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Never found such considerate drivers in the netherlands.

Unfortunately I have to agree

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Try not to be outside during dusk: Midges!

Ahh, after Northern Finland I found the midges in Scotland underwhelming , still remember the time on the Finland/Norway border when I had to change my motorcycle tyre with my (full-face) helmet on, as the air was dark with midges...

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Oh, and when stopping somewhere off the beaten path (and even when on it), carefully check around and under your car before driving away. I've found sheep sheltering under the car on several occasions...

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I had a problem driving on the wrong side of the road during the 2004 meet. I had to keep telling myself to drive on the left in my head.

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Though it was really odd sitting as a passenger on the left hand side of the car while we were driving on roads in NL.

My passengers get that all the time The door handles have fingernail marks in them.

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Though it was really odd sitting as a passenger on the left hand side of the car while we were driving on roads in NL.

They never try driving a RHD around europe then, that can get a little confusing at times. I personally prefer driving my own car abroad, but sometimes if you are not paying full attention it gets confusing at junctions

Cheers

Cris.

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Put all your expenses on credit cards if possible, which gets you the market exchange rate with most cards. That and the $200-500 in cash you bring with you and you'll avoid the ridiculous 5%+ vig.

That information is somewhat out of date.
Many credit card companies will now screw you to the wall. Citibank in particular.
They will charge you a ridiculous "foreign transaction fee."
I got massively nailed by this on a recent visit to Canada

So check your credit card "Terms and Conditions" carefully.
Or just call your various credit card issuers up before you leave.

I seem to recall that the Capital One "No Hassle Card" does not rake you over the coals for being a world traveler. I.e., no fees whatsoever.
So you might start there.

Under no situations should you use a Citibank card in a foreign country, as a local mafioso loan shark will probably give you a better deal. (Heck, even an airport Currency Exchange might be better a better deal than Citibank. Hmmm, possibly not, though.)

OK, back to the driving question....

I, too, recommend that you drive if at all possible. I enjoyed driving on the rural English and Scottish backroads.
Even the left-handed shifter isn't too much of an adjustment.

The only issues I had were with getting too close to rows of parked cars in more crowded urban situations.

Remember, it is the United Kingdom, not Italy! So you probably won't have to deal with people running stop signs at 100 mph or running you off curvy mountain roads (not least due to extreme lack of any mountains!).

Always think three times before backing out into the road.

And NEVER drive after having even ONE beer.
Your subconscious instincts won't keep you out of trouble properly,
even if you are in a region where driving-after-one-beer is legal.

In Sweden, a BAC of 0.00000000000000000001% is illegal. (So, keep away from the Listerine.)

In the UK, I don't seem to recall that they have a similar zero-tolerance policy, but why not be safe and just assume that they do,
what with all the wrong-side driving, narrow roads, roundabouts, and absence of any useful road shoulders.

[Hey! After all these years, it looks like I finally (recently) overflowed the 8-bit post count. Tune in after another half-decade to watch me go for The Tenth Bit! ]

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Being a stick shift enthusiast, I just might have to try it....

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Though it was really odd sitting as a passenger on the left hand side of the car while we were driving on roads in NL.

Well, I am not very sure about what side is "right" or "wrong" anymore - some of my vehicles are RHD, some LHD, and I do a fair bit of driving both in the UK and over here. So it's more of a case of "ahh, the gearshift is *there* this time, and let's see, what side of the road this time?".

But the passenger thing tends to get really funny when doing UK shows in the LHD land rovers, especially the ones with zero visibility to any rearward facing angle - merging lanes or going into a roundabout requires Elaine to slide open the window, put her head out, look backwards and shout "Clear!". Of course everybody else assumes she (sitting on the right side) is the person driving...

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Though it was really odd sitting as a passenger on the left hand side of the car

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P.S. Anyone know how to get out of a speed cam ticket that I'm sure I'll receive?

Yea, my advice is to move to America and get yourself an American driving licence where UK law can't touch you

If I can get caught on camera in France and not get a ticket I am sure you'll hear nothing of it

Do you really think our speed limits are that high? I think most people here would add about 10mph to any limit (except in built up areas of course) before even being worried about speed, it's well know for example that no police man will stop you on a motorway for doing 80mph.

I am glad you enjoyed your experience, sounds like you had a good time.

Cheers

Cris.

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it's well know for example that no police man will stop you on a motorway for doing 80mph.

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The DMV can also suspend your license for the following: ... A conviction for speeding over 75 mph.

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If I can get caught on camera in France and not get a ticket ...

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If I can get caught on camera in France and not get a ticket ...

I thought that they were supposed to be unifying the systems so that you could now get a ticket if you were caught speeding in Europe?

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it's well know for example that no police man will stop you on a motorway for doing 80mph.

It's possible to lose your license for driving that speed virtually anywhere in the US, even without any prior traffic violations. For example,
[snip]

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it's well know for example that no police man will stop you on a motorway for doing 80mph.

It's possible to lose your license for driving that speed virtually anywhere in the US, even without any prior traffic violations. For example, in NC:

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The DMV can also suspend your license for the following: ... A conviction for speeding over 75 mph.

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I thought that they were supposed to be unifying the systems so that you could now get a ticket if you were caught speeding in Europe?

Yes it's on the cards, but not all countries have their own points systems in place let alone cross border ones. Of course if the police pull you over the same fines apply as for locals.

Loose your licence for doing 80mph! Even I could do that in my Smart

Cheers

Cris.

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Loose your licence for doing 80mph! Even I could do that in my Smart

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Loose your licence for doing 80mph!

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Now I understand Lotus Elise, BMW, motorcycles, WRX, etc, and how they fit UK roads like a glove.

OK, now while I like all four of those vehicles, I think the ship sailed a
while back on BMWs being small, small-engined, and light on petrol.

Put a BMW 3-series coupe from 1987 next to one from 2004.

The difference is shocking.
The 2004 is a big fat pig with probably 1000 pounds on the 1987.

Is that bad? Not necessarily. But it's different.

Of course, the more modern car has a bigger engine, lots more HP, plus ABS,
DSC, and nice suspension, so it still handles extremely well with the extra
weight and size.

But it is a totally different type of beast from the 3-series of 20 years
ago, and quite a different animal from the Lotus Elise or a motorcycle!

I think an M3/330ci would be more at home on the Autobahn than speeding
through the UK hedgerows and backroads.

Though I mean no disrespect to a fine automobile that Car and Driver has
ranked #1 for more or less 10 years in a row.

Of course, BMW has made tiny cars in the past....

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Of course, BMW has made tiny cars in the past....

Ah- but this is a true light-weight BMW sports car!

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120mph max approach speeds

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Despite the 60mph speed limit (quite reasonable for a local), the best I ever dared that day was 50mph on those stone-walled tunnels

Take a mental note then, never and I mean ever get into my van when I am driving in the dales around here, lots of walls lots of bends, lots of fun! It is more fun at night, and safer too as you can see people headlights ahead.

I don't think I have ever seen a car accident on these roads, plenty bikers don't make it though. To be serious for a moment, you don't have to do 60mph, and if you do get overtaken it is by a local (and I mean local!) I can remember one time I went to visit one of our guys up in the dales and we went back to the telephone exchange for lunch, he over took me on what looked like a blind bend to me, what I didn't know was where to look to see what was coming, we were in transit vans and it was very tight, I can imagine it would have been pretty scary to meet us on that corner

Cheers

Cris.