Coming from a country that drives on the left hand side
(LHS) of the road you would think that driving in the UK would be easy. Throw
in a left hand drive (LHD) vehicle and narrow, unfamiliar roads and the
challenges quickly present themselves.
The first mistake I made was straight off the ferry. Driving
along feeling like I was in the hedge rows and Tanya feeling like she was in
the oncoming traffic, I checked my speed and looked in the mirrors. There was a
very long line of traffic behind me, I checked my speed again and concluded that
people in England liked to speed. A short while later I realised my mistake,
the speed limits are in miles per hour not kilometres.
The roads in the UK are coded using letters, an A road is a
more major road, a B road is a less major road and a road without a number is
what we would call a laneway. All roads are narrow by Australian standards,
even on some
A roads there is not a lot of
space for two trucks to pass each other. Caution is needed particularly as you
pass through towns.
Often the road narrows
around old buildings and there are always parked cars narrowing the road to a
single lane and forcing you into oncoming traffic. Thankfully most UK drivers
are courteous. To let the other driver know you are giving them right of way you
flash your headlights.
In rural and remote areas like parts of Scotland and Cornwall
the roads are often a single lane with a hedge or rock wall on each side making
it impossible to see far ahead. There is usually a small passing area every few
hundred metres. These are enough for two cars to pass but can be tight for a
van or a truck. Our advice is to be patient, drive slowly and be ready to stop.
Take control of your own destiny and pull over for oncoming traffic. At times you will have to park your van in the bushes. Do this slowly to avoid bad
scratching.
When driving on these roads
allow plenty of time, don’t rush or get frustrated or you will have an accident
and regardless of who’s at fault, it will cost you time and money.
There are many hazards that can appear quickly on UK roads. Warning
signs for road works are often placed on the road and not beside it. This forces
you out of your lane and potentially into on-coming traffic. Sheep, cattle and
horses graze in areas without fences particularly in National Parks. Again slow
down and take control of your own destiny.
Know the height and width of your vehicle. Some roads have
signs indicating the maximum size that will fit through.
Do not ignore these signs. Also many open air
car parks have a height barrier at the entrance with a maximum height indicated
on them. Treat these with caution as they may not be accurate, our van is 2.1m
high but it scraped on a barrier labelled 2.5m.
Do not blindly follow your Sat-Nav particularly if it is programmed
for fast route. It can try to lead you down narrow lanes when there is a more
major, less stressful road a little further on. Use your judgement. If you are
not comfortable turning into a road then keep going and the Sat-Nav will
reprogram. Some towns are too small for a campervan or bus to get through. They
have warning signs directing you to alternate routes and parking areas: follow
these. We witnessed a large camper stuck in a town called Mousehole, the driver
did a lot of damage to both sides of his vehicle trying to force his way around
an impossible corner.
The UK is a fantastic destination to take a Campervan, there is so much to do and see; but it
does not have the infrastructure of much of the EU. Our best advice is to heed
the old English mantra of “Keep Calm and Carry On (slowly and cautiously)” and you will have a great time.
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