Hello -
My wife and I are planning a drive from Edinburgh to Oban but would like to see Loch Lomond on the way - as it looks like we would need to go through Glasgow to accomplish this I was wondering if anybody had experience driving through Glasgow and if it can be a nightmare.
Thank you!
Cory,
Provided you are just passing through Glasgow on the M8 you should not have a terrible time. It is no different than driving through San Diego on I5 (other than being on the opposite side of the road). It gets a little more complicated if you start getting off the Motorway.
If you are able to get yourself started in Edinburgh between left side of the road and manual transmission, you should have no problems by the time you reach Glasgow. I would almost think that is the greater challenge.
If you have any worries take your time and choose a time to travel that works well. Drawing a comparison to San Diego again - Navigating the I5-I805 merge is much easier Saturday at 11 am then Friday at 5 PM.
If I remember by the time you reach the bridge you need to cross to get to the lochs, you have passed the airport and are really out of Glasgow already.
I've driven through Glasgow. It's a big city, but it's more like Indianapolis than Chicago let alone New York. If you drive in San Diego routinely should be okay. The M8 takes you right through. You can go past the airport and north to Loch Lomond. Of course as with any city there is rush hour which brings additional traffic. Check with your B&B or Hotel to see if there are Road Works. I stayed near Loch Lomond and it was a straight shot down to the airport.
An alternate route, but slower and scenic would be to take the M9 to Stirling and go across on the A811. If you want a boat tour Balloch has one of the older operators. I haven't taken one, but my B&B referred me to Balloch for next time. The A82 on the west side can be very busy road. It doesn't look like Balmaha has cruises, but from the web it sure looks like a nice place to visit. If you google these towns you'll find info. Undiscovered Scotland has a lot of information.
Pam
