What to Know About Driving in Scotland {Plus How it Compares to Driving in Ireland}

Last year, my husband and I rented a car for 15 days and drove around Ireland. We learned quickly how different driving on the "wrong" side of the car on the "wrong" side of the road felt! In case you missed it, you can read my post Renting a Car in Ireland: What You Need to Know. And by "we" I mean, my husband did the driving and I did the navigating! Driving can be both challenging and rewarding and honestly, having the flexibility to see and explore is well worth the challenges!
I'll share a bit more on things we learned while navigating those narrow lanes and twisting roads in the Scottish Highlands and some tips on how you can get the confidence you need to drive in the UK as well. I promise, it's worth it!

What to Know About Driving in Scotland {Plus How it Compares to Driving in Ireland}

Renting a Car Abroad: What to Expect

In both Ireland, Scotland and in England {we spent a handful of days in the Cotswold's}, renting a car was the best way to get off the beaten path. The process feels familiar in each country, but there are some key differences. 
In Ireland and Scotland, most cars are manual, and automatics are harder to come by and much more expensive. If you don't know how to drive a stick shift, now is not the time to learn! Make sure you book an automatic early to secure one.
The roads in both Ireland and Scotland are a narrow. Choose a smaller car and make sure you pack light! I know there are people who bring far too much luggage and think they need a bigger vehicle to transport it. Stick with the smaller car! You'll thank me later! Those picturesque roads often mean very tight lands, hairpin turns, and very very small parking lots where a compact car will be far easier to manage.
10 Packing Tips from a Recovered Over Packer
Insurance is another area where the lessons transferred. In Ireland, the confusing world of Collision Damage Waivers, excess charges, and third-party liability coverage can trip up unsuspecting travelers, Scotland has similar insurance rules. Always double-check what your rental includes, what your credit card covers, and whether you need supplemental protection. Document the car thoroughly before you leave the lot. We always take pictures and videos and that will be your best friend when renting a car abroad.

The Rules of the Road

Obviously, the first thing to remember is that Scotland drives on the left. If you've already adjusted to Ireland, you'll feel more confident in Scotland. In the UK, speed limits are posted in miles per hour, so that is something that will at least feel a little familiar.
Speed limits are also higher in Scotland than you might expect. The national speed limit for single-carriageway roads is 60 mph, which sounds reasonable until you realize that many of those roads are barely wide enough for one car! In reality, most people drive well under the posted speed limit, and it really is just that, a limit to not go beyond, not a limit to try to hit!
There are a fair amount of roundabouts used in Scotland. Some people are a little apprehensive at first, but honestly, there is very little chance you can screw these up and go the wrong way. However, they can be a little complicated entering and exiting at the right points, but we found Google maps to be very helpful!
It also might be helpful to do a quick google search of common road signs you might see in the UK so that you won't be wondering what a sign means! There were a few we figured out, but some we had to look up later.

Road Conditions and Terrain

We found quite a few differences between Ireland and Scotland when it came to road conditions and terrain. In Ireland, the biggest challenge is often the narrow rural roads. Hedges are often covering up stone walls, and blind curves make it difficult to see around corners. It feels like the roads were laid out for horse carts and never upgraded and yet two cars need to somehow make their way past one another!
Scotland has its fair share of narrow rural roads, but in many parts of the Highlands and on the islands, you'll encounter something Ireland doesn't have much of: official single-track roads. These are one-land roads that serve two-way traffic. To make them work, there are frequent passing places-small little pull-offs where one car can wait while the other passes. The official part makes a HUGE difference!
Learning the etiquette of single-track roads is essential. Always use passing places on the left, never stop on the right! If another car is closer to a pull-off, they should use it, but sometimes you may need to reverse to the nearest spot. Larger vehicles like public buses have the right of way, and it's polite to give a little wave of thanks when someone pulls over for you.
Keep in mind, that the actual driving speed will almost always be slower than the posted limit. If you feel like a car is creeping up on you and seems like they want to pass, feel free to use a pull-off to allow them to go around you. We found these were often locals and they are used to the roads!
We found that Scotland seemed to have less roads. While Ireland would often have roads that would wind through small villages and farm land, Scotland {at least in Isle of Skye} had few direct routes. It wasn't uncommon for something to be four miles away as the crow flies, but with no direct roads, would take 30 minutes to drive there!
In Scotland, because of their very generous land grant access allowing campers to camp for free on most land, there were a fair amount of RV's on the road. These were smaller camper vans, but they were larger than a normal car. You can also guess, that they'd often be driven by inexperienced drivers on holiday! Just something to be more aware of.
We also found a LOT of pot holes in Scotland. To the point that we saw several cars on the side of roads not far away from some of the largest pot holes with popped tires. We found that you had to be very aware of the roads as you were driving, and this often meant reducing your speed so that you could quickly avoid a pot hole so it didn't sneak up on you!
And one of my favorite things, while driving around Scotland, don't miss stopping when you see an honesty box! You never know what you'll find!

