UK Driving
 

I'm doing initial planning for a trip to England, probably in very late spring or early summer. I traveled in England 25 years ago and have no problem being on my own. But I am extremely reluctant to drive on the "other" side of the road! In reading over other postings re UK travel, I don't see anyone being reluctant to rent a car! Am I being silly? I would never drive around London, but how about the countryside? Cornwall area? I would rather take trains; my friend who lives over there says the British trains are totally unreliable and i shouldn't take them! I haven't seen a bus tour to my liking. Appreciate any input!
Joan

you would master the driving quite quickly...the issue might arise when you are on small roads and the locals speed and don't give way to make passing each other easy .....get a very small car if you do....automatic will add significantly to your costs....you will see much more and more freedom with a car

Took me about 2 hours to adjust (get an automatic...much easier). AFter that I found I LOVED it.

An automatic will definitely be more expensive, but it will alleviate a lot of anxiety, as well.

If someone in your home state were driving on the wrong side of the road, you'd avoid him, by driving on the wrong side of the road, correct? It's the same in England, only everybody drives on the wrong side. You could even practice in the country with no traffic.
Where you DO need to be wary is on the narrow country lanes (e.g. Cotswolds) where the road seems no wider than a driveway to a one stall garage. But it's still very doable, traumatic the first day perhaps, but the next day one merely muddles through, the third day you're a veteran.

It's not the driving that's difficult but the traffic is scary. Even on little, and I do mean little, sideroad, you have to be very alert. The Brits drive fast, know their roads and don't have a lot of patience. My husband and I visit England every year, do a lot of driving in and around villages but don't find all of it easy. Nonetheless I would still choose to drive otherwise you are sure to miss out on the best parts of the country. I agree, get a small car, automatic,insurance, and go for it but be careful and don't expect the traffic to be really slow because you are in the vicinity of a sleepy village.

Forgot to add:
My favorite thing about driving in the UK is that, on the motorways, the british know they meaning of the words "passing lane", which so many Americans do not. Their passing lane is, of course, on the right and if you are in the right lane (and not currently passing someone) you will be made well aware. Ditto that people will get out of your way to pass in that lane pronto. Its FAB!

It is the being alone and driving which will add difficulty. I find it awkward to read a map while entering a roundabout at 30 mph even with a wife to hold it up in front of me.

It's illegal to stay in the passing lane unless you are, in fact, passing another car. Once you've passed the car(s), then you are required to move back over.

Brimham, its also illegal to do the same in many US states...apparently most drivers are unaware.

I had a friend who was always going to strange places by herself. She wrote the directions on small pieces of paper, stuck them to the dash and as she made each turn, she ripped the piece of paper off the dash and tossed it on the seat beside her. That way she only had to read the paper on the far left. It worked for her.

Have fun.

I would not practice driving at home as suggested as it will only confuse you. The main reason it is easy to adjust to being on the "wrong" side is that the driver is already sitting on the "wrong" side. All you really have to remember is that the driver is to the center and when you turn a corner to kept left -- or keep yourself as the driver to the center of the street.

<I would rather take trains; my friend who lives over there says the British trains are totally unreliable and i shouldn't take them!> Joan, be sure to remember this when you are sitting in traffic someplace and you see one of those totally unreliable trains go zipping by. You may want to ask your friend how many train journeys he has taken in the past year, and how many of those did not get to their destination or were substantially late getting there. I suspect you will find that this is one of those "everybody knows" facts, "everybody" being people that don't take trains but enjoy massive tie-ups on the M25. Rental cars are great to go places where trains don't go; otherwise trains are better.

joanm, I will be trying driving in the UK for the first time in a few weeks. I am nervous about it, but not _that_ nervous.

Last year I rented a car in France and was almost as nervous about driving where I wouldn't know the language on the signs. It was a pleasant experience and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

Keith

Driving in the very centre of London is "easier" as many of the roads are one-way and as such you do not need to worry about what side to drive on. However, directions could pose another hazard.

