We are renting a car for two weeks to travel around southern England and Wales (south of Birmingham). I have a couple of questions:

1. Am I better off with a GPS? Never used one before, but last summer in Italy I really would have liked one. Maps (at least the ones I had) were insufficient. We will be driving on some smaller roads. What is a good GPS package for the UK?

2. Does the UK have those nice little radar flash boxes like Italy and the Netherlands? If so, I need to start beating that into the driver's head. He got at least three speeding tickets in two weeks last summer.

3. Do any of the highways have tolls? I don't think I saw any tolls other than the bridge into Wales, but maybe I am wrong.

4. Do I need an international driver's license? Nothing mentioned in any travel guide I have.

5. Are there no car zone restrictions in cities or towns outside of London like there are in Italy?

Thank you very much for your insight.

1.GPS useful, but not essential. Can lead you seriously astray if you don't also use common sense. A map is better for finding smaller, more interesting roads.

2.Yes they have speed cameras. Some places have more than others.

3.There is a toll on one part of the M6, but you can take the busier, toll free alternative, and on the Thames crossing on the M25. A couple of bridges/causeways have tolls in Wales, but you can avoid them too if you choose. That's where a map comes in handy.

4.No you don't need an IDP

5.Not that I am aware of - someone living there will be more up to date on that - I only visit a couple of times a year now.

1. Yes, I strongly recommend a GPS, preferable a European-made one like Tom-Tom. Also, a good map is useful to find scenic roads.

2. Expect many, many speed cameras, both mobile and fixed.

3. As PP has said.

4. No.

5. Yes, e.g. in Oxford.

Some answers, which are just my own point of view.

1. I do not use a satnav, and am happy to just use maps, which are easier when you are planning your route. Maps of various scales are easily and cheaply available in Britain. Satnav is increasingly popular, however, especially if you do not have a co-driver to navigate for you.

2. We do not have radar boxes like those in Italy. Static speed cameras are painted yellow, are high up, and are usually fairly visible. There are also mobile cameras, usually concealed in a car or van which has a camera symbol on the side. In addition, motorway road works often have average speed cameras, which measure the time you take to travel between two points. Although most speed cameras are visible, it is still easy to miss them, or notice them too late. The best advice is to drive within the speed limit.

3. There is a section of the M6 north of Birmingham which has tolls, but there is also a toll-free alternative, which is usually much more congested. Other major river crossings may have tolls.

4. My understanding is that you do not need an international driving permit if your licence is in English.

5. Central London has a congestion charge of £8 per day. There are many other places with restrictions on using a car at certain times of the day. You just have to look out for the signs. As far as I am aware, camera enforcement is not used in the same way it is in Italy.

You can pick up a Satnav at major supermarkets for less than £100, On the internet for around £60 (but more difficult unless you have somewhere to post it to) I would recommend one - I find driving in Italy, at least during the first hour or so, just the reminder of which way to go around the traffic circle is useful.

If you don't want a satnav, then the AA routefinder or Viamichelin websites are useful.

One possible alternative to SatNav - if you have a fairly up-to-date Nokia mobile phone, Nokia maps is surprisingly good in lieu of true SatNav.

2. Speed cameras are generally highly publicised (they're there to get you to slow down, not to extract fines, though a certain sort of naive cynic insists on maintaining the opposite). But it's still easy to forget them.

They're rare on motorways, where currently police rarely bother with speeding. They're as common as flu in January on major two-lane rural roads, where the 50 mph limit is easy to overlook, and getting snapped is practically guaranteed. Braindead visitors from the suburbs often don't realise this, and harrass sensible people observing the limit. Ignore them: they'll get fined within nanoseconds of angrily flashing their lights at you.

5. Complete "no car" zones, all'italiana, scarcely exist in Britain. But many cities - from gems like Oxford to utter dumps like Waterlooville - have signs around a number of streets in the centre banning all cars, or all except buses and sometimes taxis, for certain times of the day. We now intuitively know to look for the various signs banning entry: it's easy for foreign visitors to miss them <b> and many SatNav systems haven't got them programmed in </b>. Both Bath and Oxford councils make money from the consequent fines.

When heading into a city centre, be very aware of possible no entry signs, anf <b> Do not rely on SatNav alone </b>

2. Speed cameras - be aware of average speed cameras on motorways. They do not take a snapshot of your speed but film your plate then again at the next camera and work out your average speed. You will always see the legions of idiots who brake just before them in some inane attempt to avoid a fine.
You cannot miss them them are huge yellow affairs that look like spectacles and are situated in road works.

Get a GPS with voice to text (ie says name of road rather than just 'take next right")
Do not be a slave to GPS, the nature of the rural areas is that roads are mis-identified or ignored in some GPS. Use common sense at all times, a compass is a great idea!!

Speed cameras are everywhere, are fickle and as another poster mentioned, can lead to erratic and annoying driver habits. Just stick to the posted speed limits, you are on vacation!!

Tolls are rare, as stated above, other than some major bridges and small newer section of M6

IDP not necessary but is cheap easy and can lend peace of mind if this is your first time driving. If carrying USA driver licence, you're fine, since they have so much ID info on them.

Lots of villages and older town centres are pedestrian/bus only, but do not charge a fee -- though parking fees can be hideously expensive!

