Driving around Scotland

[RJGraham3901]

Hi all:

 

First post on here, but I have been hiding in the shadows for years.

 

There are lots of threads on here regarding golf in Scotland, but not much about navigating throughout the country. There are four of us leaving for a Scotland golf holiday at the beginning of July with the following itinerary (first time for all of us in Scotland).

 

Day 1: Turnberry Ailsa

Day 2: Prestwick

Day 3: Carnoustie

Day 4: Old Course

Day 5: New Course

Day 6: Muirfield

Day 7: North Berwick

Day 8: Kingsbarns

Day 9: Depart back to US

 

None of us have ever driven on the left side of the road, we do have a large van with Auto Transmission, but we are all a little nervous about driving. We will be driving from Glasgow to Turnberry for one night, then to St Andrews for three nights, then to North Berwick for two nights, and then back to St Andrews for the last two nights. I know this isn't exactly ideal but we built the trip around the tee times that we were fortunate enough to receive for the Old Course and Muirfield.

 

So my questions are as follows:

-Any general driving tips?

-I've heard mixed comments on how long the drive will be from Prestwick over to St Andrews....any idea?

-I'm concerned that the drive from St Andrews to North Berwick is going to take much longer than we expected and we will be doing it twice? Is Edinburgh traffic something we should be wary of?

-Should we just stay in East Lothian area and play one of the great courses in the area and scratch Kingsbarns off our itinerary?

-Any other general Scotland tips?

 

Thank you for your feedback, I truly appreciate it!

[TheInfidel]

I would jump on AA route planner, it will be your best friend.

 

However I will say that you are going from East Lothian and back up to the Kingdom of Fife a lot! Are you departing from Edinburgh Airport?

 

 

[RJGraham3901]

Thank you.

 

Yes, we are arriving in Glasgow and departing from Edinburgh. It sure seems like we're driving a lot of miles...

[North Butte]

I have no worries about driving myself in a rental car in Scotland or the UK generally, other thsn it being more exhausting to do 100 miles over there than it would be to do 200 on the Interstate back home.

 

I would be scared spitless to drive something as big as a van on those narrow roads. I have generally stuck with Ford Focus sized rentals since spending a nervous week in a Passat Estate (wagon) on my second trip over.

 

Unless you are used to driving a big vehicle in New York City or San Francisco or something you may find your adventure stressful. Or maybe I am just spoilt from a lifetime zipping around my big American suburbs in Civics and the like!

[hdr_ric]

I drove a rental over there, granted it was a small car (manual transmission though). Based on my experience you will pick up driving on the left side of the road in about 2 minutes. And be fully comfortable inside an hour. It wasn't that big a deal. I wouldn't worry much about it. You'll have to be more careful in a van, and parking may be more of an issue.

 

 

EDIT:

 

Also, wouldn't it make more sense to play Kingsbarns after Old Course/New Course, THEN play North Berwick/Muirfield?

 

I am guessing the tee time at Muirfield is the issue - i.e. It is set in stone?

[RJGraham3901]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

The trip fell together perfectly with us receiving the advance ballot tee time for the Old Course on Tues and there was a cancellation at Muirfield on Thursday, so we built the rest of the trip around those two days. Yes, it would have made more sense to play Kingsbarns while in the St Andrews area, which is one of my concerns about driving back through Edinburgh to return to St Andrews. I am certainly looking forward to playing Kingsbarns but would have gladly substituted it for one of the great East Lothian courses to reduce the drive time.

[Neurotica]

I have done this. Get a good Map gps unit. Preferable one that is native to Scorland. You will regret it if you don't!

[zilli1010]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

The trip fell together perfectly with us receiving the advance ballot tee time for the Old Course on Tues and there was a cancellation at Muirfield on Thursday, so we built the rest of the trip around those two days. Yes, it would have made more sense to play Kingsbarns while in the St Andrews area, which is one of my concerns about driving back through Edinburgh to return to St Andrews. I am certainly looking forward to playing Kingsbarns but would have gladly substituted it for one of the great East Lothian courses to reduce the drive time.

