Back Roads Great Britain (Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

Below far left Farmer’s sign reminding drivers to

close the gate through grazing land near Oban,

Scotland Below left Prices outside a petrol station

Below centre Narrow country road between

Cirencester and Chedworth in Gloucestershire

Below right Horse riders on a quiet lane flanked by

hedgerow near Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds

Above left Traditional signpost and brown tourist sign in the Avon Valley Above right Old stone cottages in West Witton, Yorkshire Dales

DIRECTORY

ROAD CONDITIONS

Met Office

0870 900 0100; http://www.metoffice.gov.uk

Highways Agency

08700 660 115;

http://www.highways.gov.uk/traffic

AA Roadwatch

401100 (from mobile phones);

http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/

travel_news.jsp

BREAKDOWN AND ACCIDENT

PROCEDURE

Automobile Association (AA)

0870 600 0371 (UK) or +44 161 495

8945 (from abroad); http://www.theaa.com

Royal Automobile Club (RAC)

08705 722 722; http://www.rac.co.uk

Maps

Free tourist maps are widely available,

but they are seldom useful for back-

roads driving. It’s well worth buying

an up-to-date road atlas for more

detailed coverage. There are several

good ones published by Michelin, the

AA, and A–Z. Buy them at petrol

stations, bookshops, newsagents and

tourist information centres.

Parking
Finding a place to park is one of the
most frustrating aspects of driving in
Great Britain. Parking is prohibited at
all times on a double yellow line. A
single yellow line means no parking
during business hours – these will be
displayed on a sign nearby. Signs
with a red “P” in a circle crossed by a
diagonal line also indicate a no-
parking zone. A red line is a clearway
and you cannot stop at all. Don’t be
tempted to flout the rules and park
illegally, even for a few minutes.
Traffic wardens are eager to write
expensive tickets. Wheel-clamping
and towing companies are even
more predatory and expensive.
Park in designated car parks, which
will be indicated by a blue sign with
a white “P”. These are often pay-and-
display – obtain a ticket from a
nearby machine and display it on
your windscreen (windshield). Disc
parking is another system used in
many towns, whereby you must buy
a scratch card from nearby shops
and scratch off the date and time
before displaying it in your car. In
larger cities there are parking

Driving in Great Britain 19

garages such as NCP; these may be

more expensive, but you don’t have

to worry about the time as you pay

for your stay when you leave.

It is often possible to park on the

street, but read the signs along the

pavement carefully. Many streets have

residents’ parking only, with visitors

restricted to particular hours and/or

parking vouchers – if you are visiting

someone who lives there, they may

have a voucher for you. Others are

pay-and-display, with the meter

somewhere along the pavement.

In many rural towns and villages,

there is little room for parking in the

centre, but there are car parks,

usually free, at the edge of town. In

the countryside, be sure not to block

farmers’ gates or private roads if you

are walking or exploring. On single-

lane roads, never park in passing

places as this is a traffic hazard.

independent witnesses. It’s also a
good idea to take photographs of the
vehicles and the accident scene.