A real life Forza Horizon 4 road trip is a thing of beauty

Forza Horizon 4 has come to the beautiful island of Britain, letting you tear across the countryside from the comfort of your own living room. 

But what's a road trip around Britain really like and how closely does it compare to the game? 

To find out, I took this incredible Jaguar F-Type SVR on a 1,100-mile circular tour of England and Scotland. 

Let's roll.

I started here, in the Peak District.

With narrow, winding roads and cyclists on almost every corner, the Peak District isn't always easy to drive around.

Further north I arrived in the Lake District, which features heavily in the game. 

The weather in the Lake District was rarely on my side, but blue patches poked through occasionally.

Sheep roam free around a lot of Britain and are often found on the roads. Drive with caution.

The Honister Pass in the Lake District -- a long, winding mountain road, only just wide enough for one car. It's not for the faint-hearted. 

The F-Type, with its 5.0-liter V8 engine tackled the pass with ease.

Passing through these "slate gates" at the top of the pass was a slightly daunting experience. 

Winding, but fun. 

The car was always up for a challenge.

Even with thick clouds overhead there's beauty to be found here.

This is a dry stone wall. In Forza, you can drive through these walls without so much as a scratch appearing on your car. 

In real life, they are completely solid and will utterly annihilate your car -- and, most likely, you -- should you attempt to drive through them. 

The F-Type, resplendent in front of Derwent Water -- one of the major lakes that appears in the game. 

The car was a great combination of comfortable and powerful.

Rain plus rural roads equals mud. Lots of mud.

Across the border.

In Scotland, the landscape became more wild.

The clouds pervaded.

Glen Coe was shrouded in thick cloud, with heavy rain beating down on me. Thankfully, harsh weather blows over quite quickly and it wasn't long before the sun peeked through.

Even a bit of blue sky showed up over the amazing drive road that cuts through the valley.

The A82 through Glen Coe is a truly superb driving road.

Hands up, who'd live here?

*raises hand immediately*

The road north further into Scotland was flanked by forests, sweeping moorland and lakes.

Every corner seemed to provide a fresh new view to gaze upon.

Flying the Scottish flag.

I passed over the north part of the Cairngorms national park on a road that is by far the best driving road I have ever been on in Europe. 

Combining wide-open straights, fast bends, tight corners and of course amazing views, the Highlands Tourist Route is equal parts challenging and exhilarating. 

Driving through the Cairngorms means enjoying a lot of beautiful pine forests.

You won't struggle to find castles dotted around the landscape. 

Heading south from the Cairngorms, the road narrowed, but the views remained dramatically moody.

Sheep on the roads were always a concern. I saw several that had been killed. 

The SVR is the most aggressive F-Type Jaguar makes and it's great fun on Scotland's roads.

The Old Military Road, heading south out of the Cairngorms. 

I crossed the Queensferry bridge to make my way toward Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh -- the major city in Forza 4.

Edinburgh is an ancient city, and it's not really built for cars. Traffic is bad, there's little parking and tourists flood the streets.

It's beautiful to visit, but I suggest parking on the outskirts and walking in. 

Forza Horizon 4 reproduces Edinburgh with incredible attention to detail. I was even able to take almost the exact same route through the city in the game as I did in real life.  

Returning to England.

The North West Northumberland coast is wild and often cold, so even beautiful beaches like this are often only populated by dog walkers. 

Bamburgh Castle on the coast, bathing in the last of the evening light. This castle appears in the game and in fact you can purchase it as your home if your funds allow.

It looks very similar to real life, except I wasn't really allowed to drift my F-Type through the doors.

From Bamburgh I headed inland through the expansive Kielder Forest. 

Kielder is known as a dark sky reserve, meaning there's little light pollution due to an overall lack of population in the area. As a result, it feels like a true wilderness as you pass through it.

A reservoir in Kielder, from above.

Continuing south into the Pennines, the roads meandered up and down hills, flanked on all sides by wide expanses of moorland.

The Yorkshire Dales brought narrow country lanes, only big enough for one car. 

It was slow going for much of the journey through the 'Dales, no more so than when I was stuck behind this immense flock of sheep.

Quaint bridges over little streams are not an uncommon sight in Yorkshire.

Nor are wide skies above beautiful farmland.

As the evening closed on my last day on the road, a beautiful sunset flooded the land.

Seeing this hot air balloon bob across the evening sky was a real high point to end my trip.

I finally arrived back in Buxton, tired, but already looking forward to repeating my trip in the virtual game world of Forza Horizon 4.