 

I just got back from Scotland last week and played Muirfield and North Berwick while staying in St Andrews. The driving is easy, it will take you 10 minutes to get used to driving. The hardest part are the roundabouts. Make sure you have a good GPS. I would leave St Andrews at 6am to go to Muifield. We left at 6:30am for a 9:10am tee time. We got there at 8:30am checked in etc did not leave a lot of time to hit balls. The traffic at the bridge is brutal. You will absolutely love those courses. Our group voted North Berwick, Muirfield and Kingsbarn as the best three courses to play in that order. Enjoy

[jdpilot]

I go on an annual trip to Scotland and just recently got back from my 11th trip. I am one of the designated drivers in my group and I have found it quite easy to drive there. One thing that makes it easy is that the Scots are just as kind behind the wheel as they are in person. I use "Sygic UK &IRL" GPS on my iPhone for navigation and have found it to be an invaluable resource for navigation - it's extremely accurate and alerts you to such things as speed cameras and when you are exceeding the speed limit. The GPS also doesn't use cellular data - just make sure the maps are downloaded before you leave the States. I also program all addresses before leaving. Enjoy your trip!

[RJGraham3901]

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like making the adjustment to driving on the left side won't be as challenging as feared!

[pmizell]

I've done it three times and it gets easier each time. But like you, my first try was from Glasgow to Turnberry, and that is a pretty narrow two lane drive at times, or at least it was 14 years ago. The hardest part for me was learning not to hug the curb on the left side, especially when large trucks come at you on the other side. As obvious as this sounds, don't drink on the plane at all. You'll be tired, and adding hungover makes it worse.

 

I'm doing a similar trip in a week, with a day trip from St Andrews to North Berwick. I'll report back how long it takes. Right now we plan to budget about two hours each way.

[Chigolfer2]

I got the following quotes from: [email protected]

 

Edinburgh Airport to Cragie Road Ayr ................. 2 x MPV’s at £125 per vehicle

 

Ay to St Andrews...................................................2 x MPV’s at £175 per vehicle

 

St Andrews to Edinburgh City Centre....................2 x MPV’s at £95 per vehicle

 

 

If you stay in St Andrews you don't need a car to get to TOC or New Course. Shuttle to Carnoustie. He provided quotes for getting to NB and Muirfield. You can also train to NB and then cab over to Muirfield.

[alfriday]

Here are my tips for driving in Scotland. First, print out turn by turn driving instructions. Compare those to the GPS/Phone instructions. The GPS stuff can be confusing and the turn by turn will make it clearer. Second, sometimes it is worth avoiding city centers, even if it adds time to the drive. This is especially true of Glasgow. Third, designate a navigator. I drive and my friend Brad is the designated navigator. He holds the phone and maps and has the responsibility to keep us on the route. The driver just has to follow his instructions. The navigator also has the duty of warning if you drift too close to the edge of the road--a problem I had the first few times I drove in Scotland. "A little close" was the phrase Brad would use to warn me I was a bit too near the stone wall on that side of the car. Fourth, for round-abouts, we use the clock method. You enter the round-about at 6:00. The navigator tells youth take the exit at 3:00 or 10:30, which ever is appropriate. The GPS will tell you to take the second exit. That is fine most of the time, but occasionally you will have a round-about with one way roads that connect to the round-about that you can't exit on, so the second exit is actually the third road. The clock method eliminates the confusion. If you miss a turn, just go around the circle and catch it the next time around. Fifth, get the added insurance. Rick Steves advises this on all car rentals outside the US. I have not had any problems with cars, yet. But it seems that on each trip I will see one van driven by Americans that is scraped down the right side.

 

To get a feel for driving on the other side of the road, you can drive around the airport a few times and try out the roundabouts. The main thing is to not get in a hurry. Give yourself some extra time and plan the drive ahead of time. You'll get used to it pretty quickly.

 

Edit: Be sure to review and to get familiar with the road signs before you go. The signs are different, but you will quickly get used to them. But it helps to be familiar with them before you go. I review the road signs before each trip.

