How The Hell Do I Get There!!??

**Dixiecat** · 5th February 10, 09:16 AM

Driving on the left side of the road can be hard to get used to

No kidding! Even after 4 months of living in Bermuda, I found myself waiting for a bus on the wrong side of the road....

**Pleater** · 5th February 10, 12:28 PM

Oh yes - if you are going to be sampling the delights of the pub/restaurant wine list/distillery do remember to have two or more drivers on the hire car agreement, and take turns to be the designated driver for the day.

Do remember that you can still be intoxicated from the previous evening after breakfast the next day - though several pints of water will help to clear the system, and the head, if taken as soon as possible.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**SoulFyre777** · 5th February 10, 02:24 PM

Agreed on the point of travel agents, as a VERY general rule. We were told that we would never be able to do 3 weeks travelling from Paris to Northern Scotland for $10k for airfare, car rental, trains and lodging. We did it all including souvenirs and incidental spending for LESS than $10k and it was a very enjoyable trip! It can be done but I spent about 2 months planning it by myself. Be prepared to do alot of email correspondence. Also, don't be afraid to sort of 'wing it' in larger populated areas. We found a cheaphotels.com booth just after getting off the trains in Edinburgh and were put up in the Ailsa Craig Hotel which were honestly some of the best accommodations we had! Feel free to PM me if you want to talk specifics of how we did it. I will say we used tripadvisor.com and that helped tremendously! It's just about patience and flexibility! Good luck!

**MacBean** · 5th February 10, 03:06 PM

I've heard that the MapQuest (or Google) map suggests you park your car on our Eastern shore and swim across!

I have always flown into Heathrow and rented a car there, spending the night in the Cotswolds to the NW of London (lovely country, near Oxford, Blenheim Palace, etc.). I stay only at B&Bs. You can get from the Cotswolds to Inverness in a day, no problem, and you save a lot on airfare. You can even get an automatic transmission, but those cars tend to be a bit bigger than I might like on Scotland roads. (My daughter's boyfriend doesn't drive a stick shift, that's how I know - in case you were going to ask.)

Can I recommend something special? If you go to the Glencoe (Ft. William) area and think of going to Skye, think also about taking the over-mountain road to Applecross (depending on the season - don't try it in snow!). You can see to Skye from there, there are lots of nice B&Bs from there to Kyle of Lochalsh where you get the bridge to Skye).

If you are going in summer, make reservations for places to stay well, well in advance if possible. A last thought - I have found that a great many B&Bs are run by English. If you want Scots, you may need to find a discreet way to find out if the owner is from the area.

Oh, to scare sheep out of the way. Don't bother honking - they don't listen. Try opening the door and stepping out - they'll all scatter.

**Jock Scot** · 6th February 10, 02:49 AM

SHEEP!

Now I am on firm ground when handing out the advice! Sheep are not as common as they used to be in the Highlands,but they are still about in some numbers.OK we are talking highland roads here, NOT moterways or large A roads. When you come across sheep in the road drive through them VERY SLOWLY (1 mph) and try not to stop, they will get out of the way, honest! Cattle on the road need a bit more space and if there is a calf at foot DO NOT GET OUT and try not to put the car(or yourself) between the cow and calf. Again DRIVE VERY SLOWLY(1 mph) forward keeping a bit of distance(3-4 yards) as cattle do and will kick out. Why not get out? The cattle in the highlands are several steps closer to a wild animal than the domestic cow, so the instinct of protecting a calf is far closer to its nature------and they do!

**Phil** · 6th February 10, 08:23 AM

One possibly life-saving word of advice - remember to look right before crossing a road. American tourists have died looking left and thinking no vehicles were coming.

**Jock Scot** · 6th February 10, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by Phil

One possibly life-saving word of advice - remember to look right before crossing a road. American tourists have died looking left and thinking no vehicles were coming.

Oh so true!