Driving in the Scottish Highlands

To get the most out of a trip to the Scottish highlands most people choose to drive. This means you can choose where to go and to explore at your own pace. We thought we should share some friendly advice and put together a guide to the unwritten rules of driving in the Scottish Highlands. These rules will stand you in good stead and are written tongue in cheek but should also be adhered to. Hopefully it will make your trip more enjoyable and safer.

Use your Mirrors

When driving in the Scottish Highlands, regularly check your mirrors to see if there is a queue building behind you. If you are taking your time on the roads enjoying the scenery, remember that not everyone is on holiday. Locals, delivery drivers and heavy goods vehicles will generally drive much faster than you as they know the roads and are on a schedule. If you find that a queue is building up behind you, find a safe place to pull in to let the faster vehicles pass. It will make your journey much less stressful if you can do it at your own pace. It also reduces the risk of people attempting crazy overtaking maneuvers that can cause accidents.

Single track roads

You will probably at some point on your trip encounter a single track road. On this type of road you will only have one lane and regularly spaced out passing places. If you want to avoid having to reverse long distances, look ahead on the road as far as you can see. Again if somebody faster than you comes up behind you, pull in and let them go passed. If you encounter a truck or large vehicle, you will find that even if both vehicles are between passing places, you will need to reverse to the next available passing space.

Never park in a passing place. They need to be kept clear for vehicles driving along the road. If you want to park up, make sure it is in a spot that is marked as a parking place or looks like it has been used before for parking. The verges are often soft, you don’t want to get stuck in the mud in the middle of nowhere with no mobile phone signal.

Your Sat Nav isn’t always right

If your sat nav is sending you up a dirt track and you feel like something isn’t quite right about where it is sending you, use your intuition and don’t follow the instructions. For this reason, it is worth carrying an old fashioned paper map as a backup for areas where the mobile signal and satellite signals are not strong due to high mountains surrounding you.

And Finally

The most important rule of driving in the highlands is: Take your time and enjoy every moment of exploring our amazing area.