Driving in England

My experience is that driving on the left isn't as difficult as people perceive it to be. It will take a bit getting used to and it's useful at first to have a navigator to remind you at intersections, but it quickly became routine. I found it far more challenging to navigate narrow roads and unfamiliar signs, but since you're an experienced European driver already, you'll be ready for that.

I have driven in Ireland which also uses the "wrong" side of the road. I had no problems except on drives or small roads with no other traffic. I was extra careful at the round-a-bouts.

Thank you Allan and Bob...my wife is a superior navigator. So I have that going for me. So I presume you did not drive within London and picked up your rentals in nearby suburbs or the like?

Female.

Have done it more than once and each time with a clutch.

Helps to have been born when Truman was President as you had to learn on a clutch and three on a tree.

Have driven all of Ireland and NI. From Belfast to Dingle. Also from LHR to Lyme Regis. LHR to Winchcombe. Then all around the Cotswolds.

Never bothered me to shift with left hand. Maybe because I’m left handed. Who knows?

One thing I do know is that my Brit friends who come to the states never fret about driving here.

Will say when I experienced my first roundabout I laughed as I went around 3 times.

Roads are often small with tall hedges. You’ll see bicyclists, dog walkers, joggers, horseback riders, horse drawn carts, motorcyclists, so slow down, no need to speed.

Happy Travels!

EDIT: belfast to dingle rental agency was in downtown Belfast. Bit of annoying experience but dealt with it. Windows up so no one else heard the cursing

Rentals from LHR were east peasy. Just take a shuttle to and from the car rental locations.

Everyone is different.

We swore off driving on the left after a trip to New Zealand, where we had a rental for a week. Driving in the rural areas was OK, but the towns and cities were tough. We were so relieved to get rid of the car in Queenstown!

And my sister and here husband said they would never drive on the left again after a trip to Ireland, which nearly ruined their marriage.

We love visiting the UK, but we do it all by train plus local bus or taxi. And in the case of Stonehenge, by bicycle from Salisbury (but local bus or taxi would have worked there too).

However, as you probably are aware, the Cotswold towns are not well-served by train. For that and other reasons, we have not been there together. I did tour them years ago, with a travel partner who lived in Australia and was proficient at left-side driving. We did manage to get a parking ticket in one village because we mis-read the signs, and that cost £30.

Aside from a few minutes of reorientation I have never had an issue driving on the right (as a UK driver) - only you can say really!

You can book a train ticket from any operator for any route - however you might not find it all available on every operator. You can also use the officially approved Train Line - excellent app, small fee per ticket (although being phased out) and use the split ticketing methods.

We don’t get a vehicle in London, but get a rental on our other trips to places away from cities. We always pick up and drop off at Heathrow and get an automatic. Adjusting to driving on the left doesn’t take long, but requires more concentration when turning and going around roundabouts. A car is almost a necessity in the Cotswolds depending on which villages who intend on visiting, but the rest of your trip could probably be done by train.

I've driven in the UK a number of times - once I spent about 10 days in England and Wales driving, and another time, I drove for a few days from SW England to outside of London. Those were both in the late 90's, but early this year, I drove for 17 days in Scotland (including many of those single track roads on the islands).

So I can tell you with complete confidence that driving on the the left is no big thing. After the first 2-3 minutes you get the hang of it, and pretty soon it will be second nature. If you are nervous, you might want to pay extra for automatic transmission, as it will be one less thing to think about, but if you're confident in your ability to use a stick shift, you may not need to. I drove with a manual transmission on my first 2 trips, but was conveniently upgraded to an automatic this year in Scotland, and it was nicer not having to worry about shifting.

The roundabouts are probably the weirdest thing because we're so used to driving to the right side of the circle, and in the UK, you drive to the left. But roundabouts are great because if you get in one and get confused, you just keep driving in a circle until you've figured it out. And I speak from experience! :) FWIW, I'm a 68 year old female solo traveler, so if I can do it, anyone can. :)

So I presume you did not drive within London and picked up your rentals in nearby suburbs or the like?

You definitely do not want to drive in London. I made that mistake on my first trip. Leaving was no problem but coming back in during rush hour in the morning almost caused me to lose my mind. I made it but it was a harrowing experience. Ever since then, I've always picked up cars out of town, at an airport, or in an outlying suburb.

