Go Left, Young Man: Driving in Great Britain and Ireland
With a few tips and good directions, drivers need not fear getting behind the wheel
- By Rick Steves
- Smithsonian magazine, April 2009, Subscribe
While most first-time visitors to Europe choose to travel by train, consider the convenience of driving. Behind the wheel you’re totally free, going where you want, when you want.
Driving in the British Isles is wonderful—once you remember to stay on the left and after you’ve mastered the roundabouts. But be warned: Every year I get some emails from traveling readers advising me that, for them, trying to drive in Great Britain and Ireland was a nerve-wracking and regrettable mistake. Here’s a tip: If you want to get a little slack on the roads, drop by a gas station or auto shop and buy a green “P” (probationary driver with license) sign to put in your car window.
Of course, in Britain and Ireland you’ll be driving on the left-hand side of the road. Why that side? Originally, it was in order for you to drive defensively... with your “sword hand” on the inside to protect you against oncoming traffic.
Many Yankee drivers find the hardest part isn’t driving on the left, but steering from the right. Your instinct is to put yourself on the left side of your lane, which means you may spend your first day or two constantly drifting off the road to the left. It can help to remember that the driver always stays close to the center line.
Not only will you be driving on the left, but you’ll be using roundabouts, where traffic continually flows in a circle around a center island. These work well if you follow the golden rule: Traffic in roundabouts always has the right-of-way, while entering vehicles yield.
For some drivers, roundabouts are high-pressure traffic circles that require a snap decision about something you don’t completely understand: your exit. To replace the stress with giggles, make it standard operating procedure to take a 360-degree, case-out-your-options exploratory circuit. Discuss the exits with your navigator, go around again if necessary, and then confidently wing off on the exit of your choice.
Whenever possible, avoid driving in cities. London even assesses a congestion charge—about $13 per day—to drive in the city center (see www.cclondon.com). It’s best and less stressful to begin your driving experience away from big cities, so try renting your car in a smaller town. A pleasant scenario for a Britain itinerary would be to start your trip in a small town such as Bath, rent a car when leaving Bath, explore Britain at your leisure by car, then drop off the car in York, and take the train into London, where you can rely on the excellent public transportation system.
Outside of the big cities and the motorways (freeways), British and Irish roads tend to be narrow. Adjust your perceptions of personal space. It’s not “my side of the road” or “your side of the road.” It’s just “the road”—and it’s shared as a cooperative adventure. In towns, you may have to cross over the center line just to get past parked cars. Sometimes both directions of traffic can pass parked cars simultaneously, but frequently you’ll have to take turns—follow the locals’ lead and drive defensively. On rural roads, locals are usually courteous, pulling over against a hedgerow and blinking their headlights for you to pass while they wait. Return the favor when you are closer to a wide spot in the road than they are.
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Comments (8)
Murphy (April 21, 2010), please note that Ireland is in fact part of the British Isles, which is a purely geographical description, French in origin, not a political one, that relates to the 6,000-odd islands situated off the north west coast of Europe. I doubt that many people in Ireland would be at all bothered about being part of the British Isles. Certainly my Irish colleagues at work aren't. You can't change historical facts.
Posted by Henry on November 6,2011 | 03:05 PM
Great advice for the Yankee driver, but Yankee pedestrians must also be careful. I was (instinctively) looking the wrong way when I stepped off a street corner in Brighton, and was almost run down by on on-coming bus.
Posted by Wells Huff on August 4,2010 | 01:02 PM
Great article, I just returned from my first trip to Ireland and rented a car from the Dublin airport. The initial drive is stressful, but not nearly as difficult as I expected. I rented a manual drive transmission, the only problem was occasionally reaching down with my right hand to down-shift, I drive a manual everyday in the states. I drove over 1500km in 7 days, all across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Best advice is to take your time and leave any road rage at home. The roundabouts are tricky at first but by the end of my trip I was weaving in and out like a seasoned pro. I'm glad I chose to drive on the trip instead of relying on public transit because I would have never seen the amazing sites I did and the freedom was worth every penny.
