Ireland driving?
Apr 29th, 2003, 06:18 AM
#22
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Just got back yesterday from driving in Ireland.--how true all these comments are!! We stopped many times for directions and the locals didn't know the routes just "go this or that" way! Besides a good navigator with good eyes, my recommondation is a COMPASS. It saved us several times from going off course too far.
Fatality road signs still there. Luckily we never saw an accident-even minor.Hitting a mirror doesn't count,does it??!!!
Fatality road signs still there. Luckily we never saw an accident-even minor.Hitting a mirror doesn't count,does it??!!!
Apr 29th, 2003, 07:31 AM
#23
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That brings up a funny story. We asked one of the locals how to get to the Crystal Factory. She said: "Just go up the road a bit to the second round-about, and turn left."
Off we went, and about a 1/4 mile we hit the first round-about. We kept going and going and going and going until we thought we were lost, when low and behold, we hit the second round-about 15-20 miles later.
Be careful how you ask the question.
Off we went, and about a 1/4 mile we hit the first round-about. We kept going and going and going and going until we thought we were lost, when low and behold, we hit the second round-about 15-20 miles later.
Be careful how you ask the question.
Apr 29th, 2003, 08:09 AM
#24
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wow MEtrvlr, great suggestion. I always travel with a compass. I use to pride myself on being a human compass and never getting lost, until I went to the UK. I imagine Ireland will be the same for me. Never travewl without a compass and a mini mag light flashlight now.
Apr 29th, 2003, 04:51 PM
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One thing that tripped me up at first was taking right turns - I had to keep reminding myself that I needed to go BEYOND the line of cars before turning. I kept wanting to cut the turn short, before the cars - although, thankfully, I never acted on that impulse.
A lot of the roads are very winding (and narrow) - I quickly learned that it helps tremendously if you keep scanning far forward, looking for any kind of movement that would indicate a car is approaching. This way, it doesn't startle you when it appears out of the blue, as you come around a curve - plus you can try to scope out a wider section of road to use when you come parallel with them.
The worst place to sit in the car is the front passenger side - it just feels totally wrong without a wheel, and the hedges/rock walls seem WAY too close. Have some sympathy for your passenger (or have them sit behind you).
I found the roundabouts to be pretty easy, actually. One thing to remember - if you can't find any sign on the roundabout that explicitely points you toward where you're headed, take the exit that continues you on the path you were following (don't veer off right or left). This generally worked well for me (although I won't say I never got lost, by any means!)
Overall, just don't get too nervous about it, and you'll be fine. And as others have suggested, if you find you're getting cars backed up behind you, just pull over and let them go by. (You'll also find that Irish drivers are very daring when passing, so you might not even have to pull over!)
A lot of the roads are very winding (and narrow) - I quickly learned that it helps tremendously if you keep scanning far forward, looking for any kind of movement that would indicate a car is approaching. This way, it doesn't startle you when it appears out of the blue, as you come around a curve - plus you can try to scope out a wider section of road to use when you come parallel with them.
The worst place to sit in the car is the front passenger side - it just feels totally wrong without a wheel, and the hedges/rock walls seem WAY too close. Have some sympathy for your passenger (or have them sit behind you).
I found the roundabouts to be pretty easy, actually. One thing to remember - if you can't find any sign on the roundabout that explicitely points you toward where you're headed, take the exit that continues you on the path you were following (don't veer off right or left). This generally worked well for me (although I won't say I never got lost, by any means!)
Overall, just don't get too nervous about it, and you'll be fine. And as others have suggested, if you find you're getting cars backed up behind you, just pull over and let them go by. (You'll also find that Irish drivers are very daring when passing, so you might not even have to pull over!)
Apr 30th, 2003, 05:31 AM
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We rented a car in Dublin and got a free upgrade for a bigger car. This turned up to be a nightmare, since we had a lot of driving in rural area, and being with a relatively big car, it took us time to get used to the narrow roads.
Driving on the left was a piece of cake. You get used to it in 5 minutes. But the narrow roads.... boy, I'm still shacking.
Driving on the left was a piece of cake. You get used to it in 5 minutes. But the narrow roads.... boy, I'm still shacking.
Apr 30th, 2003, 06:46 AM
#29
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another tip - we found that if we were pretty sure we needed to turn, but none of the roundabout signs made sense , to follow the city center sign.
Usually from the city center, you will see signs pointing in all directions.
Might not be the fastest route, but you will know where you are
and will most likely end up on the correct road.
May 1st, 2003, 09:42 PM
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Two things helped me...
- In the roundabouts, you must yield to the right. Traffic is going clockwise so you ONLY have to look to the right, then merge. Don't bother looking left cause cars on your left yield to you.
- The locals drive super fast. I'm considered a "lead foot" here and I had locals tailgating me all the time cause it was hard for me to go over 45 unless i was on the highway. If you've got one behind you and are on a road that has a shoulder, just move over & drive in the shoulder for a while to let them pass.
- In the roundabouts, you must yield to the right. Traffic is going clockwise so you ONLY have to look to the right, then merge. Don't bother looking left cause cars on your left yield to you.
- The locals drive super fast. I'm considered a "lead foot" here and I had locals tailgating me all the time cause it was hard for me to go over 45 unless i was on the highway. If you've got one behind you and are on a road that has a shoulder, just move over & drive in the shoulder for a while to let them pass.
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