Driving Tour of the UK

Jennifer,

I'd also suggest picking up the Car somewhere outside of London, as it will be much easier. You'll want to avoid areas subject to the "congestion charge". I'd suggest renting an automatic, even though it will cost a bit more.

Although British Rail is one of the most expensive networks in Europe, with advance purchase you may be able to get some "deals". Taking the train from Edinburgh to London would be one route I'd consider. You could also use Coach (National Express) for shorter trips (ie: London to Bath).

You'll probably find that travel by car in the U.K. often takes longer than anticipated, even using the Motorways. As you've only got three weeks, be sure to allow for that in your planning. A GPS unit would be a really good idea, along with a good quality Map.

You might enjoy reading This Website or This Website for some tips on driving in the UK.

I've found driving in Winchester can be "challenging" at times, due to the one-way streets. If you can find the Chesil Street Car Park, you should be able to walk to the main sites. It's a wonderful town to explore!

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the layout of the controls in the car before leaving the rental lot. That way you'll be able to ask if there's anything you don't understand.

One final tip - be sure to watch your speed or you'll get nicked! NO turns allowed on a red light and NO cell phone use by the Driver (fines are severe)!

Good luck and happy travels!

Thanks so much for the great advice, Steve.

Best,
Jennifer

Get a car and use it everywhere except London. I routinely drive all over the UK with both left and right hand drive cars. Nothing to it. You get to see a heck of a lot more. You're completely used to it in the first hour. Only thing you need to remind yourself of is traffic circles: danger is coming from the RIGHT and those already in the circle have prescedence.

Changing modes of transportation (bus-car-train) will loose sightseeing time. Hard to see Avebury enroute to Bath on a train. Drive down from Edinburgh is better by car than train since there are some really great places to stop (York, Whitby, etc).

Thanks for the insight Ed. You sound like my kind of traveler. We think very much alike! And thanks for the advice about the roundabouts, as well. :-)

Best,
Jennifer

Ken, thanks so much for the extremely helpful post. It's been a good 20 years since I was last in Winchester, so I don't remember much about the parking situation there. I do, however, remember that it was a great area to explore. Nice to know that hasn't changed! Thanks again for weighing in. I appreciate your insight!

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer, in 2006 we visited London, the Cottswalds, and York. I found Enterprise to be the best deal, BY FAR. Picked up at Heathrow and returned there. Driving is different; it is a bit hard to determine how far to stay to the left on narrow Cottswald roads. I too recommend an automatic as it avoids shifting with the other hand while concentrating on driving on the wrong side. Driving on major roads was easy. If you do rent at Heathrow, get good directions back to the agency. Getting to the rental agency from London is easy on the tube and agency van.

Jennifer- while I am one of those who stick to trains and buses, I understand your desires. There are several places I'd recommend you try to see (they are my personal favorites) Winchester is one. Stratford-upon-Avon ... In Scotland Aviemore and the surrounding area is lovely- esp if you are driving (friends took us on a lovely drive once). Inverness is a great area to base yourself. You can get to Isle of Skye, Great Glen, Glen Coe, Ft. William and Ft. Agustus, etc. But heed the advice- driving times are longer than they appear... parking is a hassle in many places... gas (petrol) is EXPENSI
VE and so is parking..... Happy travels.

Jennifer, You don't say why your husband is apprehensive. Is he worried about driving on the "wrong" side of the road? Does he dislike spening a vacation driving? Does he get tense on driving vacations in the US? If he is a good driver, he will probably adapt well to driving on the left side of the road. But if he dislikes driving in general or excessive driving, do you really want to force him to drive every day? (You don't say anything about sharing the driving.)

My husband is an excellent driver and has no problem driving on the left. However, he gets tense driving in cities and on very narrow roads. We usually rent a car when we get out of the cities, but I try to keep the driving to less than four hours a day, especially if the roads are narrow, and I try to avoid cities and large towns.

You might want to rent a car outside London and use it to see Bath, Oxford, etc. But then get a train up to Edinburgh and back to London. You could still stop in York. It would give your husband a break from driving. The trains are definitely more relaxing, especially if you are the driver.

