THE region's roads are simply smiles ahead when it comes to putting a grin on the face of Britain's normally frustrated motorists.

For a survey to find the nation's favourite roads crowned the unclassified Buttertubs Pass, between Muker and Hawes, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park as Britain's' number one.

The region claimed four other smile-inducing drives in the top ten Honda survey of more than 2,000 motorists across the UK.

"We were amazed at the warmth with which people spoke about their favourite stretches and there are some fantastic roads in the top ten," said a Honda spokesman.

TV's Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, is among those who named Buttertubs Pass as his favourite, describing it as "England's only truly spectacular road''.

Linking Swaledale with Wensleydale, it includes challenging hills, tight bends and some spectacular scenery.

Yesterday, Wensleydale councillor and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority member John Blackie said he was delighted it had won deserved recognition.

"It is fabulous news and great to see the dales in the national spotlight," he said.

"People who drive across the pass often say they feel like they have been on top of the world - although we should warn the unwary the road can be extremely inhospitable in winter.''

In second spot came the A686 between Corbridge and Penrith, which includes the upper reaches of Weardale and the heart of Gilderdale Forest.

Drivers do not have to travelvery much further to join the nation's third favourite stretch of road - the "twisting, turning, terrific" A69 between Hexham and Newcastle.

Other roads in the region to make the list were the stretch of the A1 Western Bypass as it passes the Angel of the North in Gateshead and the A19 between Thirsk and York.

"It's not surprising people enjoy driving in the region," said a spokesman for the regional development agency, One NorthEast.

"We have significantly less congestion than other major urban areas and our countryside is hard to beat."

However, a puzzled spokes-man for North Yorkshire County Council found the A19's popularity hard to fathom.

"It may be straight, but it has a terrible accident record; just ask people who live in Thormanby who have been campaigning for a bypass for years," he said.