"Driving in Scotland - urban and rural" Top 5 Page for this destination Scotland Transportation Tip by JessH

Our road trip was pure joy. Even though we were in the car for an average of 8 hours a day, the beautiful scenery and great road network made travelling in the car a fun & relaxing way to see Scotland. We bought a comprehensive road map, fuelled the car, bought chocolate (fuel for us!) and set off! The roads, towns and exits are all very clearly sign posted and we had no trouble finding our destination(s).

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> In Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK, driving is always on the left-hand side. On motorways, the left-most lane is the slow lane. Overtaking is on the right.
We noticed numerous signs (regular or electronic) reminding us to "Drive on the left" in 4-5 different languages (English, German, Spanish, French and Italian). These signs are obviously aimed at European visitors to Scotland / the UK who naturally aren't used to driving on the *wrong side* of the road... haha!

It was also a small challenge for us during our initial day of driving: when you are in a city, driving on the left comes naturally as you can simply follow the car in front of you. But once you are driving in the rural areas where you might not encounter another motorist for many miles, it's easy to make mistakes and such mistakes cause a number of accidents every year.

> Unless otherwise signposted, maximum speed limits on UK roads are:
Motorways: 70 mph / 112kph.
Dual carriageways: 70 mph / 112kph.
Built-up areas: 30 mph / 48 kph
Outside built-up areas: 60 mph / 96 kph
It is also compulsory to wear seatbelts (front & back) in Scotland.

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One of the great pleasures about driving in Scotland is of course the beauty and relative isolation of the Highlands and other rural areas. Driving on these roads really is fun, with marvellous scenery awaiting us around every corner - but these aren't roads for driving anywhere if you're under time pressue!

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During most of our driving trips through the Highlands, the roads were single track with passing places. Even if this seems a little scary at first, this system works really well with a little thought & consideration.
> If you encounter a car approaching you, stop at the first passing place you come across to allow the other motorist to pass. If the other driver reaches a passing place before you do, they will stop to allow you to continue. People will usually give you a quick wave or nod of appreciation at these passing places: just a small act of courtesy between motorists.

> On dual carriage ways, we often saw a truck or bus ahead of us and as soon as the driver noticed a queue forming behind him, he would pull into the next parking area to let us pass.

> As fantastic as these roads are, long drives can of course be very tiring. Thankfully, there are rest-stops and parking lay-byes every couple of miles, so it's easy to stop and stretch your legs regularly.

> Another hazard of course is the need to watch out for sheep or cattle crossing the road. Most farms have stone walls or fences, but there's always the exception.

> In winter, many of these beautifully winding but dangerous roads are prone to ice: you'll notice that especially in corners or in forests there are ridges in the road. These were carved into the concrete in an effort to prevent ice forming there.

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