I have done this several times and had no problem with driving on the left. It was MUCH harder getting used to shifting left-handed and getting used to the VERY narrow roads with high speed limits and 6 foot hedges.
I just did a trip in July, and found it surprisingly easy. I had a manual tranny, and the things I thought would be problematic were not. Left-hand shifting literally took no time to get used to. Getting used to driving on the left side of the road? Also, surprisingly quick to adapt. What did take me about four or five hours of driving to real feel comfortable about is my position in the lane. As a poster mentioned on the first page of this thread, I was constantly drifting much closer to the left side of the lane than I intended to. So, while everything else about driving in the UK came naturally, my spatial sense was still skewed a bit leftward. It took several hours of conscious attention to the lane markers, but eventually my brain recalibrated.
I’m not exactly sure why this took conscious effort in the beginning, but the others did not, but that was the main thing I found odd about driving a RHD car in the UK. Oh, and actually looking to the left for the rear-view mirror took a little bit to get used to.
The narrow roads were a bit harrowing and stressful the first few days, but after getting used to them, they were kind of fun. They are surprisingly narrow, though, the equivalent of maybe a lane and a half in the US.
My problem with the left-hand shifting was that in the US, first gear is closest to the driver, and in the UK, first is farthest from the driver.
Makes sense. I’m sure different things will trip different people up. For me, the shift was easy, because it was natural for me not to think of it in relative terms, but it in fixed terms (i.e., first is always top-left, not top-towards-body), but it was this same sort of perspective that threw me off when it came to lane positioning. I imagine a fair amount of drivers adapt to that with minimal adjustment, while for me it took several hours and a helpfully vocal SO to remind me to stay farther right into my lane.
As a native of these islands, I’d like to add that if someone uses their horn in your direction, this means:
- You’re stationary when you should be moving (e.g. at a green traffic-light) and the person behind is giving you a gentle wake-up. Expect this after maybe 5 seconds of being unjustifiably static in city traffic, less in rush-hour.
- They nearly crashed into you, and it’s your fault.
- They nearly crashed into you, it’s their fault, but they’re convinced it was your fault.
Tooting of horns in moving traffic generally means someone screwed up and compromised everyone’s safety - it’s not used lightly. A good driver almost never gets tooted - if you get “honked at all the time” in moving traffic then I’m afraid you are dangerously incompetent and shouldn’t be on the road.
Britain is surely a wonderful place for a driving holiday for natives and non-natives alike, and if you can drive safely then you will doubtless be very welcome. If not, best to look into other modes of transport.
1: Ask your English sweetheart if you can have a go at driving his gigantic (by UK) standards car.
2: Assure him you can drive a stick. Do not mention that the last time you drove a standard transmission was around 1988.
3: Re-enact the driving lesson-that-ends-up-on-the-freeway/motorway scene from Clueless.
4: Get chauffeured everywhere as a consequence. Result!
I had no real problems visiting England and driving on the left. I didn’t do a lot of city driving, but enough to appreciate the highways/motorways.
Scotland was more nerve-wracking, but only because of the narrowness of many of the country roads, plus “shoulders” are an unknown concept in many places. Driving along one narrow track that eventually petered out to nothingness near the edge of a cliff was especially nightmarish; I occasionally dream about it even now.
The hardest part was when I checked into the B&B and signed the card slip with my left hand.
Why? Every trip I’ve taken over there has involved drives of over 200 miles. Heck, I drove over 500 miles one day. What’s the problem?
That’s something I noticed when I arrived in the US. Most Americans never use the handbrake. Bad practice I think. The park position was never intended to substitute for the brake.
Coming from New Zealand, I didn’t have to learn to drive on a different side of the road, but the thing I really noticed was how terrifyingly narrow the roads were. We drove a rental car from Manchester Airport to our farm stay which was about a 90 minute drive, and I was terrified the whole time. We laugh about it now, because we’re so used to the road width, but at the time it was very scary.
Most European (i.e. not domestically designed) cars are adaptations of the native design, thus the hood or trunk release may be on the ‘wrong’ side.
Most people here learn to drive on a manual shift model and, if they wish, change to an auto transmission after they pass the driving test. The great majority never change; my late father was of the view that ‘automatics are for cripples and people who can’t drive properly’ . I’ve certainly no wish to own one.
