AMERICAN visitors to the south west could find their holiday experience going rapidly down hill this summer.

Especially if they follow advice issued by the one of their tourism offices.

The South West Coast Path has been named as the UK’s second favourite driving route, despite being a path closed to all vehicles, bar in places the odd farm tractor.

The research has been published by the Illinois Office of Tourism. It was commissioned to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Route 66 – the famous US?highway that once linked President Barack Obama’s home city of Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California.

London-based PR firm Flieshman-Hillard Fish­burn apparently polled 2,000 Brits to ask them for their favourite road trips across the UK.

The Westcountry’s coastal path missed out on the top spot to the North Coast 500 – a 516-mile stretch of road that covers Scotland’s rugged highland coastline, beginning and ending at Inverness Castle.

The press release states: ‘The picturesque South West Coast Pass (sic), which runs from Somerset along the Devon and Cornwall coasts to Poole in Dorset, was named second favourite followed by the London to Edinburgh Great North Road route on the A1.’

HGV drivers – who already experience enough difficulty navigating through our country lanes – receive no special advice on how to tackle the ‘pass’.

Alex Green, communications officer for the South West Coast Path National Trail, said: ‘It was a surprise to see the South West Coast Path mentioned in the top three UK driving routes, the English equivalent of Route 66, as it’s actually a designated National Trail and represents one of the UK’s finest walking routes.

‘I would agree that it is as iconic as Route 66 and represents a journey that, for many, has proved to be an experience of a lifetime.

‘It is arguably one of the best walks in the world, with its spectacular coastal scenery and 630 miles of continuous coastal access from Minehead to Poole, and it is loved by many.’

Angie Cairns-Sharp, chairman of Dartmouth Tourist Information Centre, said: ‘The South West Coast Path is the most wonderful stretch of coastline and, in particular, the stretch surrounding Dartmouth in both directions is absolutely breathtaking.

‘We often hear from visitors how they have enjoyed this stretch the best from its 630 miles, and they often base themselves in Dart­mouth for a number of days.

‘It truly is a national treasure and attracts people from all over the world­ – but it is for walkers and possibly their dogs, with certainly no room for cars!!

‘Although the coastal road for this stretch should also not be missed by road users, and Dartmouth and the surrounding area was promoted as the best scenic bus route by the Telegraph travel writer Andrew Gilligan a few years ago, as he travelled the south west coast from Sandbanks in Dorset to Plymouth by bus.

‘There is also the area’s new major road, of course, the South Devon Highway, which is extremely functional but not at all scenic I’m afraid!’

Sarah Stride, acting general manager for Visit South Devon, said: ‘The South West Coast Path is without doubt one of the jewels in the crown of south Devon.

‘It’s heartening to think that US tourists would associate its iconic status with that of Route 66, even if they’d be surprised to discover that it’s a path rather than a road.

‘Clearly their research wasn’t up to scratch, but the sentiment, echoed in the fact the coast path is a favourite among visitors to the area, comes as no surprise.’

The mistake brings to mind another non-existent South Hams tourist hot­spot – the fictional Kings­bridge Cathedral, from Ken Follett’s novel The Pillars of the Earth, which was adapted for television in 2010.

Samantha Short, manager of Kingsbridge Tourist Inform­­ation Centre, said: ‘We know that many visitors to the South Hams would love to drive along the coast path to Kingsbridge Cath­edral, but unfortunately this just isn’t possible.’

The Illinois Office of Tourism was unavailable for comment.