There's probably a bit of miscommunication here....
Many serious touring bikes for use on asphalt fall into the "road bike" category -- just not the "road race" group. Since you're mentioning Dawes I assume you're in Europe / UK; I don't know the brands too well over there, but Cannondale's touring bike is likely available. Thorn makes good bikes, and Mercian makes some great old-school frames.
If you want something a tad sportier than a true touring bike, many cyclocross bikes are an excellent choice (notably Bianchi Volpe, Surly Cross Check, Kona Jake).
A racing-oriented road bike isn't a good choice, less due to "ruggedness" and more due to comfort and lack of touring amenities like rack mounts, fender clearance and so forth.
You can use a hybrid, but the main problems are: 1) not enough hand positions, and 2) might be too upright of a position. That will slow you down and, for many people, winds up being uncomfortable on longer rides.
Might want to try another LBS....