Bit of a disclaimer, I have driven on the left-hand side of the road before, once in Australia and a few times after hitting icy patches of the highway in Canada during those crazy attempts at winter travel. So, it’s not my first rodeo. That being said, however, it has been a few years since I have had the pleasure and this time around was a special treat. Driving in Australia is a lot like Canada, wide roads, generous shoulders and reasonably light traffic. Driving in the U.K. is not like that. Not.At.All.
We picked up our first of two rentals on October 19th in Edinburgh. The thought of negotiating our way out of the city for our journey North left my palms sweaty, but thanks to my excellent navigator, it went off without a hitch. Motorway travel was pretty stress free, but once we got onto the A roads or smaller, it got interesting. Traffic is constant and the roads are narrow. By the time we got to Inverness, I felt like I had earned my pint!
The brief sojourn in Inverness was followed by a day of travel along the side of Loch Ness on our way to the next stop in Doune. It was this piece of driving where I really feel like I earned my stripes as a driver. Twisty turning road, no shoulder, rain, mist, wind, heavy traffic and the promise of the sweet embrace of a dry stone wall if you erred from your path. By the time we made it to Doune I was exhausted, but pretty thrilled that I had done the drive. One of the most thrilling and hair-raising experiences I’ve had in my entire driving career.
A year of discovery 