I would never rent a car in Britain. I'm afraid I just couldn't successfully drive on the left when I've been accustomed to driving on the right all my life. I read once that half the road accidents in Britain are caused by foreign tourists from countries where they drive on the right. The stress and worry of it would ruin my vacation, even if I didn't crash. While some may say the U.K. trains are unreliable, at least they HAVE a comprehensive train network that you can actually use for travel, something we have very little of in the U.S. In three visits to Britain I've always bought a BritRail pass, and by coincidence, just yesterday received my BritRail pass in the mail for my next trip there at the end of March. Not only do you not have to worry about driving in different manner than you're used to, but you also get to sit and watch the scenery and eat your lunch from the trolly of bufet car (I love how they pronounce it "Buffy" instead of "bufFAY", I kind of expect to find a vampire slayer there!) rather than watching the road and trying to read a map while negotiating a roundabout. I'd say go for the train option, you can go almost anywhere on them. I've only experienced one delay in my British train travels, between Edinburgh and London when a fire at a train station down the track delayed us for two hours. Like ron said, better to be on an "unreliable" train than stuck in traffic. FWIW, my vote is train, yay, rental car, nay.

I have lived in Britain all my life and have never heard of a buffet being prounounced ""buffy"" sometime "boo-fay" , but usually "buff-ay". Put your hearing aids in dear!

Wow- you've all given me a lot to think about! Yes, I can't imagine that the trains are really that consistently unreliable. After all, OTHER foreign travelers are taking them all the time, right? I don't want to insult my American friend, who is married to an Englishman, but I am a bit skeptical about her opinion. Her husband had no problem driving my car over here! I do drive stick shift at home, but I imagine an automatic would certainly free some of my mental capacities while driving! I might consider taking trains to main hubs, then hire a car for exploring villages. My main intersts are the southern coast and SW areas, so any other driving considerations you can suggest would be appreciated. When you say renting an automatic is expensive, can you give me an idea? Would it be twice as much as a standard?

My husband prefers a stick shift in the U.K.; he says that shifting with his left hand reminds him he's driving on the "wrong" side of the road.

I had no problem remembering which side of the road I was on, but I did have some difficulty judging distances off the right-hand side of the car.

Trains are unreliable in the sense that they more often than not do not stick to the timetable, often being hours late. For the tourist who does not need to be somewhere within a narrow time limit they can represent a valid alternative to hiring a car.

However, out of most European countries, namely Italy and France, British drivers tend to be more considerate to other road users, and more careful. Although I never hire a car on holiday - the wrong side of the road, perhaps you'd feel comfortable doing so.

If you consider yourself a competant driver in the US you should be fine.

Maybe hire an automatic or get some practice stateside with a stickshift before the trip.

Trains are an option but driving will give you a lot more freedom. You can also keep everything in the trunk when you arrive somewhere which makes touring so much easier.

Some would say this is excessive, but you could always get a driving lesson for an hour when you get to the UK. I am sure a driving instructor would be more than happy to take you out for a quick lesson on UK driving and this might give you added confidence and also make you aware of where you might make mistakes.

Go to aa.com or maybe the British School of Motoring (BSM). A lesson will cost £15-£30 for one hour.

1. Reliability of trains - It depends on what you're comparing to! If you're from Germany or Switzerland, then I think you'll find the British trains not very reliable. But if you're from the US and compare that to AMTRAK, then the British railroads are doing extremely well.

2. Driving - In general, you'll get used to the left/right issue very quickly. However, pay extra attention when:

- driving at night on roads with little traffic
- making turns. You may want to draw a figure and stick it on your steering wheel. You turn WIDE when turning right, and CLOSE TO CURB when turning left. That's usually when people get confused.

Just one small point.

Who is to say which country drives on the wrong side. The British might say the Americans drive on the wrong side, and vice versa.

Also watch out for crossing the road when you are a pedistrian. The traffic is coming from the opposite direction. Look both ways two times and you should be fine.

Bill

joanm, you can go to one of the airline sites to get prices on car rentals. We have rented a few times from BA and found their prices to be competitive and for the car we rent, the rates between the stick and automatic were negligible.