Posted by Metro on April 21,2010 | 01:52 PM
Brilliant article! I live in Trinidad (drive on the left, where rules of the road are largely ignored) and have driven both in the UK and the USA. Encountered my first roundabout (called by that name, surprisingly) in Florida inside a large residential development near Lake Worth. It seemed to wok very well with the failry limited traffic volume approaching from four directions. Your advice on etiquette for very narrow roads was a great inclusion.
Posted by Philip Bellamy on April 21,2010 | 01:09 PM
being a native new englander, i have to smirk when i read about traffic circles (roundabouts in Commonwealth nations, rotaries in New England) being a headache. my hometown in massachusetts has a very large rotary that affords entrance and egress for a major highway and a busy state route. i am perpetually perplexed to see non-natives (read New Jersey residents) rush head-on through a yield sign only to be hit by a car on the rotary that possesses the right of way. the negligent party never fails to appear absolutely indignant about their fault in the matter. moral: study the area you are traveling to and YIELD TO ROTARY TRAFFIC
Posted by patrick on April 21,2010 | 11:33 AM
Please note bundling Ireland and the UK into the term "British Isles" causes offense to anyone who lives in the Republic of Ireland.
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/British_Isles
Posted by Murphy on April 21,2010 | 10:51 AM
I recently returned from an incredible 2 week trip to Ireland where my wife and I rented a car and traveled down the west coast from Galway, over to Cashel, then Waterford, and up to Dublin. We spent many hours on the narrow, winding roads, and had a great experience.
One secret to a great experience was our GPS. We downloaded the map of Ireland to our unit before we got there. it was nice having a voice tell you "take the roundabout, 2nd exit". We were offered a GPS with the rental car, but we already had our own. I highly recommend taking one with you, or renting one. It will save you many headaches.
Rick says it right, drive defensively, observe and fit in. Observe, observe, observe. Once we got our car (a 5 speed manual), we spent 5 minutes getting use to the set up. We drove around a parking lot, then took a deep breath and into the plunge. A few seconds later, we were driving like it was second nature.
Confidence in yourself will get you far, it was easy for us (the tourists) to pick out the other tourists on the road, and almost ashamedly we found ourselves mildly irritated with their lack of driving skills.
We are planning another incredible trip to Ireland, this time starting in Dublin and traveling north and up to the Giant's Causeway and along the northern coast, then back down the west coast to Shannon.
What an incredible job Rick Steves has. We enjoyed some of his tips while in various locations around Ireland, thank you Rick.
Enjoy!
Posted by Gary Hilbrook on April 21,2010 | 07:53 AM
Great article! It covers most of what I tell my fellow American travelers after my experiences with driving in the UK, especially avoiding driving in major cities (particularly London) and how to navigate the extremely foreign (and mysterious) roundabout properly.
Some additional pointers:
- Don't drive tired. I made this mistake on my first visit and will never do it again. Public transit is excellent from all major airports and cruise terminals, there's no reason to ever drive there when you're not in top mental condition.
- Make sure the driver in the party is intimately-familiar with driving manual transmission vehicles. In major cities they're rare and you pay a premium for automatic rental vehicles, while in smaller cities and towns, they're often not even available (I once asked at a rental counter in a smaller city and the very nice lady chuckled, telling me that they don't even have an automatic available at their location). Manual cars that use diesel are most common, as opposed to automatic cars that use petrol here. Most Americans have never driven a car with a manual transmission, and of those that have, many only rarely. Their licenses even indicate whether they can drive any car or are restricted to automatic transmissions, with the latter being a distinct disadvantage.
- If you use M roads, stay left, except when passing. It's strictly enforced, unlike our version of the same rule.
- Train stations are like airports in the US. Most of them have car rental counters inside, or companies will the located very near the station.
Also, watch out for pedestrians. In the US, roads and laws are car-centric, with pedestrians second-class citizens restricted to sidewalks and marked crossings. They have no jaywalking law (it's completely foreign to them) and therefore pedestrians may cross (presumably at their own risk) effectively whenever and wherever they like.
Have fun over there!
Posted by Eric Johnston on April 20,2010 | 11:04 PM