Driving from Edinburgh to York

I found it quite easy. Everyone is different, of course, but for me, within a few minutes, I was quite at ease driving on the left. Now I had driven on the left in Scotland the year before, and in England back in 1996. But really, it's not the driving on the left that is difficult—it's more dealing with some of the roads. But the roads from Edinburgh to York are relatively easy and even driving through the Dales is isn't bad. There are quite a few double track roads, and the single track roads are not as narrow as you would find in Cornwall or the Highlands. Roundabouts can be tricky if there are multiple lanes, but I just kept an eye on Google maps on CarPlay, and turned when it said to turn.

Thank you. There are some roundabouts now in San Francisco --although not double lane. It seems like the Yorkshire Dales might have a few single-track roads. As long as I can see the approaching car --they're not hidden behind too much of a curve, I think it should be ok.

You will find a lot of passing places wherever there are single-track roads. And UK drivers are used to watching out for tourist drivers. :-) Just make sure you use proper etiquette. Here is a short video that should help you understand the do's and don'ts of driving on single track roads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RWwKgCVhuQ

One of the advantages of getting a bit confused in a roundabout is that you can just keep circling till you figure it out. :-D That said, most of the issues with roundabouts arise because you have to be in a certain lane to exit the roundabout, so it helps if you can compute that in your head from the driving directions before you enter. And, as I said, if you get in the wrong lane, just circle around till you can get to the right one.

As a British driver here in the Isle of Skye I encounter very many drivers who are clearly unfamiliar with our roads. The things I notice most are;
1. Road positioning. Those used to driving left hand drive cars often seen to have trouble keeping to the centre of their lane. Often they drive too far over to the left, which, on roads with no kerbs at the edge, can lead to them destroying tyres on the very sharp tarmac edges. This summer has seemed particularly bad, with every journey home from work encountering at least one poor tourist waiting by their rental car for the tyre repair van to get to them.

2. Driving very slowly. I think it's important to be aware of the different speed limits for the various different types of road that you will encounter. Generally 20 or 30mph in urban areas, 60mph on single carriageway roads outside urban areas, and 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways. There is a sign (unfamiliar to those not used to driving in the UK) which indicates the 'national speed limit' (60 or 70 mph depending on type of road) applies. This is a round sign with a diagonal black stripe on a white background.
However, the issue I notice most here in Skye is not tourists driving too fast, but rather driving extremely slowly. While not against the law (except in rare cases where minimum speed limits can apply), it causes a lot of frustration for those caught in the resulting queue. Best advice is to check your mirrors and pull over when safe to do so in order to allow faster traffic to pass. This is particularly the case on single track roads with passing places.

It might be worth you obtaining a copy of the UK Highway Code (available via Amazon and many other places) to familiarise yourself with the rules of the road in the UK. There's a good section on road signs for example.

One thing worth considering is to use Google Street View to familiarise yourself with what the road looks like. The route from Edinburgh to York is largely on the A1, whiich on that route varies all the way from single carriageway through dual carriage way and motorway. The A19 is an alternative from just north of Newcastle and depending on roadworks around Newcastle may be worth considering but there is a tolled tunnel on the route which is pay on line.

But GSV does give an idea on most of the roads.

there is an immense amount of history between Edinburgh and York, so give yourself sufficient time to explore

https://englandsnortheast.co.uk/

but if you're heading directly to York then let the train take the strain https://www.lner.co.uk/

The drive from Edinburgh to York is easy and you’ll be fine. The tricky part is always navigating in urban locations, and that’s hard even for us Brits in unfamiliar towns and cites with so many bus lanes and bus only roads. Google maps is great but you can easily go wrong and find yourself somewhere you shouldn’t be!

One thing, York has limited (and expensive) parking, so make sure your hotel has parking available for you.

roads. As long as I can see the approaching car --they're not hidden behind too much of a curve,

Some oncoming cars will be hidden until they are very close to you and you need to be prepared for that.

Without delving too deeply into single track road driving tips (you probably won't end up on any unless you're right off the beaten track on the moors) I can think of another couple of points I could raise. I'm making sweeping generalisations about both countries that I'm open to being points of discussion, but some things to think about.

Observations: Driving in the UK means you have to be looking, looking, looking. It's probably overstating it to say you need to have your head on a swivel, but you'll probably find that you need to be a lot more aware of the road and other road users than you would be in the US. There's not so many straight, wide roads where you can switch off and zone out. Don't just look at what's six feet in front of your hood, look ahead and assess what's coming up. Using your mirrors is important too.

No (very few) stop signs / four-way stops: Coming to a dead stop at intersections isn't always necessary in the UK. If you can roll up and if there's no-one coming, just go right ahead. Roundabouts will often be where a four-way stop would be in the US. Yield to traffic coming from your right on the roundabout. Again, look ahead and if you're clear, no need to come to a dead stop. Stop signs do exist, but they're only used at blind intersections where you don't have a clear view of what's coming on the road you're joining.