His apprehension primarily has to do with driving on the other side of the road...and because he's never been there before, he doesn't understand that some of the best experiences I've had have been whilst driving. You do get to see so much more that way! So I think the apprehension coupled with the idea -- in his mind anyway -- that we might be able to do everything by train, bus, etc. was causing the hesitation. That said, he's not immovable on the subject and everyone's input here has helped him to see that driving really would be okay. :-)

Thanks again for everyone's insight!
Jennifer

You do not have to drive for all of your time outside London. Last time I was in Britain I hired a car for a week, and spent my other 7 days divided between London and Oxford. You can spend some time in places such as Oxford and Edinburgh without using a car, and then hire the car for the really out of the way places.

You'd need to price out the cost of renting a car here and another one there. More than likely the cost of two one-week rentals would exceed the cost of a single two-week rental by a long shot.

The short answer is yes, you certainly can drive anywhere in G.B. and in many places it is the only realistic means of transport. You definitely want to rent an automatic to avoid having to shift with your "wrong" hand. You also want to spend all your time on the road with BOTH of you engaged in the task of driving - one behind the wheel in charge of not running into things, and the other person reading the map, the road signs, and anticipating the next turn for the driver.

The hardest part of driving is not being on the left. It is the combination of unusual signage on the roads, complex round-abouts, and narrow, twisty roads. So the navigator has to be able to say to the driver "The next turn is in about 5 miles. The sign might say 17a or it might say York, or it might say something completely different." And then when you get there and see the exit round-about you say "ok, I see it, it's the 3rd exit, 3/4 of the way around...there you go...you are doing great dear..."

So put the best map reader in charge of the map. It's the hardest job. Not hitting people with the car is actually easier, as long as that's the ONLY job you have to do.

We drove from London to the Cotswolds to Edinburgh to London in 2007. As long as you avoid London, you'll do fine.

Good luck!

Randy, you said it all!!!!

I just read the Susan Allen Toth books about England and she and her husband take frequent trips to England where he does all the driving. She said that during the first day or two of their trips, at her husband's requet, she frequently calls out "Think left! Think left!" until her hubby is acclimated with driving on the left.

Someone continually yelping, "Think left! Think left!" would make me crazy in about an hour. I haven't had any trouble driving on the left in Ireland or the UK, even with roundabouts. It didn't seem strange that traffic comes from the right, since we don't have traffic circles in my area here - it was all a new experience. My only issue was in turning into open driveways, like at a gas station or shopping center. I wanted to turn into the righthand lane out of habit.

I have rented at Heathrow many times and find it handy and price friendly. If you land mid-day you can hit up Hampton Court and still have time to find you way out of the area (Kent, Somerset, etc ) to you first nights rest. I routinely start in the Bath area, see the Cotswolds, then work up to northern Wales ( Conwy, Caernaefron,) and then the Lake District. From there up to Loch Ness area and across to Inverness. Then down to Edinburgh, on to Durham, York, working down to Cambridge, Ely, and then on to Canterbury, Dover, Leeds Castle and back to Heathrow. If you would like tips on where to stay or have any other questions please feel free to PM me.

Jennifer:

All the times we have been to England, we have rented a car, both automatic and standard. Standard cars are more plentiful and cost less. You can usually get automatics at major rental locations, such as airports. The last trip we rented a standard car up in the Lakes (train London to lakes) and dropped it off in York and took the train back.

We are in the midst of planning a trip for next fall Lake District and Scottish borders, probably do a variation of train up and back with a car in the middle.

Tom

Jennifer,
I am US military going to school for a year in Oxford. My family has been all over England by train and car. I would highly recommend getting a car to see the lower part of the UK and highly consider the train from London to Edinburgh. while you can do portions of the UK by train, it is very expensive and not as reliable as EuroRail. Also, you cannot see the Cotswolds and some other areas by train. If you are going outside of Edinburgh, stick with the car - it's only 6 hours straight line from London to Edinburgh - -- easy for a Yank but the Brits think that is a 3-day trip.

