Driving out of Heathrow

Most rental cars in UK are stick shift. You have to special request an automatic, and the prices almost double, just FYI. Have you driven on the "wrong side of the road and car" before? If not, might I suggest you take a bus or train to the Cottswalds area and pick up a rental there. You could return it to Heathrow if that is where you are flying home from. That first day will be hectic and you will be tired. If you must drive, get a good map and decide which way from Heathrow you will be driving and have it planned. A navigator will help immensely in finding signs and road directions.

One tip I read about driving in the UK, was if you're on a country road and a car is coming at you, assume it's always your fault, and drive on to the left shoulder of the road. Have this instinct and you'll be fine.

We have driven many times in the UK including a drive out of London--yikes!! I think Bath would be a good destination for overnight if that appeals to you. Some people do not want to drive even that far after a long flight. From Bath you can be in the heart of the Cotswolds quickly. One town/hamlet we discovered on a trip last year (and we were on our way to Bath) was Laycock with the interesting abbey. We regretted not staying in Laycock village. Castle Combe looks to be very charming also.

Katherine, Of course your plan will depend on what time you arrive at LHR so you can get where you're going before dark. It's true people very often take a bus straight from LHR to Bath and pick up their car there. We plan to get our car at Heathrow and spend the first night in Woodstock. While not exactly part of the Cotswolds, it's not far from them and an easy drive for the first day. Don't let anyone scare you about the driving all you have to do is pay attention. Do ask for GPS when reserving you car. It's about 70GBP extra and worth every penny. Laycock might very well be lovely but its in W.Yorkshire. I'm sure Susan means Lacock in Wiltshire.

It is not difficult. When you first depart Heathrow you will be on major highways. Just get into a lane and follow those in front of you.

When you get on the smaller country roads, remember to keep the steering wheel in the center of the road.

For us, we are finally able to relax when we've got our rental car, got our bags safely in it and are able to get underway. We often find a quiet roadside park, pull off and take a little nap. Amazing how even twenty or thirty minutes rest can revive you.

I strongly advise renting a car with automatic shift. We have never had any trouble reserving one.

Lastly, DO NOT speed. The English have lots of traffic cameras and they do issue citations through the mail. Lots of them. The locals know where the cameras are but the tourists often get caught.

Hi Katherine, driving from Heathrow isn't hard. Most major car rental agencies has shuttle buses that will take you to a large compound where the agencies have their offices. I would recommend you not to think like Dave told you. Like other posts said watch the center line and think left. After a couple of hours you will get use to it. I enjoy driving in the UK. Woodstock would be a great place to spend the first night. Woodstock is an hour drive. While in Woodstock you could visit Blenheim Palace, Winston Churhill was born there. I would recommend getting an automatic, it will cost more but not double the price of a manual. Not sure if you know anything about UK roads. The M roads are motorways (our interstates) then they have A roads which could be single carriageway or dual carriageway. B roads are narrower then A roads. Also, if you get onto a motorway remember that their fast lanes are the outer lanes (like our fast lane on our interstates are in inside lanes). I have taken the motorway before, but I really don't like to, I like driving thru all the beautiful little villages. Woodstock is about 26 miles from Moreton in Marsh which is in the Cotswolds. When you are leaving Woodstock you would get on A44 and that will take you right to Moreton in Marsh. If you have any questions you can PM me if you want.

My comments are as follows from my experiences living in both countries.

1. The driving on the left is not too bad. If you move with the traffic everything becomes somewhat instinctual

2. If you do not have experience in a manual transmission, this is not the time to start. Make sure you get an automatic

3. I suggest GPS to anyone foreign. Names of roads change quickly and frequently. Furthermore a wrong turn in England can lead you miles astray very quickly. There are not the gas stations and fast food restaurants that you find in the states to be able to pull into.

4. Heathrow itself is on the outskirts of London and it is easy to pick up the M4 Motorway towards the cotswolds. Maybe bradford upon avon as a b and b stop? Bath is great and would be an ideal choice. Just make sure your up for dealing with the traffic.

We picked up car at Heathrow drove to Broadway stopping at Hampton Court and Windsor along the way. We did return car to Oxford airport then took train into London. This worked good for us.

We booked online with www.novacarhire.com who are agents for Alamo, National, Europecar and many other well known car rental agencies. They are based in Ireland so the modest deposit was charged in €s but the rest was in ££s when we dropped off the car. The documentation was excellent and we had two weeks to book after they made their quote. Only a £10 fee for drop-off in Glasgow. As three tall and full-size adults we wanted a 4-door automatic with a/c so reserved a Vauxhall Vectra 2.2(or equivelent). When we arrived at Heathrow we found the counter, were guided to the shuttle to the car lot and told to "pick any car in section 6". In Section 6 there were only brand new Audis and Saabs! No extra charge, so picked a Saab. Terrific car, roomy. Seems most cars take diesel fuel and we got 45 MPG with most of the trip on side roads. Turn left out of the car rental compound and the sign for the M4 was right there and we got onto the road with no problems at all. Put 2000 miles on the car and feel we got a great deal on the price. We booked almost all our 25 nights accommodations at B&Bs online, using Rick's recommendations, but found many full even 3 months in advance (for Mid-May to Mid-June)but had terrific luck otherwise. Of the 4 nights we hadn't pre-booked we stayed 2 nights in the Cotswolds, booked by the TI in Oxford. Arreton House in Blockley is fabulous, bedrooms small but comfy with tiny ensuites, living room cum dining room lovely, with fireplace and big TV (didn't use) and our own terrace in a lovely garden. Breakfasts absolutely top notch. Good website: www.arreton.demon.co.uk. Great pub food across the street at the Great Western Arms. Blockley is a nice village and very central to everything in the Cotswolds. Highly recommend Sudley Castle and Hidcote gardens.

Hi Katherine ~ I should have added that you must have a good road atlas. We had Colliers, coil-bound, 3 miles to the inch with maps of the major cities but also of the smaller ones. This was excellent as we spent much of our time off the main roads.

We took our portable GPS with us last time we went to England - this worked quite well and really made such a difference over watching the maps.

We arrived from Washington Dulles in the late afternoon into Heathrow and our intended first destination was to be Bath (2 nights)before the Cotswolds. But in talking with a couple B&B's they advised that by the time we got thru customs, rented the car and such, that we may be more late than early to the B&B. So we stayed at an airport hotel, go a great nights rest and then took on the new "wrong side of the road with stick shift" experience. It takes a bit to get adapted; also remember your rear view interior mirror is to your LEFT as well and you look to your right for your exterior rear mirror! And the slow lane is the left lane... When crossing street as a pedestrian, you have to know where death comes from as well, it comes from where you don't expect it -- from the right!! Bath is beautiful and stay in the town or just across the river in any of a number of B&B's, you can walk to see the sites and take the Red Bus to see the area.