[Gem]

Without too much traffic you would easily do St Andrews to North Berwick in under 2 hrs but the Forth Bridge can be a big hold up in the morning as can Sheriff Hall roundabout which you have to go though. Maybe best to leave a bit early and have breakfast when you arrive.

Hope you have a great trip.

We have hardly had any rain for the last month so hopefully it stays that way for you in July.

[RJGraham3901]

Thanks for all of the driving tips!

 

I have noticed that the weather in Scotland has been pretty dry over the past few weeks, hopefully it doesn't make up for it while we're there!

 

I'm counting down the days!

[crcraig]

Jumping in late here, but there's one piece of driving advice that I didn't see listed here that is worth throwing out there. Driving on the left is easy, as others have said. But be very careful not to fall into old habits when turning onto roads, and look the wrong way for traffic. You'd be amazed how well trained your brain is to thinking that the lane closest to you (on the crossing road) will have traffic going from left-to-right (as in the US).

 

When I drove in Scotland and Ireland, I found this especially tricky when entering a dual carriageway (divided highway, but not all access is via ramps). 20 years later, I still remember making this mistake outside Dundee (looking at a map, it was probably the A90) when turning right onto the dual carriageway. I knew I needed to go all the way across to the far side, but I only looked left for oncoming traffic in the near side. About half way across I realized my mistake, and only the luck that there were no cars coming from the right saved me. It was a scary second or two. I can assure you I did not make that mistake again.

 

Just don't let your guard down in situations like that, and you'll be fine.

[North Butte]

Before my first UK trip I practiced for months at home looking both ways every single time I made any turn or went through any intersection. On that first trip I *almost* turned into the oncoming lane one time on my first day but other than that I was pretty comfortable and safe for the rest of my two weeks. Having a careful, defensive habit already programmed into my head before I leave home is like an insurance policy, especially for that first day when you're jet-lagged and running on coffee and adrenaline.

 

Over the years that habit has stuck with me, both at home and on UK holidays. I think it has definitely saved my bacon a couple of times in my USA driving.

[katbird]

Thank you for all your advice....I'm going there mid-Sept driving around the country for 3 weeks in search of wonders not on the typical "playlist"....like this one...

https://www.google.c...cbuCDoQoioIbjAN

 

Got a great deal on a micro-mini car for $300....should be great fun.....even found a weekend blues/jazz festival in the middle of the trip!

[4Par]

Thank you for all your advice....I'm going there mid-Sept driving around the country for 3 weeks in search of wonders not on the typical "playlist"....like this one...

https://www.google.c...cbuCDoQoioIbjAN

 

Got a great deal on a micro-mini car for $300....should be great fun.....even found a weekend blues/jazz festival in the middle of the trip!

 

Just make sure your clubs and luggage will fit... Their cars are small...

[katbird]

Ha....

I did think of that, 4Par. But I'm traveling solo so my clubs should find a place diagonally across the back seat....or up front with the seatback on a tilt. I have only a duffel and camera bag to fit as well....but thanks for the reminder.

[North Butte]

What airport are you flying to/from? At many UK airports there is a franchise called Excess Baggage where you can check your golf-club travel cover for a per-day fee. It isn't super cheap but it somewhat reduces the bulk of your golf bag when it comes time to fit it into a car or ride on a taxi, bus or train.

 

Also, I second 4Par's advice. Given how small a "standard" or "economy" hire car is over there a "micro-mini" will likely be unbelievably limited in space to carry your clubs. Even for a golf bag with no travel cover on it, I would not take for granted it will easily fit by lowering the passenger seat. And there's no way on earth it is going to be in the back seat diagonally.

 

So be careful there. Standing in the rain at the car-hire lot, the morning after an overnight TATL flight would be a stressful time to find out there's no physical way to fit your stuff in the car you just rented.

