Kat

Tips on Driving in the U.K. <BR> <BR>Last month I posted a message requesting help in locating driving maps for the U.K. Forum contributors were generous with their responses, once again demonstrating a lot of savvy. As a result, my perambulations by car throughout the U.K. were rather smoother than they might have been. Perhaps Forum readers will be interested in these Tips on Driving in the U.K. <BR> <BR>Tip #1 <BR>Stay Left <BR>One of the responses I received to my map request beat me to Tip #1 which is: "It is the job of the navigator to constantly mutter (yelling when needed), 'stay left!'" <BR>Corollary to Tip #1 <BR>The navigator must alternate "stay left!" chants, with regular agitated squeals of "Don't hit the curb/wall/hedge/parked car!!!" <BR> <BR>Tip #2 <BR>Avoid 'B' Roads <BR>'B' roads in U.K. are described charitably and with some overstatement as 'secondary roads.' Indeed. 'B' roads are VERY narrow. The first 150 times you meet a truck or bus bearing down on you at 70 miles an hour will cause cardiac paralysis; at the 151st time, you just close your eyes and grit your teeth. <BR> <BR>Tip #3 <BR>The Primacy of Automatic Transmission <BR>Do not fail to rent a car with automatic transmission. Natives usually drive a stick-shift and most rental firms require reservations well in advance for an automatic. And, you really do want an automatic. I drive a stick at home; I even drive a stick in San Francisco . . . and there's no way I could have managed driving a car with the stick-shift on the driver's LEFT side. All, mind you, at the same time one is trying to stay left, not hit the curb / wall / parked car and negotiate round'abouts, which leads to the next tip. <BR> <BR>Tip #4 <BR>Approach Round Abouts Slowly and Be Prepared to Stop Instantly <BR>Round Abouts are an interesting traffic control device invented (apparently) to save money on traffic lights and stop signs. In the U.K., it is believed Round Abouts keep traffic moving smartly because they obviate the need for a car to stop when making turns at an intersection. The first time you meet a Round About three things will happen: 1. You will be paralyzed. 2. when motion is recovered, you will go 'round and 'round the Round About a half dozen times before figuring out how to get off. 3. You then will get off on the wrong road. <BR> <BR>Tip #5 <BR>You must have a navigator. <BR>Although Jim and I never once got lost (a veritable miracle) it is abundantly clear I could not have managed the driving AND the navigating. A navigator also is needed to bolster driver morale. So, the dialog within the car sounds something like this: <BR> <BR>Navigator: "Stay left, DON'T hit the parked car, there's a Round About coming up, you're going to go three-quarters around and head off on the A273, DON'T hit that car, you're doing fine, you're doing great, STAY LEFT, you're great, doing fine, NOOOOOOO, don't hit the wall, doing fine." <BR> <BR>Driver: "oh geez, I AM LEFT, oh geez, I either hit the wall or that truck, oh geez, how can they drive this fast, please pass me another valium, oh geez.

Connie

I posted this but it didn't show up so I'll try again (sorry if it shows up twice). It is so much cheaper to rent a car with stick shift that my husband and I figured a way to conquer the problem of shifting. He does the driving while I do the shifting on command (gearshift is on my right. It works out great! <BR>

George Holt

Re tip #4... You obviously didn't come across any of the roundabouts with traffic lights half way round them! These seem to negate the point of roundabouts and are illogical even to us Brits.

George Holt

Re tip #4... You obviously didn't come across any of the roundabouts with traffic lights half way round them! These seem to negate the point of roundabouts and are illogical even to us Brits.

Robin

Kat, thanks for the tips. Am somewhat panic stricken for our driving tour of the UK coming up next week. Thankfully, booked an automatic although I too drive a stick here at home. I have some experience with roundabouts from my parents small home town in southern Ohio which has one right in the middle of town. Do they work the same way only just in the opposite direction? Kinda scary!