Lane discipline: On a major road with more than one lane in each direction, keep in the left lane as much as you can. The right hand lane, or the middle lane if there's three lanes, are only to be used for overtaking. Look to get back over left whenever it's safe to do so after overtaking. From what I see of the US, it seems to be a bit of a free-for-all on multi-lane highways where everyone just uses whatever lane they fancy. You're going to make some enemies driving on the A1 / M1 down to York if you do that. Don't be a "middle lane hogger". Expect an Audi or BMW to be tailgating you frantically flashing their lights if you're out in the right hand lane cruising along if you're not overtaking.

Narrow lanes / parked cars: Quite often in town you'll encounter a situation where there's only room for one car to pass on a two way street. If there's a parked car on your side of the street, pull in behind it in a way that doesn't require "Austin Powers'ing" out of and yield to the person coming the other direction. Others will do the same for you if the situation is reversed. The same applies if the road goes down to one lane for "traffic calming" measures. A flash of the brights means "come ahead". Courtesy and consideration for other road users is how UK drivers get along most of the time. Of course there's always going to be exceptions if you're hesitant or too pushy. A wave to acknowledge yielding or courteous driving is the norm. A small gesture with a few fingers raised from the top of the steering wheel is enough.

Using a phone or other device while driving is a big no-no. Cops are usually courteous if you do encounter them on the road and there's generally not a culture of unreasonable ticketing. You will almost certainly get a ticket for that if you get caught.

Read "The Highway Code" and have a basic familiarity with road signs, especially as our towns and cities become more and more low traffic or car free with fines for breaching the rules. These are more often than not enforced with cameras snapping your licence plate than a cop standing by the road. Same goes for speeding.

A few things to think about anyway.

The drive from Edinburgh to York is easy and you’ll be fine.

This, plus everything GerryM says.

I would add: speed cameras. I’m assuming these are not widely used in America based on the number of forum members who report getting speeding tickets in Europe. Speed cameras are common place and there are also average speed restrictions with cameras at the start and end of a section of road.

One thing I need to add is that GerryM said maybe we don't need to be as attentive and "keep our heads on a swivel" so much in the USA as one needs to in England. He appears not to have driven in Chicago, Houston or Southern California. :o)

I think the thing I was basing that around is that it's a different kind of observant here, from what I can tell. You've driven over here. Don't you agree? Observations are what you get hammered for not doing in a UK driving test; mirror, signal, manoeuvre is the drill that you are taught here. There's probably something similar in the US.

It's interesting when you watch UK police drivers in training or advanced driving training. They have an exercise where you're calling out everything you see and identifying hazards as you go, looking right down the road so you have fair warning. I thought maybe this is the sort of thing that isn't talked about so much in US driver training culture as it's not as necessary on the largely less challenging roads out there.

I've never driven in the US, but I base a lot of my knowledge from watching closely how people drive in videos because I'm a bit of a car enthusiast.

I would add: speed cameras. I’m assuming these are not widely used in America based on the number of forum members who report getting speeding tickets in Europe. Speed cameras are common place and there are also average speed restrictions with cameras at the start and end of a section of road.

I wholeheartedly agree! I was VERY careful about watching my speed when driving in the UK. As Helen noted, they have cameras at designated road sections that will check you coming and leaving that section, and if you arrive at the end too quickly for the posted speed limit, they will ding you for speeding. If someone comes up behind you and wants to pass, just get over at the next passing place so they can go through, but don't speed up (unless you can do so legally).

I do wonder if some of the US and Canadians get caught out due to the legacy of the double nickel? Watching Canada's Worst Driver, it is great and they do the narrated drive which is a useful skill, some of the limits are treated as 'guidelines'. Though how did some of the people get a licence??

Any who, keep below the limits. The locals know which ones can be pushed, and which can't. You as a visitor won't and that applies to me elsewhere in the UK, I got a speeding ticket in the east of England at a speed on a similar road I'd be 'ok' with here. You can't tell who is local from the licence plate beyond a vague regional clue.

There are also driving channels on YouTube from Driving instructors, examples Ashley Neal and Conquer Driving, who although aimed at people learning to drive in the UK are possibly useful for visitors to have a look at.

Thank you for all this great advice from everyone. I'm going to try to stop in Alnwick and maybe some other places on my way through York to Harrogate --decided to stay in Harrogate. Planning on leaving Edinburgh around 10 a.m.

Frankly, if you are planning to do this drive all in one day then I would forget the car and take a train. The drive is perfectly possible in a day but driving will be considerably more stressful than a train, where you will have plenty of time to enjoy the countryside. If you're nervous about driving then you really will see very little beyond the vehicles around you. And the train will drop you right in the middle of York, a short walk from plenty of hotels. You could still hire a car for a day or two when there to tour the Dales.

How you react to driving on the "wrong" side of the road is very much a personal thing. Some people, like Mardee, find it pretty straightforward. Others absolutely hate it. The older you are when you first do it, the more challenging you are likely to find it. I first drove on the other side in the US in my 20s in the mid 70s and I have since done it pretty much every year for almost 50 years now, given that pretty much everywhere else in Europe drives on the right. So, I'm used to it - I can't say that it's second nature but I'm pretty relaxed. But if I were doing it for the first time now, in my early 70s, it would be somewhat more of a challenge.

I'm committed to driving. Going to start a little earlier thought. Off to the airport. Not sure how to close this thread. Thanks for all your help everyone!