Silverstone, fish'n'chips,driving on the wrong side of the road......

[Scotzman]

Northen England and Scotland???  I sense a Harry Potter tour in your future 

[geoffduc]

Well Bob have you made your mind up yet..

BTW bring wet weather gear.. we do seem to have our fare share of rain..

[Grampa]

We'll only be able to take a lil over a week off..... so far the plan is to arrive midweek, a few days before motogp, but we havent booked flights yet, so I dont know the exact when and where. Michelle has some family there that we plan on visiting.. and I think they live a lil outside london. They boys are coming with us, so thing were trying to plan have to be somewhat kid based (so my plans on getting drunk every night in a new pup are out the window)

What kind of things are needed to rent/hire a car in the UK?

[badgalbetty]

What kind of things are needed to rent/hire a car in the UK?
[/quote]

Money. Lots of it. England is Expensive.
I rented a car back in 2002 on a visit home and I just showed my Oregon State issued d/l, passport and credit card.
If you rent a car don't get one with French License plates, The Brits don't like the French so well......they are still a bit pissed about 1066 and Hastings. Old wounds are slow to heal.

[JEFF_H]

What kind of things are needed to rent/hire a car in the UK?

I rented a car in Italy...it was easy.

wouldnt do it in the UK...transit is so easy to find everywhere.
possible exception- driving to the highlands might be fun

ever drive a roundabout? backwards? 

[geoffduc]

I rented a car in Italy...it was easy.

wouldnt do it in the UK...transit is so easy to find everywhere.
possible exception- driving to the highlands might be fun

ever drive a roundabout? backwards? 

Oh come on Jeff if an olde fart like me can come over to the states and drive a couple of thousand miles I'm sure you guys could drive on our roads but remember we don't take prisoners...

[ducpainter]

Oh come on Jeff if an olde fart like me can come over to the states and drive a couple of thousand miles I'm sure you guys could drive on our roads but remember we don't take prisoners...

You ever drive in Boston?   

[Buckethead]

You ever drive in Boston?   

Yeah.

It's worse in the South. 

[ducpainter]

Yeah.

It's worse in the South. 

I was in Miami a few years back.

They pretty much suck as drivers.

In Boston driving like an asshole is an art form.

[il d00d]

I rented a car in Italy...it was easy.

wouldnt do it in the UK...transit is so easy to find everywhere.
possible exception- driving to the highlands might be fun

ever drive a roundabout? backwards? 

I was driving back from Oxford one night, and I did actually attempt to drive a roundabout backwards.  Until I encountered a lorry driving forwards.  And then I drove across the middle of a roundabout, middlewards.

Driving is fun, once you spend a couple hours on the road rewiring your brain and you stop bumping into the driver's side door, expecting more car to be there.  Roundabouts are better than stoplights.  There are rules to them that took a little while for me to figure out, but that you can probably ignore if you are careful, and your feelings don't get hurt by people holding their fingers up in a V formation at you.  Thank you!  I did victoriously navigate this circle!  Cheers! 

I felt like driving on the freeway there is as easy as driving on the freeway here.  Of course, you could avoid any of this wrong-side-of-car stuff if you rent a bike

[Scotzman]

What kind of things are needed to rent/hire a car in the UK?

I had to get an international drivers license to rent a car in Scotland, but they're right about public transportation, even if you plan on going out to the boonies, there's trains and buses.


Oh ya, got international license at a AAA office which is good for two years.

[geoffduc]

Just like Erica advised, bring lots of money, gas at the moment is over $8 a gallon and the cost of eating out is getting more expensive by the day. Public transport is good but you need to get to grips with all the time tables, you say that you're bringing the kids well what age are they because theres Legoland at Windsor which I believe is wonderful and then sightseeing in the capital will take afew days, you'll have to hire a car to get to silverstone and make sure you're there early as it gets very congested plus have you got grandstand tickets or just general entry?

[ungeheuer]

OK Bob heres an idea... fly over to manchester (cheaper) 10 days before the sunday of the motogp, hire a car, drive to my home and I'll take you to the Isle of Man ferry terminal at Liverpool (8miles) go over on the Seecat as foot pasengers (cheaper than taking the car) and watch the 1st race on saturday the 4th june, come back on monday (you've got to see mad sunday) and I'll pick you up with your hirecar. You could then drive north to the lakes, north yorkshire moors or scotland for afew days making sure you get down to silverstone for the following weekend after which you could then go south for the cotswolds or london to finish off your vacation. Being a northerner I don't know much about london but I know that in 2002 we had friends over from atlanta and did the tour that I've suggested and they loved it (couldn't believe that guys raced on the streets) and even managed chips and fish in a beautiful market town in the lakes that has what I think is special, A car park that at weekends is reserved for motor cycles only and boy it sure pisses off car drivers (I love it).
Only an idea so don't shoot the messenger...cheers...Geoff.

Great itinerary  Can I come along too?  .

If you rent a car don't get one with French License plates...

...coz the steering wheel is in front of the passenger's seat (but then I expect you'll be used to that).  Just remember, when you do jump in the passenger side with your hire-car keys poised for the getaway.... unlock the glove-box to look like you meant it  .

[red baron]

In Boston driving like an asshole is an art form.

Joel and Michelle have a great time the UK will be a blast.

[Grampa]

We got roving grandsatand tickets