Tony Hughes

<BR>Robin, I am a resident of Edinburgh, Scotland, i hope you are coming this far up the UK , it's far better than most of England ( I've lived all over the UK ) Driving in the UK will take a while to get used to, especially as some of the road signs leave a lot to be desired on the lesser routes. As a roads engineer for our capital I know only too well that we have terrible traffic problems but they are not half as bad as South Eastern England - AVOID THE RUSH HOUR THERE AT ALL COSTS. Manual gearboxes are more economical that automatic transmission and this is important as fuel here can be up to 5 times the cost of the same stuff in the USA. Nevertheless enjoy your trip, dont hesitate to email me for details of stuff throughout Scotland. <BR>

Robin

Tony, we are heading for Edinburgh and the Highlands as ALL friends have raved about Scotland! Most have returned to spend more time in Scotland as they didn't get enough on their trip to the U.K. As for driving an automatic vs. a stick, the cost of gas may be much more expensive, but still probably cheaper than a funeral! Thanks for the information though. Any favorite places in Edinburgh you may recommend?

Adrienne

<BR>Kat, <BR> <BR>Loved your driving tips in the UK. I just returned from two weeks in Scotland (driving about 10 days of the trip). Unfortunately I went with my mother who refused to navigate so it was a bit sticky driving, reading the map, remembering to stay left, and watching for signs. But I managed. <BR> <BR>I would like to add that I rented a car with a manual transmission and I found I needed the ability to down shift as well as using my brakes when I had to stop quickly for sheep running into the road. Those devils can be quick when they want to be. Also, I drove on a lot of single track roads what were windy and hilly and often I couldn't see a car approaching until the last minute. I'd go into my down-shift, break, pull way left mode when this happened. Fortunately the Scots are excellent drivers and my only accident involved a "men working" sign and my left side mirror. <BR> <BR>I found the drivers in Scotland to be very courteous (although very fast). What amazed me is that I didn't see one stop sign the entire time. There were a few "give way" signs but apparantly people know when to stop without being told. Of course, there isn't a lot of traffic compared to what I'm used to in New Jersey. <BR> <BR>The round abouts are great once you get used to them. They really help the flow of traffic. It gets to be an art to approach the round about a cruising speed, look right quickly and determine if you need to stop or keep going. If you need to stop that stick shift comes in handy again. <BR> <BR>To Robin - the round abouts work exactly as they do in the US but you drive toward the left rather than toward the right. The cars already in the circle have the right of way. Just follow the flow of traffic and you'll do fine. <BR> <BR>One more driving tip - watch your gas gauge. Small, hilly roads really eat up the gas. I went from 1/2 tank to fumes while I was watching the scenery. <BR> <BR>

Tony Hughes

Robin !! It would be best if you leave your car at your hotel in Edinburgh and view the city and its sights by bus or, as its fairly compact, on foot.The head of our council is very anti-car and it's almost not worth the bother driving in the city (it's going to be the first city in the UK to have road pricing installed some time in the next 2 years).The red and white buses are great but i would recommend a tour of edinburgh using one of the special tour buses which sit outside the main train station,Waverley, situated right in the heart of the city centre(downtown). Each bus has a guide with microphone showing you the best bits of edinburgh. As a start you should aim to go on the Royal Mile.This is a street ( not quite a mile ) which has the Royal Palace of Holyrood at the bottom, where Mary Queen of Scots lived for a while and also the site of the new Scottish Parliament.The road climbs up to the top of the hill with the Castle situated at the top.This is also worth a look but costs money to get in (as does Holyrood - and most things).Calton hill is also worth seeing.Situated at the east end of Princes street it has an 'acropolis' on top of the hill,leading people to call Edinburgh the Athens of the North ( although I have yet to hear of Athens called the Edinburgh of the South!!)It will be damn cold so wrap up, all of you. Getting out of Edinburgh can be quite tricky so be careful, if you have time email me and i will give you my number/address in case you need anything whilst in Scotland ( the road system is forever changing - roads change number/designation, dissapear, re-appear etc.Again, anything else you need to know just ask.Oh one thing you could do for me - go to the USA forum and look at my question regarding my trip to all 48 lower states next year. I need all the help I can get.Thanks

Mary

<BR>Kat, <BR>Enjoyed your driving tips so much, since <BR>my daughter and I just returned from two <BR>weeks of driving in the UK and you hit <BR>all of the challenges right on the number....I would advise anyone who is <BR>middle aged to be sure to have a navigator....my daughter was too young to be of help, and I returned home more <BR>stressed out, than relaxed...as beautiful as the countryside was, next <BR>time I will either take the train, or go <BR>on a tour of some sort....!! Mary

Ann

Back to the top, for Jill. Enjoy! <BR>

Kat

Back to the top again, this time for Lori.

s.fowler

I got a good laugh from the driving tips! I just have one more to add. NEVER try to give directions quickly to even a slightly dyslexic person under those conditions. I sent my husband and oldest stepson north from London to visit the where the son's had been born. They came back three days later, looking pretty wobbly and reporting that Chris' most frequent exclamation was "Dad LEFT! No Dad the OTHER left!" The car was in better shape than they were!

