Can anyone recommend a scenic country drive to take around the area north of London?

Well I think the only way to really see the countryside is to walk in it or at least stop the car every so often, park it and walk a little. Take the A41 going north from London and take the Berkhamsted turn off; from Berkhamsted drive up the B4506; this leads through the middle of Ashridge a huge wooded National Trust property at the eastern end of the Chiltern Hills; there is a deer park there too; turn into the National Trust car park and walk around a little; you can climb to the top of the Monument there for splendid views. If you have some time left drive to Wendover via Albury, Wigginton and St Leonards. From Wendover make for the little village of Dunsmore and stop for awhile by the lovely duck pond; you'll see a couple of 'Public Footpath' signs there which will lead you to beautiful walks through the woods. Nearby there is a another National Trust Property Coombe Hill, the highest point in the Chiltern Hills complete with car park and extensive views over the Vale of Aylesbury and towards the Cotswolds beyond Oxford. You'll get far more from this drive and find the country roads and little villages more easily if you purchase Ordnance Survey Landranger Map Sheet 165 'Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard' www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/leisure

david is right

No, but there are some nice places, despite me claiming that I hate London. A lot would depend on what you want to see and do, and indeed how far north of London you wish to go. I'd suggest exploring Google Earth, or Microsoft's Virtual Earth and having a whizz around on that. Lots of landmarks on Google have pics, plus you can identify roads, so my advice would be to make it up from there.