Driving in the UK

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

I hope you said: the steering wheel is on the right and the cars are on the left. As horrible as it may seem, that wasn't the scariest part. After 2 days I had the wrong side of the road thing handled. I'm not saying I was a rockstar-steering-wheel-on-the-right driver. I still had those moments when making a turn that I had to do some quick mental geometry "if I want to make a right turn at the intersection I need to pretend like it is a left turn, pull out into traffic, but don't turn left, turn right and arc just right and make sure you stay in the left lane" phew. So if you are driving alone for 2 weeks in northern England and southern Scotland (and are from the U.S.)

HERE IS WHAT ONE MIGHT EXPECT: 

ADORABLE ROAD SIGNS don't you just love the lambie and the cute car?

NOT-SO-ADORABLE SIGNS am I supposed to drive faster or slower over a weak bridge?! Because really, I don't want to drive over it at all now that you've told me.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS ON THE HIGHWAY and I quote the traffic signs:

Frustration causes accidents 

Roadwork ahead, you should be grateful

Tiredness kills

YOU WILL WANT A TINY CAR youwill scrunch your shoulders up to your ears. I promise. This road in the Lake District actually looks like a 4 lane highway compared to the other roads in the area. The reason we are all waiting at the light . . . the bridge that van just crossed is barely wide enough for one lane of traffic. In the Lake District, it's not just that the roads are narrow, they are hemmed in by high stone walls. You never know what will be around the corner: another car, a cyclist, a sheer drop-off or a wee little lambie!

Walls, sheer drop-offs and sharp turns

SPECTACULAR VIEWS

My first few moments in the Lake District

Welcome to Scotland, suddenly the trees are more majestic

Driving in the Scottish Highlands

For a glorious 10 minutes I got to drive on the right due to road construction. Yes, I was grateful.

BRUISED NUCKLES was driving a stick and some habits you never break. Like reaching with your "right" hand instead of your "left" to shift, over and over again. You get the idea.

DRIVING WITHOUT PLANS CAN BE REWARDING one Sunday outside Oban Scotland, I had a couple hours to kill before church so I just drove. Following the road as it wove in and out along the coastline. Heading up a steep incline and hairpin turn I saw a sign: Castle Stalker gift shop. I pulled over, parked, perused the gift shop and saw stunning pictures of a castle all over the place. I asked the girl in the gift shop, "where is this?" She smiled and said, "right behind you". Literally. I walked into the adjoining cafe and was met by a panorama of windows with this view. Not me, but the castle in the distance.

YOU WILL MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF Disclaimer: I have not driven a stick in years, except for one day in Germany. 

While exploring the lake district and a Beatrix Potter museum (a future post) I left my car in a parking lot and came back to find it gone! My heart pounding, I think, "seriously did one of these senior citizens steal my car". Now, I had been sick for a gut wrenching week at this point and was running on low fuel, so thinking my brain just isn't firing on all cylinders and that I forgot where I parked I start to walk to the next lot. Then I see it--not in the next parking lot!   GASP!   there it is, resting it's nose comfortably on the rear end of another car. My car had rolled across 3 rows, missing other cars and is sitting in the aisle blocking traffic. I jump in the car. Move it. And while rifling through the glove box looking for any info to leave for the victim's car,  I hear a nock on the window. Mortification. I roll down the window and the nice gentleman says, "nice parking job". We chat for a bit. no damage. He and his wife had seen the car coming and physically slowed it down. His parting words, "now remember, when you park you need to pull up on that stick in the middle". You can thank me all now for confirming the English stereotype for Americans. Sorry.

My car, next to Hadrian's wall. Not sure if the car makes the wall look huge or if the wall makes my car look small.

*no animals, people, or vehicles (the license plate number is blurred out for a reason) were harmed while producing this blog post.