It’s illegal to display the ‘L’ plate if a learner (or strictly speaking, Holder of a Provisional Licence) is not at the wheel (though you’ll see people doing it anyway).
The driving test was made somewhat more difficult a few years ago at the insistence of the EU; in particular, a theory test had to be introduced.
American here, been driving in the UK for a year or so. Some of the suburban roads can get very narrow - not because of the road, but because everyone parks on both sides of the road. You get good real fast at figuring out when you need to stop and let cars in front of you pass, and when you need to boogie on through.
Roundabouts are easy. Apparently some places in the US are getting them now as well, I love 'em, because traffic is rarely held up. Some US friends don’t like them - they want the decision on when to turn made for them, wimps <g>.
One thing that was weird at first: traffic signals are generally at a lower eyesight level than in the US. I almost blew through a couple of lights at first because I just wasn’t used to seeing them that low in my field of vision.
Maybe you can buy or rent a Tomtom navi system? I have one and absolutely love it.
It tells you exactly where to go, which roundabout to take, which lane to stay in, etc. Highly recommended.
I had to take the theory/hazard test and driving test to get my license. Wasn’t all that hard; the hardest part was being able to make an appointment for the driving test!
Liche is right about the horn thing - I can’t remember the last time I heard someone hit their horn, either while I was driving or otherwise. A welcome change from NY, let me tell you…
Anyway, driving in the UK is fine. Roads are (generally) well-marked, the drivers are (mostly) courteous, and there are some really beautiful areas to drive around - we’ve already done the Cotswolds twice, and may go back again this fall.
I’ve driven UK-style on the island of Antigua, in the UK many times, and for several weeks during two trips to Zimbabwe. For whatever reason, I didn’t have much trouble adjusting to driving on the left-hand side of the road; just, as some have mentioned, remembering which side of the car to get into. Almost always drove manual-transmission cars and that went fairly smoothly as well.
Driving in London was definitely not a pleasant experience, but then driving in any European city is something of an ordeal. Nor is walking, for that matter, if you are not used to the reversed (compared to the US) traffic flow. I almost got flattened by buses or trucks a couple of times.
I don’t think it’s too difficult at all, but it requires you to focus on driving. Don’t get distracted, because that’s when you’ll make a mistake. For that reason, if you know how to drive a manual tranny, I’d get one.
The problem tends to be when you’re on a B road with little traffic and you need to turn. It’s easy to drift to the right as there’s nothing (and sometimes no traffic) to orient you. But M roads, A roads were dead easy.
Signage in the UK is a little different. Roads are numbered radiating from London - so the A1 heads to Norfolk, the A40 to Oxford, and so forth. And unlike in the US, there are no “A1 North” or “M4 South” signs. You’re just on the M4, and you need to know the towns toward your destination. (But the motorway signs typically have the end destination on them, like Birmingham, so if you know your basic UK geography, that should help. I suppose GPS units largely solve this issue.
M and A roads are particularly good at signage well before you need to exit, etc., unlike in the US. I seem to recall that the M25 has “Get in lane” signs about 5 miles before you need to! I hate that about American roads - there’ll be a sign for you to get in a certain lane less than a mile from the exit (I’m looking at you, L.A.) - which causes massive traffic delays because all of the visitors have to shift lanes at the last second. 
I love driving in Britain. Just map out where you’re going, be patient, take your time on roundabouts, and you’ll be fine.
I’ve driven in Japan (6 months), England (week’s vacation) and Uganda (1 year) and never had any problems. You just need to pay attention to what you’re doing. Traffic circles (roundabouts) can be confusing at first, however.
I just can’t do it. It is something to do with the clutch being in the same place, but the gearshift is on the opposite side, it really threw me. My wife had no problems, but she is left handed and those people are freaks.
Almost, roads are numbered on a radial system based on a few major cities. So the M1, A1, M11 etc start in London and head north, The M4 starts in London and goes west. The M6 starts in Birmingham and heads north.
Again some signs do indicate North, South, West or East.
And if you ever wondered why some English roads are very bendy its cos cows don’t walk in a straight line.
But some English roads are very straight because the Roman legions liked marching in straight lines.
When you come upon a dead-straight-for-miles-and-miles road here it’s very likely a Roman road.
My impression of US Interstate roads from some twenty years back was that they were light on signboards compared with British ones. You probably wouldn’t get any advance warning at all until the sign at the exit ramp itself, and even then it would say something unhelpful like ‘East’.