogturismo.com)

2. Mountain Of Fitz Roy

Patagonia, Argentina and Chile

A road is not about milestones but the moments

3. Northwoods

Wisconsin, USA

A bend in the road is not the end (Image Source: Flickr @- Ted_Engler)

4. Blue Ridge Parkway

Virginia, USA

A road through fairyland (Image Source: debbieshelton.com)

5. A591 Road, Lake District

Near Ambleside and Grasmere, England

Pass the pastures peacefully

6. Alfama

Lisboa, Portugal

The cobblestone studded road running down the hill (Image Source: Flickr @Armin_Rodler)

7. Niagara Escarpment

United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State

The road less taken (Image Source: Flickr @Bill_Barber)

8. California State Route 120, Tioga Road

Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Up the hills, down the valley, around the mountains, here we go

9. East Riding of Yorkshire

Great Britain

The country roads always take us closer home

10. La strada, Tuscany

Mugello, Italy

When end is not in sight (Image Source: Flickr @Giuseppe_Moscato)

11. M-94

Looking east towards Munising, Michigan

Celebrate the colourful autumn along the road Image Source: Flickr @James-Marvin-Phelps)

12. Machida

Tokyo

Zooming past this won’t be easy

13. Ambleside and Windemere

England

Let’s get lost (Image Source: Flickr @Mycatkins)

14. Minor Road Near East Kilbride

South Lanarkshire, Great Britain

A vision in white

15. Louisburg to Lenane

Doolough Pass in Southwest County Mayo, Ireland

A road to nowhere (Image Source: @Peter_Mooney)

16. Srinagar-Leh Highway

India

Sometimes, direction-less is the state to be

17. The road to Arthur’s Pass

New Zealand

Seems like a long road, but it’s worth it (Image Source: Flickr @Tom_Hall)

18. Walbach

Alsace, France

The road back home

19. Kancamagus Highway

New Hampshire

Headed towards light (Image Source: Flickr @Nietnagel)

Hopefully, you are not repenting for the road not taken. There’s a lifetime to go back and explore the unexplored and see the unseen that lies beyond what eyes can capture. All we need to do is slow down in our journey to see what could go unnoticed. After all, the roads are an integral part of the majestic landscape; give them a chance to be a journey which ends in a sweet delight.

If you have better experiences or pictures to share from your road journey, do put your comments in the box below.

Deepti Ahuja Balani

People professionally know me as a copy editor, correspondent and a writer, but writing is something I do even when I am not professionally engaged. I like to visit new places, explore, experience different cultures and share my perspective through words. Writing for food, travel and books is something that comes naturally, and is close to my heart.

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