A couple of facts might help your decision. I can't comment on the difficulty of driving on the proper side, as like most Brits, I simply can't get it into my head that people struggle to change sides. We do it all the time, and it's really easy. Especially if you don't think too much. But:

1. It's just nonsense to claim that trains "more often than not don't stick to the timetable". On average, 15% or so of two-hour plus journeys are 15 minutes late or more. If you're running a business (as I do) that depends on your getting to meetings on time, or need to catch a connection, you take an earlier train. If you're on holiday, this poor punctuality rarely matters a train driver's whistle.
2. Your chances of sticking to a car-based timetable are pretty much the same. Our roads are clogged too.
3. But none of that matters much either. The real problem with Britain's (and France's and Italy's) rail system is that it doesn't reach a lot of the places you might want to go to. So you need to check the network map at www.nationalrail.co.uk to see if it can get you where you want to go. If it does, you don't need a car. If it doesn't (and "Cornwall" doesn't cut it: you need to be clear about wherevexactly you want to be) it's time for plan B
4. Plan B might be buses. See www.carlberry.co.uk for a set of rural timetables (though triple check, as the site's getting a bit long in the tooth)
5. If neither the train nor the buses (real buses, not tour buses)work, then you need to decide about cars. Relying on cabs will bankrupt you. Distances are too great to walk. Hitchhiking is eccentric.
6. If it hasn't been made clear already, your friend's a moron. If his/her judgement is as ill-founded on other things, think very hard about believing any advice you might get from him/her on anything. I mean it.

HI!

I was also very reluctant to drive over there as well, but, once I actually got in the car and started off, it didn't take long to adjust! I've done it for the last 4 trips and now enjoy it and wouldn't get around any other way. Though, I have never driven in London itself, I've done Manchester and Edinburgh, but, do prefer the areas outside the hustle and bustle!
Just try to keep in mind when turning onto a road from wherever, that it's a "big right and little left"...always worked for me! :-)

On our last trip to England I drove and absolutely hated it. I eventually got the hang of it, but it took a couple of very stressful days. On the other hand, I very much enjoyed the trains. They were certainly reliable enough for our purposes. Try a rail/drive package. Take the train when you need a break from driving at break-neck speed on narrow twisting roads.

Thanks, FlannerUK. Coming from a native, your advice will be heeded! I will check out the websites you listed. I already have more confidence about taking long distance trains and driving in England! I am also a "leftie" so it might be easier for me to shift on the left! I'm not quite sure on what my friend bases her assertion that the trains are "bad." Ta!

"Who is to say which country drives on the wrong side."

That is easy...everyone! Whatever side you are used to is the "correct" side.

Keith

Found this article in the NY Times on travelling by public transport in Cornwall. Hope it helps all of you reluctant to drive.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/22/travel/22qna.html

You must register for the NY Times but it is free.

My experience two years ago has left me reluctant to drive again, although we had no accidents. I got used to driving on the opposite side of the road easily enough. The biggest problem was finding our way. We got lost time and time again (and we had fine maps). Directional signs on smaller roads always come too late, are obscured by foliage or other vehicles, or worse, there is a pole with 6 or 7 arrows at a roundabout which you can see for at most 1 or 2 seconds before you go by it.

British country roads are very narrow, there are seldom shoulders, just hedges or stone walls, visibility ahead is severely limited by curves, hills and trees and the above mentioned hedges and walls. If you drive, one problem seldom mentioned is being aware of where the left side of the car is; if you are not careful you will scrape it against those stone walls and hedges. All that said, it does give you much more flexibility. Just be aware that distances are very deceptive: 30 miles can take a very long time, unless you are on a motor way.

Have a great trip.

Hundreds of thousands of Brits (myself included) swap to the other side of the road every year when they go over to continental Europe so sure you won't have any problem. At least you're not planning driving in Italy - now that's an experience. You'd miss a huge amount (not least freedom) if you didn't drive - but I wouldn't recommend driving in or around London (where I live). Train out to where you're going and rent a car there.

Don?t worry about driving on the other side of the road its amazing how quickly you will get used to it.
I have driven in many parts of the US and also France Germany Spain and Belgium which are all what you would refer to as the other side of the road from my point of view with no problems.
You will miss out on so much if you decide not to drive.
One tip avoid big cities if you can.