Navigating Cities

For the most part, we tend to rent cars AFTER we are done exploring the big cities. We took a train from London to Edinburgh, where we walked to our Airbnb. We explored all of Edinburgh on foot for the next few days before we took a bus to the airport to rent our car. Driving in big cities can be very challenging, and honestly, not worth it for how easy they are to navigate via public transit or your own two feet!
Many big cities will also be at the start of your trip, and it's not smart to add in learning how to navigate driving while being jet lagged, so give yourself a few days to acclimate even if you are excited about starting your vacation and getting out into the countryside!
We did venture through and into towns several times and navigating there can be an experience all on its own! We found the most difficulty with parking. I'm told {remember I'm the navigator, not the driver} that parallel parking is actually not as hard as you'd think! But the roads are often small, many are one-way, and there are often a lot of pedestrians making things interesting!
We did find that having cash would have been convenient for parking. There were a few areas that had pay to park via an app, however, despite how hard I tried, I couldn't get the app downloaded as I waited. I'd suggest trying to download the app called RingGo so that you can pay for parking via credit card before you leave the country, and learn from our experience!
As the navigator, I also get a little stressed out as I relinquished control. I brought this with me in Ireland, and I had it with me in Scotland. It really is a HUGE help while working through the stresses of a new experience together!

Tips for a Smooth Experience

If you need an automatic car, book your rental early! Choose the smallest car that works for you and your group and take lots of photos and videos of the vehicle, noting any and all damage, before you leave the lot. Double-check your insurance and what coverage you might have through your credit card company. Always make note or how full the tank is. It's not uncommon to receive a rental that only has a half a tank of gas {or less!}. 
Bring a lot of patience and a little sense of humor. If you are the navigator, don't scroll your phone! You are there to help your driver. We do a lot of talking out loud about what we are doing at all times. It's totally ok to continue to repeat to yourself "I'm a left side driver!" and as the navigator, offering new sightlines for the driver who might think they have way more room on the passenger side of the road than they do! 
Don't let local drivers make you feel rushed or stress you out! Pull over when you can and take the opportunity to soak in the views! The breathtaking scenery is one of the whole reasons you're driving anyway isn't it?

So...Which Country is Harder to Drive in-Ireland vs Scotland?

We had this discussion a few times as we were driving. Honestly, we decided that we were glad we drove in Ireland first because it was more difficult. There were way more single-track roads, more speeding cars, no lines, very narrow roads and stone walls shockingly close to, and disguised in, hedges inches from the roadway. 
Scotland seemed to be a bit more orderly and because of the numerous pull-out areas on those single-track roads, driving was so much more manageable.
We also found that in Ireland, while using google maps, we were often much slower than the time predicted. However, in Scotland, the time was incredibly accurate. This was even when driving 40 mph on a 60 mph road! I'm thinking Scotland driving must be a bit more predictable, even in the Highlands and in the more rural areas, than Ireland.
We were glad we rented cars in both areas. Mostly because there is so much to see that goes beyond a tour bus or where mass transit goes! We had the flexibility to make our own schedule and stop at a moments notice if we saw something along the way.

In case you missed it: The Best 15-Day Driving Itinerary for Ireland! 

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