Don’t even think of having a car in London and Bath is less than ideal as well.
You can easily get to Stonehenge by public transport in a day trip from either London or Bath.
Stratford is a bit more awkward to get to by train (assuming you mean Stratford-on-Avon and not Stratford in East London), but can be done. Although I would only recommend going there if you have a particular interest in Shakespeare and/or want to see a play there.
The Cotswolds like most other rural areas is much more difficult to see without your own transport, but it remains bewildering to me what drives so many Americans to go there at the expense of much better and less crowded alternatives.

As these posts show, people are very different about left-side driving. I'm in the "no" camp, having had a lot of trouble about ten years ago, even with an automatic shift. And generally I enjoy driving, including in continental Europe. I don't know how you can predict your reaction, and maybe you might as well just try it since a car would be much better in the Cotswolds and generally on the trip you plan.

Get the car at LHR or somewhere else west of London that you can easily reach by train, like Reading or Oxford or Bath. Use a map and Via Michelin to work out an efficient enjoyable route. For some cities, you might find want to use a park-and-ride lot with a shuttle bus into the center. Having a navigator will definitely help, and GPS would also be helpful.

Here's the best site to use for trains, both schedules and ticket-buying. Trains won't get you into the Cotswolds or Stonehenge, but they can get you to places where you can book a van tour (Cotswolds or Stonehenge from Bath) or shuttle bus (Stonehenge from Salisbury).

Let's hope you're like Allan or Claudia instead of me about left-side driving. But if not, you might as well find out. It's not impossible, just harder than I'd like it to be. So give it a try.

It’s usual for us left hand drivers to have to drive on the ‘wrong side’ when travelling. I have never found it difficult to switch and I would say that was the norm. I just remember that as the driver I should be in the middle of the road. There are some people who don’t want to do it but the majority of British people don’t have an issue either driving to France or hiring a car abroad.

I think it’s mind over matter to be honest. Assume you will be fine and just go for it! (Not in London though. That will push you over the edge.)

I would say go for it. You have two things that I see to your advantage. 1) You have previous experience driving in Europe and enjoyed it so you are not a fraidy cat. 2) Your wife is a good navigator and will therefore give you the occasional 'KEEP LEFT' reminder.

Two thoughts about driving right hand drive cars that may or may not apply to you. 1) Go for an automatic transmission. I personally am severely right handed and found shifting gears left handed to be a serious distraction. Fortunately I learned this at work long before I traveled to the UK & Ireland. This may not apply to you but it is something to keep in mind. 2) It will take some time remembering where to look for the inside rear view mirror.

Have a good trip.

I have rented a car in the UK twice, once for 4 days and once for four weeks.

We have driven all over England and South Wales and loved it.
Here are some tips.
1) Rent a car with an automatic transmission, if you rent a manual, you will have to shift with your left hand and it will distract you from focusing on driving.
2) Rent a large enough car to have a trunk (boot) large enough for all your luggage. Leaving luggage and valuables in view in your car can lead to someone breaking into your car.
3) I prefer renting from US car rental companies, since I had a bad experience with Europcar.
4) While driving, concentrate on the road and my wife would help, reminding me to "stay on the left." When turning at an intersection, that is when you are more likely to make a mistake, so focus on staying on the left.
5) Don't speed, I tried to do that, but still got a ticket for 40 GBP for going 35 MPH in a 30 MPH zone.
6) On our last trip of four weeks, we didn't do London, but loved the countryside. I planned every day's travel in advance. Of the 28days we only drove more than 2 hours three times.

When driving in England, stay as far away from big cities like London, Manchester and Birmingham as possible. It is ok to pick your car up at Heathrow, but don't recommend driving far the first day after flying into the country. You could rent from Oxford if you are visiting the Cotswolds, Stratford Upon Avon, Stonehenge and Bath.

For Bath, I recommend the Brooks Guesthouse and the Scallop Shell Restaurant (best fish and chips in England).
For Chipping Campden, recommend the Volunteer Inn. They have the best pub in town and a great Indian restaurant. Also, rooms are nice and spacious. We used Chipping Camden as a base to visit Oxford, Blenheim Palace, Stratford Upon Avon and the Cotswolds.

