Driving in UK

My standard advice is if you're not an enthusiastic "wrong side" driver, then let someone else do it. Rather than rent a van for the day, look for a private tour guide who can accommodate your large group. As for the daily transport, would it just be the one participant who needs a ride to/from accommodation at the beginning and end of the day? If so, I would make an arrangement with a taxi company (either ahead or upon arrival) to do all these trips. It sounds like each trip would be so short as to be barely worth a driver's time, but all of them together might be more appealing. If you're wanting to transport the whole group, then renting a van for the whole time might be the most economical.

Have driven in the UK more than once. Took about 30 seconds to adjust to the “ wrong side of the road” reality.

Drove from Dublin to Belfast in my 60’s. Belfast to Cork then onto Dingle in my 70’s. Also in my late 60’s drove from Heathrow to Lyme Regis.

Since conquering LA traffic 35 years ago nothing concerns me about driving in the UK. Will admit roundabouts make me LOL.

Curious why you feel the need to be the designated driver?

Firstly a van in the UK is a commercial vehicle with no seats or windows apart from at the front - what you want is at least a people carrier, maybe a minibus for 9. That is definitely going to be more difficult to drive than a small hire car. The reaction to driving on the "wrong" side seems to affect different people differently. Claudia obviously found it easy, but I have read of others who have reduced to a mental wreck by the process and it doesn't seem to be easily judged by experience.

As above I would be talking to a local taxi firm about your needs as soon as possible. Many small taxi firms in more rural areas have long standing commitments to transporting children to and from school and others to and from hospitals so you need to be able to find someone who can do all you want.

Under the circumstances you describe , I wouldn't do a rental , a taxi would be the better choice . Full disclosure - I've made three extended trips to England and Scotland ( ten weeks each time ) and always used a car , except for large cities like London or Glasgow .T have noticed over the years that the advice about this i runs from one extreme to the other . It is either " a piece of cake " or " an unmitigated horror " . Neither extreme is true . Driving in the UK is a technique that requires patience and practice . The issue of driving on the left isn't really the big deal it's made out to be { you do it at home on a multi lane expressway . ) What does take a bit of getting used to , is that your brain is seeing everything in a mirror image of what you are used to . and that accounts for the confusion .That all said don't let this dissuade you from getting a car but keeping Glastonbury in mind , parking there is really rough .

Thank you everyone!

I've been talking to local taxi companies....the problem is because most sites are within a 5 minute or so drive, so they won't allow pre-booking and also cannot guarantee being available "on call". This could cause a potential problem, not really for the whole group, but at least for that one person who cannot walk long distances.

@Claudia - I stated in my retreat contract that all transportation during the retreat would be provided. In previous locations, this has not been a problem, but as I'm learning....Glastonbury is a different situation. This is a learning experience for sure. :)

I'm leaning toward that mini-van rental....although I'm a bit nervous about the driving changes, I'm sure I can adjust after a time.

I will just add, as someone who lives here but doesn't drive/have a car- trying to book taxis in rural areas really can be a huge pain, as I think you are finding. Even weeks ahead they are often booked up, as many companies are just one person with their own vehicle. And the prices charged can be surprisingly high even for short distances. If you're comfortable driving a van/people carrier I would just do that.

Since your car or minivan rental will be for commercial use, I suggest you check out the insurance requirements involved before deciding to drive.

Cat - you live there. How hard is it to get to Bath from Castle Cary train station to rent a vehicle?

Thank you!

If it’s only one person who needs to be driven could you just rent a normal car instead of a van. Or an alternative idea is to rent a mobility scooter as it seems the distances are very short. A quick Google brings up this company and there probably other options.
https://www.somersetwheelchairhire.co.uk/glastonbury

How hard is it to get to Bath from Castle Cary train station to rent a vehicle?

You could get a train. Takes about 52 minutes.

Yeovil is half the distance that Bath is from Castle Cary (13 miles as opposed to 26), and there is a bus there from Castle Cary- South West Coaches #1 every two hours. I see there is an Enterprise depot at Yeovil.

You can also get to Yeovil direct from London Waterloo (on an Exeter bound train)- from Heathrow take the rail/air bus to Woking to join that train.

Not meaning to throw another monkey wrench into this , but reality is reality . Most vehicles in Europe are stick shift . While getting an automatic transmission is pretty doable in the UK ( especially if you are renting at a large facility ( like an airport ) I would wonder whether a large commercial vehicle ( like a van ) would be obtainable with an automatic transmission . So, two potential issues arise - can you drive manual and even if so , remember that you will be sitting in the right hand seat with the center line on your right instead of your left .

heidi,

I've driven in the U.K. a number of times in a compact car with automatic transmission and had no problems, but it can be challenging at times. I wouldn't have wanted to do that in a van, especially one which had limited visibility. As others have suggested, it would probably be better to use taxis or other local transportation services.

Good luck!

Self-drive 9-seater minivans with automatic transmission are available from many, if not most car rental (car hire) companies in England. Charges vary, but it's reasonable to expect to pay around $150 per day (plus all the insurances for theft, roadside assistance and co-pay reduction insurances that they'll almost always 'recommend'). However, if you and your 8 passengers all have even medium-sized bags, you'll struggle, as the 9-seaters typically have capacity for no more than 4 suitcases.

Following the flow of traffic is easy enough, but you'd have to pay special attention when turning right onto a main road from a one-way street or from a narrow road. One momentary lapse of concentration, and you could find yourself on the 'wrong' side of the road. Similarly, you'd have to take care when entering mini-roundabouts. If there's no other traffic around, it'd be easy enough to turn right onto it by mistake.

