While planning our trip to the United Kingdom, we decided to travel Scotland by a self-driven car. Keeping potential challenges in mind, we as travel enthusiasts and adventure seekers, could not miss the wonderful opportunity to drive across one of the most beautiful countries of the world. Scotland is known for beautiful landscapes and its rich history with beautiful castles, old architecture and vibrant cities like Edinburgh. Along with potential challenges, driving on our own gave abundant scope to explore places with complete freedom.
Here, I won’t describe much about the other aspects of Scotland, but I will restrict my blog to the experience I had while I drove across the country for a week and for around 1000 kms. So without much ado, let’s get started.
Car Booking
Our trip schedule for Scotland was from 21st April to 28th April. After spending a week in England, we reached Edinburgh Waverley Station via Train on 21st April, where we rented a car directly from “Enterprise_Rent-A-Car” company. There were multiple options of car company from where you can book a car, but from our previous experience at Switzerland, we opted for Enterprise.
Car Details and Cost
The car we booked was a 5-seater “Vauxhall Corsa”. The rent for the car for 1 week was only 96.67 Pounds, but including other coverage like mandatory insurance, tax, etc., it summed upto 370.04 Pounds, which converted to INR will be somewhere around Rs. 44000.00. However, during booking we were charged 570.04 Pounds, where 200 Pounds was a refundable security deposit.
Fuel Policy
Fuel is of course not included in the package and the condition of fuel if Full to Full. It means that they will give the car with a full tank and you have to return the same with full tank, otherwise penalty will be charged. This is a general practice followed in most countries across the world. In the petrol pump/gas stations you have to fill the petrol on your own as there are generally no attendants.
The cost of fuel (Petrol) in Scotland was somewhat around INR 200 per litre.
Payment Method
You can make payment only via International Credit Card. So, it is mandatory to carry an International Credit card if you wish to hire a car in Scotland or in any European countries. They don’t accept cash or UPI payment.
However, there is a Catch here!
Let us share with you an interesting incident that caused us panic.
We had previously pre-booked a car from Drivalia (another car rental company) through online booking some 15 days in advance where we were charged nominal advance of around Rs. 5000.00. But when we reached the pick-up spot at Edinburgh Waverley Station, we could not find any office of Drivalai.
After a hectic search we finally saw a sign board of Drivalia where there was a phone number written and there was also a telephone (like a land line). We called at the number and we were informed over phone that it was an unmanned pick up station. We have to make the payment at the KIOSK and the car keys will automatically be fetched after the payment and the vehicle number will be reflected on the KIOSK and we just have to search the car by the number in the parking lot and that’s all.
But when we tried to make payment by the international credit card, OTP was generated. And as we usually do, we took a new international SIM and my mobile number where OTP comes was not serviceable. Therefore, we could not book the car and as there was no help desk, we got no help from anybody. It was a panic situation. We then searched for car agency offices.
After a lot of hassle and running, we finally found few car rental offices and when I saw “Enterprise Car Rental” I felt a bit relieved as previously I had a good experience with them. We went to “Enterprise” and they seamlessly booked our car and we directly swiped our cards and this time it did not ask for OTP. And finally, we got cars to move!
Driving License
A valid Indian driving license (in English language) is enough for letting you drive in Scotland. Of course, your Passport and Visa are mandatory documents to be shown during booking your car.
Driving Rules
The basic driving rule in Scotland is similar to that in India. You drive on the left side of the road and the driver sits on the right-side seat. Fastening seat belts is mandatory. Other traffic signals are somewhat similar to that in India. But yes, you have to be extra cautious there as compared to India as you won’t find traffic police to guide you, except in the busy cities. It’s only the traffic signals that you have to follow and if you cross any red signal, penalty is around INR 12000.00. So, it’s better to drive slowly, steadily and cautiously to avoid hefty penalties.
The speed limit in highways is around 110 kmph and in narrow roads it is around 60 kmph. Be sure to follow the speed limits strictly to avoid penalty.
How are the Traffic Penalty Charged
The traffic penalty will not be charged immediately, but at the time of dropping off the vehicle at the car rental company. The penalty gets recorded and the same is deducted from the security deposit. However, for each penalty the car agency charges additional fine if you do not have insurance covered.
Luckily, we were not penalised anywhere during our tour.
Google Map
Google Map was our constant companion throughout our tour. Without Google Map we could not even imagine driving 1000 km in an unknown country from Edinburgh to Portree to Inverness and more. Google Map was really a blessing.
Car Parking
Unlike in India, car parking in Scotland is far more systematic and advanced. You cannot park your car anywhere except at designated parking lots. There are mobile apps like RingGo, NCP App, AppyParking where you can pre book your parking slot before your arrival at any location. The apps are more prevalent in the cities. Even if you don’t book online, you can go to the parking lot and generate the slip from the KIOSK and park your car in the designated space. All parking lots are unmanned and you have to do the task yourself. In the beginning it seems a bit complicated but, in a day, or two, it seems cool.
However, parking was as such not a problem for us. We had earlier experience of such parking facilities in Switzerland.
Road Conditions
As expected from a developed European country, the road conditions throughout Scotland were excellent. The roads are well maintained with proper drainage systems and you won’t find any pit holes or water logging on the roads. Towards the cities the roads are broader but at the countryside the roads are narrow. In some places in the country side, the roads are so narrow that only one car can pass at a time. You have to give way if you see a car heading from the front. But since it is a less populated country, there are much less cars in the countryside and the narrow lanes are never a problem.
Driving Etiquettes of the Scots
We were very delighted to see the driving etiquettes of the Scots. We never heard any unnecessary honking and never saw any harsh overtaking or any angry eyes from fellow drivers. Everyone seemed so relaxed while driving. Whenever you give side to a car approaching from the front in narrow lanes, the drivers of the other car raise their hand every time. It’s their courtesy wave for letting them pass by. We saw the same gesture in Switzerland as well. From the second day we also gave courtesy wave to any car which let us pass by.
In fact, it became my habit and even when I returned to India, I used the same gesture to the drivers whom I passed by, leaving them confused and maybe sometimes irritated, and soon I realised that this does not work here.
Scenic Beauties and Car Stop Points on Roads
The scenic beauty which we experienced while our drive was outstanding. We will elaborate them in our subsequent blogs. There are some designated places in the highways and other roads where you can stop your car and enjoy the scenic beauty and take some photographs.
Overall Experience
Overall, it was an amazing 7 days experience for us as we drove across the beautiful country of Scotland. We faced certain challenges at times but those were worth the experience. As travel enthusiasts we love to move around on our own without depending on public transport and Scotland surpassed our expectations as it revealed its beauty. If you missed our driving experience in Switzerland please click the link below:
Our driving experience across Switzerland – CoffeeBreak Diaries
1 thought on “Driving Across Scotland for a week”
Your Blog was everything I was looking for. Was looking for pointers on driving internationally in UK. The way you have written sums up pretty much everything I needed to know. Came back to comment after half reading your Switzerland driving experience. Keep going you guys!