Driving in Scotland

**sydnie7** · 4th July 15, 09:16 AM

And then there are the roads like this one (different country, but you get the idea). When, not if, you encounter sheep -- stop in the middle of the road. Resist the urge to do as I did the first time and "pull over" against the hedgerow. With only one channel to pass through, the sheep piled up against the front of our vehicle. We were in a full minivan and it was rockin' -- wouldn't want to experience that in a more typical small car! Fortunately the herder came along (on an ATV with dog hitching a ride) and soon straightened things out. But we did make their work harder, and I swear I heard one of the dogs muttering about stupid colonials LOL

**cessna152towser** · 4th July 15, 09:28 AM

As Sydnie said, expect to encounter sheep and stop in the centre of the road for them.

**sydnie7** · 4th July 15, 10:09 AM

Those are some scary looking sheep Alex! LOL

**cessna152towser** · 4th July 15, 10:13 AM

Those are some scary looking sheep Alex! LOL

I met them on my drive home from the airport late afternoon on a dull autumn day and the sheeps' eyes reflected the car headlights.

**OC Richard** · 4th July 15, 04:15 PM

Oh, I thought they were demonically possessed. Which would make a great tale when you get home.

**Orionson** · 5th July 15, 04:51 AM

I've been following this thread with some amusement and as a person with 45 years driving experience in both Scotland and the US, I can assure you that if you chose to hire a car (it is the best/only practical way to get around effectively in the rural areas, including Badenoch & Strathspey where you are basing) you will be fine.

Scottish drivers, especially in the countryside, are well used to foreign drivers who may be unfamiliar with our roads, and we are inclined to give them a wide berth.

You will also find that local drivers are relentlessly courteous in giving way and waving to you kindly and sincerely as you pass. As long as you are alert and equally courteous, you will avoid being on the receiving end of the other local "wave" of the angry two fingers up variety.

I do agree with a previous poster that an Automatic Shift car is advisable. They just make life behind the wheel so much smoother and care-free. I have easily hired Automatics over the years when my own motor has been in the shop. I find that the best Car Hire Company to deal with is Enterprise, which is all over Scotland. They market themselves as the "British Car Hire Company with American Customer Service". They are by far the most reasonable price wise and they always have a selection of Automatics. Crucially, they do not charge extra for Automatics. It is advisable however to book in advance rather than risk them all being out on any given day. Over the years, I have found the Glasgow City Centre branch and the Inverness Branch to be especially helpful. Here is the link to their website.

http://www.enterprise.co.uk/car_rental/home.do

**Orionson** · 5th July 15, 04:58 AM

[QUOTE=Benning Boy;1292715]It would be fun to gather with the regimental mess. Count me in. I suppose I ought to bring one kilt. McDuff might be it.

The 1790 MacDuff Kilt is a must. It is such a rare and beautiful Tartan that many people have stopped me and inquired about it and enthused about it.

**OC Richard** · 5th July 15, 05:26 AM

Yes I second the recommendation for the automatic shift! Back in the 1980s such was not available from the car hire firm we used, and I kept flinging my right hand into the door! It took a while to get used to shifting with the left hand. (The American term is "automatic transmission".)

About courteous drivers and so forth, what struck me is how long one can drive in Scotland without encountering any other cars at all. We drove from one side of Skye to the other without seeing a single car on the road. Which was a good thing, because the road was a single lane with "passing places". We had never seen a road like that. (Back then there was no bridge to Skye, you had to take a ferry, so I imagine there were fewer tourists then as today.)

In England the drivers were impatient with us, because unlike them we didn't feel comfortable passing on "blind curves" (I don't know if there's a British term for these). Time and again, on a curving road with no way to see if a car was coming the other way or not, an Englishman would blast past us in the wrong lane going far in excess of the speed limit. We could only imagine that horrific front-on collisions occur from time to time due to this habit of theirs.

**GrainReaper** · 5th July 15, 09:39 AM

My wife and I have discussed a trip to England/Scotland. Though I live here in the states my "toy" car is a 1998 right hand drive Nissan Skyline, I'm quite comfortable driving it as I've owned it for 8 years now. My only issue might be adapting to driving on the other side of the road.

**Pleater** · 5th July 15, 10:59 AM

I use Enterprise for my van hiring requirements and they have always been good, year after year. You can book on line very easily - or at least I can, which probably means that anyone can.

I had to look three times at the sheep to see what was scary - Having lived where sheep and cats, and myself, were often wandering about at night it did not register that shiny eyes are at all alarming. It is quite funny when it is a bit darker, so you can't see the sheep, just the eyes.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: