england/scotland escorted/private car
 

We're interested in spending 10 days in early September touring from London through England and Scotland. We'd like to do this, at least in part, by car with a guide/driver. Any suggestions or tips?

Sept should be a beautiful time. No car is necessary in London -- the tube is the BEST. England/Scotland by car is OK even without the guide driver. Renting an automatic is worth the extra...think about shifting with your left hand? Driving was no problem for us...Good luck.

Ten days is not a lot of time, but careful planning will give you a real highlight tour of England/Scotland. I'd be prepared to suggest a potential itinerary (I travel to England annually and tour different sections each time, with my September 1997 trip tentatively planned for the Yorkshire area) but would need to know where you have been before and where your interests lie: scenery, gardens, great golf courses, castles, cathedrals, history, etc. etc. Also, I agree with the first writer, you really don't need to hire a driver in England. I have been there 10 times in the last 9 years and always rent and drive myself around. It's a piece of cake. The roads are wonderful and it really isn't that tricky driving on the other side of the car/road -- at least for a left-hander like me!

Just got back from 10 days of driving in Scotland and England. Except for driving on the left and anoying traffic circles really nothing to it. Get a detailed Michelin map of England and do it without a paid driver. English were very friendly in giving direction and remember , you do speak the language. We did the following; London, Edinburgh, Lake District, York, Nottingham, Oxford, Bath, Winchester and the sites in between. We spent no more than 2 nights per location. Although I saw everything I wanted to see that itineary was exhausting.

As a Brit (who has also lived for a couple of years in the US) I would agree with the other correspondents that you do not need an escort or driver. The roads are easy to drive on BUT, do remember that you are not allowed to filter with the traffic when the lights are on red. On the roundabouts, the simple rule is to give way to traffic from the right. Other than that, there is nothing to give you any real problem. But do avoid having a car in London as it will be much more of a burden than a help.
As far as places to go are concerned, Oxford or Cambridge are well worth a visit and fully justify their "dreaming spires" reputation. However, you will find yourselves among plenty of other tourists. Further over to the west of the country is the Cotswolds, with absolutely beautiful countryside and nowhere near the same amount of visitors (Cheltenham is a good place to base yourselves). Moving further north, I would recommend you take a scenic drive up through the Peak district (just to the east of Manchester) to York. This is my favorite city and much remains of the Roman and medieval architecture. In particular, go to both the museum and the cathedral of York Minster (and see the remains of a 2000 year-old fort in its crypt). One place to avoid, however, is the Nordig Viking Centre - although you will see plenty of queues outside it, it is expensive and contains little more than a 5 minute Disney-type ride.
Moving north you will pass through "James Herriot" country (he lived in Thirsk) and the area is beautiful but avoid the cities except possibly for Carlisle in the west but only if you're close by. Once you get towards the border into Scotland the scenery becomes more rugged and makes an interesting drive.
Edinburgh is a beautiful city and in my opinion far surpasses Glasgow further to the west. The castle is a "must-see" and don't forget to listen for the one o'clock gun fired from its battlements. Although I appreciate you have limited time if you can spare an extra day head north over the Forth road bridge and follow the coast another 40 or so miles into the "Kingdom of Fife". There are plenty of pretty fishing villages en route to St Andrews, which itself is a town with nuch character. if you do get that far, have dinner in "The Grapevine" on Market Street. You must book as it is a tiny little place but the service, atmosphere and food provided by the owner and his wife makes this my favorite restaurant in the country. If you are a golfer then a round on the Old Course is an experience but due to high demand you must put your name forward the previous day to go into a random draw to see if you are allocated a tee time or not (you can do this by phone).
Well, there are a few pointers. Sorry to spout on for so long but I thought you might be interested in the views of a local as well as those of previous visitors! Have a great time (and if you don't like the weather don't worry - it'll probably change in 20 minutes!)

Further to my message above, having just looked it up, the name of that restaurant is "The Vineleaf" and it's on South Street, not Market Street. I obviously remember the food and atmosphere better than the name!!