What flanner said with an addition

The M6 - just before the M6 toll junction has a variable speed limit and just after you get on the M6 toll it is common to see people pulled over by the same unmarked police car.

ANd if you do get a sat nav they (well my tom tom does so I'm assuming others do)can be set to tell you if you are going over the speed limit and ifyou are aproaching speed cameras.

<<< 4. My understanding is that you do not need an international driving permit if your licence is in English. >>>

No, it's if the government decides you don't need an IDP for their country. For example France doesn't require an IDP for US licences, but Spain, Italy & Greece do

<<< 5. Are there no car zone restrictions in cities or towns outside of London like there are in Italy? >>>

Aside from what has been mentioned you need to watch out for bus lanes from which cars are generally totally banned. In some cases this is 24x7. In others you may use the bus lane if it's the evening or weekend. The rules will be posted

<<< 2. Does the UK have those nice little radar flash boxes like Italy and the Netherlands? If so, I need to start beating that into the driver's head. He got at least three speeding tickets in two weeks last summer. >>>

Whilst speed cameras are clearly marked and anyone who gets done through them is an idiot, you may also find innocent looking white vans parked on the side of the road that have speed cameras fitted in them. You can also find police with hairdryers (also speed guns) and unmarked police cars which will have similar.

My advice - if you are going faster than the rest of the traffic then they know something you don't. So follow what the local traffic is doing.

One other bit of advice - if you find you have a clear road ahead of you please look in your rear mirror. The odds are there's a queue of traffic behind you dying to get past

"But many cities - from gems like Oxford to utter dumps like Waterlooville - have signs around a number of streets in the centre banning all cars, or all except buses and sometimes taxis, for certain times of the day."

Flanner, I'll guess you've had a bad experience in lovely Waterlooville, am I right?

There's the Swinford Toll Bridge! We were out for a drive on Sunday and weren't expecting any tolls so we panicked a bit until we saw the cost -- 5p!

Oh -- and I'm a big believer in SatNav. We rely on ours 100% and have never been lead astray in the UK. We've never experienced any of the "Turn right" into a field or river urban legends that abound. The only trouble we've had was in the Mosel Valley in Germany.

Thank you everyone. I am still unsure whether or not to get SatNav. I think it would be helpful in certain situations, but perhaps not worth the price for only two weeks.

My FiL has a 4 y.o. Tom Tom. How much are update packages in the UK if I decide to bring his and buy one there last minute?

The update package costs almost as much as a new SatNav. Just take the old one - it will be 98% correct.

I always found that in UK, orientation in cities is easiest in the world. The signage is good, and there are excellent markings on the tarmac (long before the junction/roundabout you see which lane to take).

On the countryside, however, things often get nasty. Be prepared for extremely narrow, hedged or walled and winding one-lane roads. It is a special experience to face a lorry on a steep incline and to pull back several hundred yards to the next pullout.

Borrow the TomTom and update it with recent
UK maps!

There is no reason, aside from being a Luddite,
NOT to make use of GPS if the technology is available. I am sure there were those back in the day who scoffed at Mercator and said "I've never used a map and don't plan to start!" Do all these 'don't bother with GPS' types insist on taking a steamship to Europe instead of flying? Technology moves ahead so you might as well move with it!

Do you absolutely need a GPS? No. I have driven thousands of kilometers in Britain and the continent without... but after using one for a 2 thousand KM trip in France I wouldn't be without my TomTom again. It is not a substitute for paper maps but is a valuable addition.

Borrow or buy... get one from Walmart for under a hundred bucks and download UK maps for another 60 or so. But get one before you go so you can learn how to use it and program it with all the extra info that is available from the TomTom site.

Don't 'buy an update package' once you are in the UK... they are typically downloaded and you may not have a computer or decent enough internet
connection.

Rob

The Tom Tom from poster's FIL won't have any UK maps on it if it is a US version so upload it before you go.
OR
Call your car rental agency and see if you can get a GPS from them as many do now.

Many city centres are no car zones or one way systems so keep an eye out for signs.

If you're still undecided, let me add a few more thoughts about a GPS.

They can be so much more than just maps! When driving on motorways ours will tell us how long until the next service station and the one after that. They are not as frequent as gas stations on the freeways in the states. Of course, there are signs, but I tend to miss them because I am busy watching the scenery, other drivers, etc.

Our SatNav will also help us locate restaurants, fast food and otherwise. You probably won't have a screaming 4 year old in your back seat, but I can't tell you how many times that feature has come in handy!

It will locate other things as well, tourist attractions, museums, shopping, tourist information booths, parks and recreation, etc. These things don't always appear on maps. Of course, you may be more prepared than I am and will hunt all of these things down in advance.

One other amazing feature is the Point of Interest near the Cursor. We went to the beach one Saturday. It was way too windy to stay very long, but there we were, all ready for an Adventure, 2 hours from home and looking for something to do. SatNav found us a castle to visit, Portchester Castle. Since then P. Castle has become one of our family favorites! We never would have found it without our SatNav.

Okay -- that's enough SatNav worship from me. It just makes perfect sense to either rent one or update your FIL's before you leave. I assume you're already spending $1000's on this trip. $100 or so more to alleviate stress and maybe add to your adventure seems like an easy choice.

Have Fun!

Very well put BKP! There is so much more to
a GPS device than just follwoing a route!