Driving in England

I don't know of any, but there was a post on the General Europe board a few weeks ago about Apps for travel that people wished exhisted. I'd post your "idea" there- if such does not exhist, it should and I bet there are folks here who could get it started.

I have driven thousands of miles in the UK...after about 2 days it feels pretty natural. Maybe put a post-it note on the steering wheel "look RIGHT dummy!". The areas that you will be in are not the most difficult driving in the UK. I would say the lanes of Devon and Cornwall are the worst - but two of my favorite places in the UK. Since you are going to the Lakes a great drive is over Hardknott Pass. Be sure to stop and visit the ruins of the Roman fort-pretty cool. IMHO the Cotswolds are run over with tourists. A little TOO cutesy. If your schedule allows, go to north Devon, near Dartmoor. Besides classic English village, Devon has some of the most unspoiled pubs in Britain (assuming you are a pub goer-if so, get the latest edition of the Good Pub Guide, it has led my son and I to some of the finest corners of the UK. If I had my choice between the RS guides or the Good Pub Guide, I would take the latter. Beside the good Mr. Steves was quoted as saying there is not much in the south of England, except maybe Bath). Also, though not in Devon, Glastonbury in Somerset is world-class (yeah, there are tourists there, but there IS a certain feel to the place that, to me, is irresistible. Not too many places have shops that specialize in incense or witchcraft. Glastonbury has both.) BTW, I had to drive on the sidewalk in St. Ives, Cornwall....large delivery truck gave me no option

I agree with Jeff, you'll catch on faster than you think. The good news is that you said "we will be." That means that you will have a navigator! Do get the full collision. I find that I concentrate so strongly on staying left that I often bump the tires on the curb or pick slight scratches. I think that this is pretty common among those of us who are unfamiliar with driving on the left. ; ) Pam

If you are driving on the country roads you shouldnt have a problem, other than occassional lapses- and then seeing the other car on "your' side, quickly straightens you out. And the roadfs are slow. A navigator (another pair of eyes) helps a lot. Actually motorways are generally easier to drive on- all the traffic is going in one direction. re Jeff's post, I had an opposite experience, on a narrow lane in Devon, the driver coming the other way went completely up the bank on the side of the road to allow me ample room to pass.

My first experience was in Australia. I started down the road (on the right/wrong side). The van load I was driving was yelling, "Go left, Go left!" My response was something like, "You want me to turn left?" and laughing while they were screaming. I did get on the correct side before we encountered any traffic. It really did only take a few minutes to get the idea. The hardest part, for me, were the roundabouts. More than the regular intersections, I had a strong desire to go around in the wrong direction. In addition to your post it note saying "Look Right", you should add one for roundabouts saying "Go Left".

Unless you are just not a good driver overall, you pick it up very quickly. Once you are sitting on the right side of the car, it feels natural to keep oncoming traffic on your right. It sounds scarier than it is. It also helps very much to have a navigator to remind you at turns and round-abouts and help keep you from getting lost.