Since I have run out of space on my previous post,
I wanted to just say that you did not specify how much of the Cotswolds you wanted to see.
Some people just want one day of seeing villages, and the tours I recommended are perfect for that purpose.
If you take a one-day tour, you will not need a car for the Cotswolds, obviously.

Some people who want to see every village in the area (and there are lots of villages) and will be staying for several days in the area do need a car.

It's important to figure out how much time you want to devote to the Cotswolds. Each village has its own personality, but after several days of this in a car, they may all begin to look alike to you.

Husband and I just did a UK driving vacation for 15 days end of May into beginning of June. We picked up and dropped off at Heathrow and did some cathedral towns, the Cotswolds, and a little of Wales. We've driven in Europe before (France, Germany, Belgium) and that was no big deal. In 2021 we drove in Ireland and that was challenging but I thought England and Wales was worse for some reason. I'm an excellent navigator and husband did all the driving. He took it very much in stride but I was a nervous wreck. I don't want to ever do it again.

So I presume you did not drive within London and picked up your
rentals in nearby suburbs or the like?

My first time I picked it up in Bath to tour the Cotswolds and dropped it off at Gatwick. Last Fall we picked up and dropped off in Lewes. An automatic both times. I haven't driven a stick in 40 years and wasn't going to start there.

A big no to driving in London, but we did drive and stay in smaller cities like Salisbury and Canterbury. I found the cities easier to drive on the left than country roads as it was easy to remember which side when you're following traffic.

The ‘via Michelin’ maps recommended by Dick earlier are not accurate. I live in the UK and some roads that are dual highway are marked as having no central reservation.

I suggest you look at Google Maps for places you would like to visit. Zoom down and go to street view to see the type of roads.

For advice on trains see:>https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-britain.htm

The Salisbury to Stonehenge Shuttle Bus mentioned earlier =https://www.thestonehengetour.info/bus-timetable/

Over the years I have seen all sorts of views of North Americans driving in the UK. Some simply won't entertain the idea, some come feeling confident and hating it, some come very cautiously but find it fine and some have no issues at all.
I suspect there is more caution than with UK drivers going the other way as for many it's their first time driving on the "wrong" side and they may well be older (apologies if this doesn't apply to the OP!). In the UK, given that for most places people travel to it's on the other side we get used to it earlier and do it more frequently. Many UK drivers take their cars to Europe where it's even worse - you're driving on the "wrong" side with the steering wheel on the "wrong" side as well.

Much obliged to all the fine men and women who offered advice on driving in England. As we are from Chicago and live our lives in traffic jams, driving in Europe in general is no sweat. But the other side of the road presents its challenges. I am sharing them all with my wife and we will make our decision. But again, to take the time and effort to reply here is both greatly appreciated and all insights will be weighed in making our decision.....

Trains are operated by a number of different companies and they can all sell anyone else's tickets. You will find that sometimes they don't sell everything though, especially if it is a route they are competing with.

There is an official company called Trainline that is fully approved - a great source for tickets as they tend to list everything. They do charge small fees, although have been phasing these out. They also use split ticketing (if you haven't heard of it, A to C via B can be cheaper bought as A to B and B to C, and sometimes it isn't!). And they have a great app for storing tickets, and any rail cards.

Regarding driving, being UK based, personally I don't find driving on the right a problem. But if you have doubts then I would suggest caution. Yes, you might be fine but it's an expensive (or worse) mistake if you aren't.

Many UK drivers take their cars to Europe where it's even worse - you're driving on the "wrong" side with the steering wheel on the "wrong" side as well.

Johnew52, that can be harrowing. Back in the late 1970's, I was in the US Navy and stationed in Okinawa. At that time, residents drove on the right hand side of the road because the US maintained control following WWII. Okinawa returned to Japanese control in the early 70's but it took until 1978 to transition. I was there then and I still remember it.

At 10 pm, every single road on the island was shut down except for emergency vehicles. And that night, everything changed over to left-hand driving - all the traffic signals and signs were moved to allow for the change. The roads opened back up at 6 am the next morning and everyone had to start driving on the left.