Parking could also be a challenge for a 9-seater vehicle. Spaces in England tend to be considerably smaller than those in the US, but you'll always find somewhere suitable if you're prepared to walk a little (which might defeat the object).

Good luck with it.

Just to repeat Jeanm’s point above, if you do decide to hire a mini bus/‘van’ you do need to check that you are covered by the insurance for using it for a commercial purpose. Heaven forbid something goes wrong and you aren’t covered. It might be nothing but worth checking.

If the journey is only 5 minutes and only one person needs assistance you are probably best just arranging a taxi for them for each trip. It should be easy enough to book the night before. If you can avoid school commute times it will be even easier.

I've done the reverse when driving in the US. It calls for preparation, ie planning your journey by map beforehand, even though you will probably have satnav. You need to concentrate 100% on the 50 yards in front of you. It helps if you have a good navigator in the passenger seat.
Remember that a van in the UK is a vehicle that a builder or delivery driver will use and will have no seats or windows in the back. You need to specify people carrier or minibus.

We have rented cars twice to drive around in the UK.
There is a huge adjustment to driving on the left, but if you do so, rent an automatic transmission vehicle, because shifting with your left hand is not a great option.
British drivers tend to be polite, but you still would need to stay focused on the road, especially at intersections when turning. Your instinct is to turn into the wrong lane. My wife was great, reminding me to stay on the left.
Also, don't speed, I tried not to, but still got a speeding ticket for going 35MPH in a 30MPH zone. It was one of those cameras that are all over the UK. In the USA most police wouldn't even stop you for going 5 MPH over.

Parking is a problem in many places. I have been to Glastonbury and parking might not be a big deal there, but in larger cities, it is a problem. Many of the roads are narrow, many with huge hedgerows on both sides, so when another vehicle approaches you from the opposite direction, you must slow down to avoid damage to your vehicle.
I would not undertake to drive for several persons, if you do so, be sure to buy about a $1 million in liability insurance.

I suggest you go on Google Maps and find Glastonbury - then, go on Streetview to see some of the roads in the area. That should give you an ideas of what to expect.

I've driven in England frequnetly (I'm here right now). Do not consider driving a van/minibus in England. The roads at times can be incredibly narrow. You are already disoriented by driving on the "wrong" side of the road, and now you have the challenge of narrow roads with stone walls along both sides. Please hire taxis instead.

A little clarification about " Stone Walls " - Be aware that they are often not plainly visible but hidden by overgrown vegetation . They are the result of land being prepared for agriculture , and the stone stacked to form the walls . Over the decades , the plants that grew over them make the view innocuous and benign . If you think that brushing up against the plant life won't damage the bodywork of a vehicle , you will be in for a surprise .

Click this link and you will be taken to Google Map zoomed down on one of the worst examples of a narrow road with too much traffic. Then click and drag the yellow man to Michaelston Road & click going forward DOWN (north) the hill, over a river bridge and then back up the hill to a village.

Here is a narrow country lane that you might encounter if driving from Bath to Castle Combe. Click here for the Google Map and drag the yellow man onto The Street for Streetview and make sure you are going north. Keep going forward DOWN the hill into the village. Note the lack of passing places - meaning you might have to drive backwards of someone comes the other way. (Fortunately, there are better roads to this village on the north side and you can enter a large parking area and walk into the village).

Hi everyone!

I just want to say thank you and I’m so grateful for all the responses I’ve received

My retreat ended, and I am home from Glastonbury. I did rent the van and found driving over there to be actually easy, even though some of the roads were narrow. I found people very polite about driving and we were able to navigate difficult situations easily.

It only took me about an hour to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road. I just kept chanting to myself…. turn right stay left…. turn left. Stay left!

In the end, I’m very glad I rented the van and would do it again. I’d like to encourage people here to not be afraid to drive in the UK.

Most vehicles in Europe are stick shift .

I know the OP is back but I'm adding this for future readers. I disagree that most vehicles are stick shift. Yes, that used to be the norm but the UK (and most other countries) have been stocking up more and more on cars with automatic transmissions, and there is no longer a scarcity of them. Over the past 10+ years, I've rented cars in the UK (twice), France, Germany (twice), Spain and will be picking up rental cars soon in Iceland and Norway, and have had no problem finding plenty of automatics.

Glad to hear it all worked out well! I hope this is reassuring for others.

Mardee is right. Automatics are becoming much more popular all over Europe. 80% of new cars sold this year in the UK have been automatics partly because of electric and hybrid models. Things are changing very quickly.

to be pedantic, an electric car doesn't have a gearbox at all! Nor do the vast majority of hybrids. But that takes us to another problem, electric car charging is not as widespread as fuel stations and isn't as easy for tourists. And electrics cars are more expensive to buy than petrol, even for fleets, so who pays for that.......?

Even in petrol (gas) cars transmission technology has come so far it's much more practical to have an automatic in a small car these days. Now you've got seven or eight speeds and computer control they work much better in cars with small engines and low torque. The old three speed automatics were a nightmare to drive in something like the Ford Fiesta I used to drive for work. Constantly shifting and having to kick down all the time. I think you may still find manuals at the very low end of budget rentals, possibly more so on the continent than in the UK.

The idea that electric cars are difficult to operate in the UK is somewhat out of date these days. Using one as a hire car is very doable here as long as the hirer does a little homework in advance. And anecdotal evidence from some posters suggests that electric cars are widely available and often cheaper than ICE cars.

We will be driving up to the Outer Hebrides in our electric car in a couple of weeks and I am not envisaging any issues.