OldGuyTraveler

I'm planning a trip across middle England. From Boston US to Dublin, then accross the Irish Sea to Holyhead. From there I'll travel to Shrewsbury and spend a few days there sightseeing and visiting the local environs, including side trips to Chester and Worcester. Then on to York.

I have ruled out buses because I couldn't find schedules to all the places I want to go. There are trains to all these places, but the times are not optimal, and I couldn't just go out into the surrounding country.

I am leaning toward renting an auto but have some reservations. I drive on the right side here in the US, and although I could drive on the left, I feel if in got into a "situation" my right hand driving skills would automatically kick in and I would find myself on the wrong side of the road. Also, I might not feel comfortable driving in the cities.

Any comments about trains in this area or about us US trained drivers driving in England would be greatly appreciated.

bilboburgler

Well the issue of driving in the UK is tricky, one you have to remember to drive on the correct side (you may get an error after stepping out of the car for just a few minutes) so you need a friend to remind you.

Generally cars are smaller and lanes are much smaller so you need to concentrate, traffic can be faster but you can come across fast moving traffic with only a small gap between cars. Of special concern on your journey may be the M62 which should be avoided between 8am and 10 am, 4 pm and 6pm. I drive it and it scares the willies out of me.

Trains are very good and the websites seat61.com and http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ have the best info.

Combining public transport is more interesting and for this you need http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2...epeatingloop=Y which manages to combine a lot of websites into one.

janisj

"|>>I feel if in got into a "situation" my right hand driving skills would automatically kick in and I would find myself on the wrong side of the road.<<

That generally is VERY hard to do since you are also on the other side of the car and your 'natural instincts' will help you stay where you belong

>>Also, I might not feel comfortable driving in the cities.<<

That is an entirely different situation. Driving in most 'cities' is difficult - and just like in San Francisco, or Manhattan - there public transport is easier.

I do have a question w/ you overall plan though - it almost sounds like you are treating the whole journey (Dublin > York) as one drive. You really don't want to take a car rented in Ireland across to England.

OldGuyTraveler

Thanks for your replies. I will be flying into Dublin and taking the ferry on foot. I will either catch a train or pick up a car in Holyhead. There are both car rentals and a train station there.

Dukey1

Here's what I would do and I LOVE train travel; rent an AUTOMATIC shift car.

Yes, it will be more expensive than using a stick but in my own experience (and I am a very experienced stick shift driver) you then only have to remember to make "wide right" turns and "narrow" 90-degree left ones. Also, once you figure out where your left front bumper actually is you'll be OK.

I would also strongly suggest you get a car equipped with a GPS.

You CAN do this. The first time I actually drove a car in the UK it took about one minute to "get used to" it.

And those roundabouts (or "rotaries" as they are sometimes called here in the US): piece of cake. Don't panic and remember you can stay IN one as long as you want.

dwdvagamundo

When we were in England with a rented standard shift car, only the passenger was nervous because one is used to having control when sitting in the "driver's seat." We're going back again soon and plan on renting another car.

Pegontheroad

I've rented in both England and Ireland. I became used to driving in these countries right away, though I did have a fender bender once when I was driving from a 2-lane road to a dual carriageway. It was late in the day, I was tired and I got confused.

My lesson from this contretemps was to limit the amount of time I drive in one day--usually 3 hours. I was used to driving a stick shift, but I agree that renting a car with an automatic transmission makes one less thing to worry about.

Several years later, I drove for two weeks in Ireland and had no trouble. No more confusion.

Driving with a passenger actually helped me when we were in narrow roads. She (my sister) would gasp when I got too near the rock wall on the right side of the car. It was quite helpful.

hetismij2

Drive it. Millions of people manage to drive on the wrong side of the road every year, whether on the left in the UK/Ireland/Australia etc, or on the right.

Take your time, enjoy the scenery, explore a bit. Avoid motorways if you can and take the scenic roads - plenty of those on your route.

We go to the UK in a LHD car, which is more confusing than renting a RHD car, simply because it is what we are used to driving all the time.
An automatic will prevent you from trying to change gear with the door handle, but you would quickly get the hang of changing gear in a RHD car, assuming you can drive a manual.