Kat

Bringing this thread back to the top in response to several recent postings requesting info on driving in the U.K.

Tony

Loved the driving tips, I think?! My wife, my twentysomething daughter and myself will be in UK for 2 weeks this spring. First week will be based in London. Second week, we will be renting a car and heading north. WE plan to head to York and then to Scotland and back to London. Is this a reasonable itinerary? We have a seven day car rental. It's my first time in UK so any information would be appreciated.

bo_jack

It's fairly reasonable. My wife and I did similar a few years back with some friends (two cars -- still friends). However, you would be best off dropping the car in Scotland and taking the train back. You'll be real tired by that time. Get "Rules of the Road" and a good set of maps during the first week, and be careful your first few times into a round-about.

leechase

<BR>Kat <BR>You really made my day! Reading your post brought back so many memories of my first few times driving in Britain. I'm sitting here killing myself laughing! Many of my trips have been with my elderly mother who can't navigate, so I had to drive and navigate. It took a few trips before I wisened up and got an automatic. Thanks for sharing. <BR>Lee <BR>

CS

Kat--I hope I can see through my tears to post this message. My husband and I have laughed so hard at your "spot on" description of driving in the UK, we are exhausted! <BR> <BR>We spent a week in London last April and then picked up our rental car for a 2 week driving tour of northern England, Scotland & Wales. Our original plans were to go directly to York, then Edinburgh, up into the Highlands, the Isle of Skye, Wales, and end up in the Cotswolds before returning to London for the flight home. In the beginning, however, we were unable to negotiate the round abouts successfully; so instead of that nice straight shot to York, we staggered diagonally toward the Cotswolds because that seemed to be the direction of most of our wrong exits from the traffic circles. It is VERY funny now to look back on those experiences;we howled at Kat's descriptions as we remembered ours. <BR> <BR>May I offer one or two additional suggestions to anyone planning to drive in the UK? <BR> <BR>#1. As you approach a round about, chant to yourself "Look to the right...look to the right..." as those coming from that direction have full right of way privileges. Once you are in the whirling dervish of traffic, others attempting to enter the circle must give you the right of way as you approach them. <BR> <BR>#2. I disagree with Kat on only one thing: Don't avoid all "B" roads. Some of the most gorgeous scenery on the entire trip were the B (and worse) roads of the upper Highlands in Scotland and the Isle of Skye. Just plan on going very slowly (more time to look at the bays and firths) and be ready to back up if you and a large vehicle cannot negotiate enough room to creep past one another. There are pull outs designated for just such occurrences. <BR> <BR>All in all, we are glad we rented a standard shift car;the downshifting did come in handy on many occasions. And we were quite proud to return the car in one piece: all mirrors still attached, doors still on, etc. <BR> <BR>Best piece of advice? Don't try to rush through any of the UK in a car. There is just too much to see to speed by it. Slow down and take it all in...you will have a fantastic time. <BR> <BR>So this year, we are going back to London for another week and then driving through Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley in France. We would welcome any hints, tips or suggestions for driving in that part of the world. Thanks in advance...CS

Ginny

Boy, can I relate to this: <BR>Last summer my Mom, Aunt and Uncle came over to visit me in London for two weeks. They decided they wanted to go to Ireland and see the town where one side of our family is from...well, they insisted on renting a car, and they figured since I lived in London that I could drive in England...wrong, I live here, I don't drive here. Well, anyway they are all in their 70's... I figured I would have a better chance of surviving if I drove. <BR>Well, I survived...but, one word of advice...LIMIT YOUR NUMBER OF NAVIGATORS TO ONE PERSON - ALL THREE WERE TRYING TO NAVIGATE AT THE SAME TIME, AND THEN THEY WOULD START TO ARGUE WITH EACH OTHER WHEN I NEEDED ADVICE WHICH WAY TO PROCEED!!! <BR>Mamma Mia, I love them but, it was NOT relaxing in the least.

Richard

Kat, This is about 'saving face'. When you approach the car, open the door and "THERE'S NO STEERING WHEEL", act gallant, usher the passenger into the seat, close the door and slink to the "right" side of the car.