I still remember driving to work that morning and having another car driving towards me in the same lane (I was in the correct lane). It was scary as heck. Luckily I didn't have far to drive but there were quite a few major accidents that day. But after that it was weird to be driving on the left with a car designed for the right side, especially with it being a stick shift. It took a while to get adjusted.

And my sister and here husband said they would never drive on the left again after a trip to Ireland, which nearly ruined their marriage.

Same here - my husband and I drove in Ireland and NEVER AGAIN. Lost hubcaps, scraped car on rock walls, the whole 9 yards.

I'm with Lola on this. It just depends on you.

I rented a car in Wales when we were visiting in 2018. Around the countryside it was fine, no problems. But in Chester it was a totally different story. Extremely difficult. I don't know If I'd do it again, unless I could take a train to a very small town and rent the car there and return it there. I envy the people who can just get in the car and drive with no problem.

There is an official company called Trainline that is fully approved

guided travel, - since you say you are a travel advice business you should know that that is not correct.

How is Trainline an official company? Do you mean because it is registered at Companies House like all UK businesses? "Fully approved"? By whom? It is a ticket reselling business. That charges the user.

What can you get from Trainline that you can't get from the many actual real train companies who all sell each others tickets.

If you need to make a change to a ticket in a station does Trainline help at all or just get in the way?

Re: driving on the opposite side...
"It just depends on you."

So true, MaryC! As an educator, I have observed, for example, some extremely bright math students can't do geometry to save their lives, while a typically mediocre student suddenly excels at it. I suspect that in a similar way, making an easy adaptation to driving on the opposite side probably has a lot to do with one's personal learning and perception style.

To the OP, perhaps a plan would be to initially take the public transportation options for a few days at the start of your trip to see how you are adjusting to the reversal. (Just riding the bus made me dizzy!) Then if you feel that you're adapting well, rent the car in a low traffic area and see how it goes. Stay in that general area for a day. If all is well, head off on your small town driving adventure. But if you are finding it stressful or marriage threatening, ditch the darned car back at the rental agency.

Just have an alternative plan to continue your trip by public transport. This is not worth ruining your vacation.

Edit: Hubby who spent several months in New Zealand just suggested arranging a professional driving lesson on your first rental car day. He did that and reports that it helped immensely. Full disclosure though, he did have to return to the hotel bar after the lesson and drink heavily to recover.

Kelly'd,

Nearly ruined their marriage? Holy cow, that must have been really a horrific experience!!

As others have said, each person is different.... some will have a bit of difficulty driving on the "correct" side of road, others will adapt very quickly. As others have said, do NOT drive in London! Also, if you're over 70, be sure to check the rental agency to find out if they have any "age restrictions".

I've driven all over England, and thankfully didn't have any problems. As someone else mentioned, I'm also "older" so fully proficient driving "three on the tree" or "four on the floor". However, as I often travel solo and don't have a navigator, I prefer to rent an automatic as it's one less thing to be concerned with. I always use a GPS / Sat.Nav. and that's been a big help. I've found that driving in country areas is easier than it cities, even with some very narrow roads.

I would recommend spending some time to familiarize yourself with the car and the control layout before you even drive off the rental lot. That way you'll be able to ask the rental agent about anything you're not sure of. Also, familiarize yourself with the road signs, etc. - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519129/know-your-traffic-signs.pdf . You may also find this helpful - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai5N_8doyAg&t=21s .

My usual travel method is to use carefully planned train or bus services whenever possible. I tend to use rental cars strategically, to reach locations that don't have good public transit connections, or where the timing doesn't fit with my itinerary. For my trip to the Cotswolds, I rented the car in Bath. I don't have any credit card coverage for CDW so just use the package offered by the rental agency. It's a bit pricey but I don't want any problems if minor damage does occur.

In addition to travel by train, you could also consider National Express coaches, as they're an easy and inexpensive way to get around. I often use Trainline for booking tickets all over Europe, as it's convenient and provides "one stop shopping". I don't care about the small service fee.

@Nigel

Trainline is accredited by National Rail to provide information, timetables and sell tickets for the UK rail industry. Sorry if I used "approved" instead of "accredited" although that sounds like a pedantic difference.

And never had an issue with Trainline and indeed during strike cancellations they have refunded much quicker than operators. Can't say I have ever need to make a change to a ticket in a station.

