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Should we rent car in Scotland

My daughter and I will be taking the train from London to Edinburgh on August 11. We will be staying in Scotland for 4 days, then flying to Dublin. I was thinking about renting a car while in Scotland. I have found a rental for $300 that includes insurance. I was wondering how difficult it is to drive a car in Scotland. Of course, I have no experience driving on the left. I do intend on renting an automatic. For the same amount, would it be just as convenient to take buses/trains? We want to see the following sights: 1) Alnwick Castle (where Harry Potter was filmed) 2) Rosslyn Chapel 3) Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle 4) Inverness 5) Culloden Battlefield
6) Isle of Skye Are all of those accessible by public transport? Thanks!

Posted by
2393 posts

Definitely rent a car. Most of where you are going is very rural with easy driving. The car will give you so much more freedom. Have a ball!

Posted by
653 posts

Quite a while back I did sights 3-6 on your list using a combination of trains and buses. It took a week. So yes, it can be done by public transport but you're at the mercy of the train and bus schedules.

Posted by
518 posts

Hi Tena, I have driven in all parts of the UK and Ireland. To me, Scotland is both the easiest and most rewarding. They do have the single track roads in places, but in those areas there is little traffic. You can read online about the rules for single track driving. It's easy. I'll be glad to give you more information about that if you want. Driving on the left has given me no trouble. If you are comfortable driving a stick shift here, I doubt that changing sides would be an issue. If you are not a stick shift driver, you absolutely should get an automatic. Also, learn the rules of roundabouts. You can google that and get some good tutorials. The basic rule is that traffic in the roundabout has the right of way. A man I visited with this last trip had taken an online drivers ed course for those getting a license in the UK. He said it really helped with the rules, like how to navigate roundabouts.
I would definitely drive. Scotland's scenery is breathtaking. With a car, you can stop and enjoy it all you wish.