Also, get an automatic, a good GPS and a map -- it could save your marriage! And think Right-Left-Right when you look for merging traffic or at a turn!
Lastly, September is the best time of the year to visit. Long days, lots of sun, warm, low humidity, rarely rains -- but still bring a jacket; it can get chilly at night - same as San Francisco and north in the summer.

If you have ever driven a standard before, it will come very naturally to you when you are there, even using the opposite hand! Believe me, I know, having been forced to do it. My husband was supposed to do all the driving until he had a detached retina. So I had to drive in Bristol and eventually....LONDON! EEEEEEEEKKKKK! I really did not mind driving in the rural areas, although I found myself drifting away from the left side toward the middle a bit. But avoid driving in London at all costs. Good luck!

Thanks everyone for the ongoing, great input. An automatic would be a definite for us, and we already have a GPS, so we're good there. And as much as I crititque by husband's driving here in the US, I'd take my duties to help him stay on the proper side of the road there quite seriously...do doubt about it! ;-)

Thanks again!
Jen

Jennifer

Had same issue and elected to drive. Got good deal from Avis prepaid and worked out well. Landed in Manchester after transfer in Amsterdam Used Baby Blue and was OK but price was not too good a deal after all the add ons.
They make big deal of carry on but they let us on with our standard roll ons. Drove 1700 miles and dropped car off in Brighton and took train to London where we flew out.

Had driven on wrong side once in Ireland. It is Ok but don't let anyone tell you it is stress free. Folks are very courteous and obey the rules but they drive fast and agressive. You need to keep alert (did not see one stop sign ever - just yield symbols painted at intersections) at all times. We were in back country a lot and the roads are very narrow and you have to watch the rock walls ( I spent one afternoon with polishing compund taking a near miss out of the paint) and be ready to back up at the drop of a hat. You need a good GPS and co pilot that is alert and can read maps. Good Luck - Give it a try.

Jennifer, we did this last year. 3 weeks in England (no Ireland or Scotland). We picked up our rental car in Heathrow and off we went. We were able to see Winchester Cathedral (wife is a Jane Austen fan - she's buried there [Jane Austen is and not my wife]), Stonehenge and Avebury on our way to our stay in Bath (did I mention that my wife is a Jane Austen fan). We then drove to our stays in the Cotswold, lake district, York, Canterbury and then London. We did day visits to Oxford and Cambridge along the way. We returned the car to Heathrow.

A couple of thoughts for your apprehensive husband. 1)The larger motorways are nice but they can become quite crowded and jammed. 2) you will encounter numerous areas along the motorway where there are speed cameras. There are always signs with pictures of a camera but the radar van has to be there for those. However, you will go through lots of areas where there are cameras. In a few places, they clock you over a multi-mile distance (distances in England are in miles). 3) the larger roads are A roads, the smaller are B roads. The B roads will scare the crap out of you as they are sandwiched in by hedge rows, rock walls or hedge rows with rock walls inside. You will be the slowest car on all of these roads. You will constantly passed by people going a whole lot faster than you. Finally, the lorries (18-wheelers) use these roads as well. They also travel at higher speeds and somehow, they need a certain part of your road to stay on the pavement. Did I mention the hedge rows with the rock walls inside them? 4) either purchase a GPS with European maps or rent one there. It really helps. 5) Sign up for the maximum CDW. 6) we really did need a rental car to see all of the wonderful things we saw during our visit.

Hi Jennifer: My wife, adult son, and I just returned from a 3 week trip to Great Britain. We rented a manual car from Hertz in NW London.

I rented a car because I wanted to be able to get easily to places that would be difficult or impossible with public transportation, and to allow for spontaniety along the way.

I would not say that driving in the UK is going to be easy for someone from the USA. It was well worth it, and I would do it again... but it WILL be a challenge. Aspects I never truly got comfortable with: busy roundabouts while trying to decide which route is yours... in some rural areas (esp. southwest England) VERY narrow roads with high vertical "walls" of rock and vegetation on both sides leaving precious little room for error (we pulled our rear-view mirrors in more than once so there'd be less chance of clipping those of the cars going the other way!)... one 4-mile section we had to drive in London to return the car (avoid driving in ANY city if at all possible).

I got a great rate by reserving and paying ahead of time, by the way... Email me if you'd like more info or advice...