What you can get from trainline is a superb app that is superior to all but a couple of the operator and actual transparency as they offer all routes, they don't hide cheaper ones by rivals.

Just because you don't like something, doesn't make it wrong.

By National Rail accredited I presume that you mean RDG? Other than being able to use Darwin along with others I don't find an accreditation on RDG websites nor on Trainline's. I go back many years before RDG, back to when we were called ATOC and that's new terminology to me. Even on the Trainline's own website the nearest it gets is "We sell rail tickets on behalf of all UK rail companies and coach tickets on behalf of National Express, to customers worldwide."

Where is the reference please?

Sorry to the OP for the digression, but I prefer facts.

The Trainline is an accredited supplier for the RDG but that is more in the context of the functionality of their ticketing platform which may be utilised by RDG members rather than their retail side as such. For example Scheidt and Bachmann are also accredited for their ticket machines.

https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/our-services/rdg-accreditation/accreditation-guidance.html
https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/component/zoo/advanced-search/2.html?Itemid=473

In 2008, I offered to take my 80 year old dad to England for a trip to revisit his home country (we moved to the US in the 1960s) and to visit relatives that he had not seen for years due to caring for my mom. I asked him to give me a list of everything and everyone he wanted to see and assured him I would make it work. After looking at the list, I realized the only way to accomplish what he wanted to do in our 10 days was to drive. At this point I had never driven in the England and had always traveled by bus and train when visiting. My 22 year old son and my 16 year old daughter, ever eager for an adventure, offered to accompany us. We carefully planned out the trip, made sure all of the relatives knew we were coming and made our reservations. I studied a book with tips about driving in England and how to navigate roundabouts. We drove over 1300 miles in our 10 days and did everything on my dad's bucket list, including the Normandy coast, traveling through the Channel tunnel, visiting his old neighborhood in Hackney and seeing all of the relatives. Two things made this possible - one, my son is an excellent navigator and was very calm and measured in offering me the information that I was too close on the left or getting ready to turn into the incorrect lane at an intersection and two, my dad sat in the back seat with my daughter. Driving a right hand drive car in France was interesting but accomplished without any mishaps. We visited with my dad's older brother who he had not seen in quite a few years and enjoyed listening to them talk about their RAF service during and after the war. We had a fairly small, automatic car which made navigating the narrow roads easier. I did not find the driving too nerve wracking and felt quite comfortable driving during the entire trip.
I have drive a few times in England since that trip, but never such a long distance in such a short time. My last trip driving in England was in 2022 with my daughter (now 30), we rented a car for part of our trip so we could explore some of the countryside. I noticed immediately that the trucks and other cars on the road are much larger than the last time I was there, even the small car I rented was larger than what I had rented previously. The area we traveled in had mostly single track roads, many with hedges and walls on each side which I found difficult. The biggest difference with this trip was that my daughter is not a good navigator and also tends to not be as calm in her way of offering me information. I found it to be a very stressful part of the trip and was extremely happy when we returned the car and continued our journey by train and bus. At the end of that time I was feeling never again, the anxiety is not worth it to me.
It is most important to do what you feel comfortable doing and to have an excellent navigator. If the thought of driving is giving you angst, investigate other ways you can get to where you want to be.
I will never regret the driving we did with my dad - his brother died several months after our visit. It was well worth it.

Without reading all of the replies, I'll offer my two cents.

I believe the Cotswolds, or any rural area, lend themselves to having a car. I'm sure there are some tours that will bring you to all the predictable places filled with other tourists. If that's what you want, then fine. Personally, I find driving between the smaller villages and going to the villages off the "beaten track" is the main appeal. You likely won't get that with a bus or tour.

As far as driving on the "wrong" side of the road, everyone reacts differently. I didn't find it a problem, but the two things that are a bit odd are as follows:

1. It is not the wrong side of the road as much as the wrong side of the lane That is, if you are used to driving on the right side of the road, you are used to driving with yourself on the left side of whatever lane you are in. If you do that in England, you will quickly put the left side of the car in the ditch.

2. Roundabouts (i.e., "rotaries"). If you aren't used to them you need to get up to speed quickly. But even if you are used to them (I live in New England with lots of them), going clockwise around them will seem unnatural.