Great Britain
 

We have never traveled abroad before but would like to visit England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales. Is it ridiculous to think of driving around these countries ourselves? We're not too excited about tour groups.

No, it's not ridiculous at all, though tackling all 4 places in one trip, with or without a tour, is daunting. <BR><BR>Last summer we drove around England and Wales and had a great time. Doing the advance research is half the fun! <BR><BR>Do be sure to rent a car that's big enough for all your stuff, and has an automatic transission; you'll have enough to concentrate on just driving on the other side of the road.<BR><BR>Also, distances can be deceiving -- unless you're on the major highways ( the "M" roads), assume that you'll progress at 30 MPH or less.

Foir most people, driving is the best and most economical way to see the UK and Ireland. But do not be too ambitious - do not try to get to Scotland, England, Wales AND Ireland on one trip - unless you have 6 weeks or more.<BR><BR>If like most, you are going for 2 or 3 weeks, pick two (England and Wales, England and Scotland, Scotland and Ireland, etc.) and stick to them. Even then you will just be barely scratching the surface.

Ireland is not part of Great Britain. Neither is Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland, however, is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.<BR><BR>Great Britain is made up of England, Scotland and Wales.

So??

About 3 years ago I visited England for a month and rented a car when we left London after a week (we picked up the car just outside northern London. It was tricky driving on the left and getting used to the round-abouts (they really work!) but it was the greatest way to see the country and we only stayed in England. There are so many beautiful towns, castles, etc. that I gave up thinking about getting into Wales (Scotland I'd already dismissed). You're so much freer with a car and can stay longer or less in a place. You do need a good navigator.

I think it depends on how long you have to visit. If you have a month then you should have plenty of time to get used to driving on the left. My mother and I spent two weeks in Scotland last year and we had planned on driving for 10 of those days. After a day of driving on the left we made the decision to return the car. It was too stressful trying to keep from killing ourselves and I had to concentrate so hard on the driving part that I couldn't enjoy the view. At each stop I would dread getting back into the car. I was told it got easier after about 3 days or so. We opted instead for trains, buses and day trip touring companies. Next time, and I hope there is a next time, I'll look into hiring a private driver along with trains/buses/tours. If you do decide to drive I would have a backup plan just in case. Some people that have posted on this forum give the impression that driving over there is a breeze. It's not. I didn't like the idea of tour groups either. But you could plan it to where you do a little bit of each and once you get there if you feel comfortable driving then go for it. Good Luck.

As Micki points out, British driving is not for everyone. It helps if you (1) get an automatic transmission (2) have a co-pilot to help read maps and signs and to keep chanting "keep left, keep left" (3) drive just an hour or two or even less on the first day or two, so you don't overdose whle you get used to it. We found that it worked well to have just one person to do all the driving, and the other to navigate.