Jennifer, I lived for some time near Reading, and had friends in Newbury. It's nice you're getting a chance to go back.

I agree with you on train travel in the UK. It's a great way to travel between major and not-so-major cities. However, if you do not have a car, you are relying a public transportation to get you to some location within a city, or out to some smaller town or village. At best, this plays havoc with your schedule and, in the worst cases, keeps you from getting where you want to go.

Driving in the UK is much like driving in the U.S. The "driving on the left" but requires some concentration for the first day or two, but after that seems rather natural. Motorways are much the same as American interstates. The "A" roads are the equivalent of non-interstate highways in the U.S. The "B" are different. Often single-lane, they re common in rural areas. Just slow down and take your time. Abandon the American fetish about making time. Some of my favorite experiences in the UK have been driving on country roads, armed with good map. getting lost.

So, tell you husband that driving in the UK is not a terrible thing. Pick up and drop off your rental car far away from London. If Newbury will be your first night, take the train or bus there and pick up the car the following day. Follow the same pattern on the return. If you are coming south from Edinburgh, leave the car quite north of the London hubbub and take the train in.

That said, towns like Oxford, Bath, and, especially Edinburgh, are not small. Oxford is about 200,000, Bath is close to 100,000 I believe, and Edinburgh is around 600,000. Try not to drive in them during the local rush hour. And always have good maps.

Drove manual and had problem with shifting went from first to fourth many times but other than that/no problem/with the roundabout a couple of times we just drove around it several times until found the right exit/have the navigator tell you to get off at 3/6/9 o'clock position and this worked very well for us/try not to drive in major cities though just iike in the Us

My Husband & I drove everywhere in England, Scotland and Wales twice and had great fun doing it. I couldn't even imagine having to go on a schedule. Just aim the car each morning acording to the weather forcast and sites you want to see. The best places are usually the ones you come on by surprise. This is what driving allows you to do. Oxford is a little busy when trying to find a parking spot. It might be worth staying just outside of town and taking a local bus in. Woodstock, home of Blenhiem Palace, is only a 20 minute ride to Oxford on the bus. I would highly advise getting a British Heritage Pass becuase it allows you to make unplanned stops at some wonderful Estates where all the real treasures of architecture and antiquities are to be found. Check the National Trust UK site for lots of itinerary ideas. Everyone seems to dwell on Edinburgh too much...there is so much more to Scotland. The Castle of Edinburgh, however is a must see. But we had lots more fun with all the Castles you find in the countryside. Don't forget Wales, it has the best castles. Have fun.

I guess no one noticed that this thread was posted last December?

Grier, I love her books.
Jennifer. The advice about collecting your car someplace other than London is spot on. When I travel with my husband he deals with the car hire and its always Enterprise on the Edgeware Road. Somehow he manages to get us out of town. When not with him we'll collect the car someplace like Bath or York or Brighton. Last year we went straight to the car hire agency from Heathrow and did London last. We use Kemwell for arranging both the car and GPS and we get a car that is automatic. It gives you one less thing to think about. It's amazing how quickly you adapt to driving on the left. So much so that it can be a bit of an adjustment when you get home! We always try to avoid the M roads when we can. Have a good map as well as the GPS. It's nice to see where you're going in addition to having the GPS help you get there. I always take my road atlas. Last Setpember I bought a 2009 edition at a Road Chef for only £4.99 as they were making room for the 2010 edition.
Yes this thread is a little dated buy the trip is planned for this September. And yes petrol and parking are expensive but driving beats being at the mercy of a train schedule. I also found that at many car parks if someone did not use all the time they paid for they would stick their ticket on the machine for someone else to use or look for someone just coming into the lot and give it to them. It's good Karma too

I am planning a driving trip with my wife in early 2011 so this question and all the answers have been great for me (and I'm sure others who haven't responed). Post may be over a year but there are others of us using the info. Thanks all who posted.
I also had not thought about GPS, automatic, atlas (maps). I guess I need to look into a travel agent rather than just doing it on my own?
Any suggestions for driving around Manchester and taking the ferry to Ireland (driving around) and coming back to Liverpool?