 

P.S. In fact, I've always found the rental car pick-up and drop-off to be generally the most stressful part of the UK travel experience (although it's a close call between that and a really crowded security line at the airport). It's amazing how often I have had to pick up or drop off a car in the rain, even on trips where I saw not a drop while playing golf for a week.

[katbird]

Interesting that I did a follow up on the car's interior and read NB's comments afterwards....here's a pic of the Kia PIcanto with fold down rear seats...

 

 

 

I'm checking into Glasgow Sunday morning on no schedule and so will have plenty of time to cruise around town on relatively empty streets to "get my feet wet" and to get my right side used to the left side of the street.

 

I travel with water-proof shoes (removed on flight), and a rain poncho in my camera bag. The golf travel bag will hold 2 pair shoes and hiking boots and rain gear for the rounds, as well as a stout camera monopod extended to the length of the driver. The clubs will be wrapped tightly around the monopod to reduce their vulnerability.

 

And I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

I've 4 Airbnb stops each strategically 1-2 hours from the farthest destination being considered. The one in Golspie is a converted flour mill that seem very nice. Another is by coincidence just 15 minutes from Boat of Garten golf club.

[HoffTTM]

What airport are you flying to/from? At many UK airports there is a franchise called Excess Baggage where you can check your golf-club travel cover for a per-day fee. It isn't super cheap but it somewhat reduces the bulk of your golf bag when it comes time to fit it into a car or ride on a taxi, bus or train.

 

Also, I second 4Par's advice. Given how small a "standard" or "economy" hire car is over there a "micro-mini" will likely be unbelievably limited in space to carry your clubs. Even for a golf bag with no travel cover on it, I would not take for granted it will easily fit by lowering the passenger seat. And there's no way on earth it is going to be in the back seat diagonally.

 

So be careful there. Standing in the rain at the car-hire lot, the morning after an overnight TATL flight would be a stressful time to find out there's no physical way to fit your stuff in the car you just rented.

 

P.S. In fact, I've always found the rental car pick-up and drop-off to be generally the most stressful part of the UK travel experience (although it's a close call between that and a really crowded security line at the airport). It's amazing how often I have had to pick up or drop off a car in the rain, even on trips where I saw not a drop while playing golf for a week.

 

It will be fine, we regularly went in my Skoda Fabia (which is one of the bigger what they call Superminis here) with 4 sets of clubs and 4 6' lads. With the seats down you can just about fit a massive desk from Ikea.

 

A picanto is one size smaller than that but its a non issue with just one person

[Pete O'Tube]

Thank you for all your advice....I'm going there mid-Sept driving around the country for 3 weeks in search of wonders not on the typical "playlist"....like this one...

https://www.google.c...cbuCDoQoioIbjAN

 

Got a great deal on a micro-mini car for $300....should be great fun.....even found a weekend blues/jazz festival in the middle of the trip!

 

Have a look at this course - only 27 miles away. http://cullengolfclub.co.uk

 

 

[katbird]

re. Cullen....Oh my....Thanks Pete....so many great choices...

[tk21]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

The trip fell together perfectly with us receiving the advance ballot tee time for the Old Course on Tues and there was a cancellation at Muirfield on Thursday, so we built the rest of the trip around those two days. Yes, it would have made more sense to play Kingsbarns while in the St Andrews area, which is one of my concerns about driving back through Edinburgh to return to St Andrews. I am certainly looking forward to playing Kingsbarns but would have gladly substituted it for one of the great East Lothian courses to reduce the drive time.

 

We are planning a trip over there for next august. all of the times for muirfield were booked. How did you go about securing a cancellation? did you get your name on a list or just check the website daily?

[lefty77RS]

Thank you for all your advice....I'm going there mid-Sept driving around the country for 3 weeks in search of wonders not on the typical "playlist"....like this one...

https://www.google.c...cbuCDoQoioIbjAN

 

Got a great deal on a micro-mini car for $300....should be great fun.....even found a weekend blues/jazz festival in the middle of the trip!

 

Have a look at this course - only 27 miles away. http://cullengolfclub.co.uk

 

 

 

Cullen is a gem of a course, one of my favourite on Moray coast