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.