Driving from Heathrow Airport to Dover

[nomoretslt]

I'm now working on the second part of my European vacation. I think I'm all set with the Italy portion.

We were originally going to fly into Heathrow and spend 3 nights in London before heading to Dover for our cruise. I wasn't really crazy about staying in London.....I'm not a city girl and the hotels are kind of pricey, plus we were paying for transfers to the port.

We are shelving that plan and will instead rent a car at Heathrow, spend one night at an airport hotel (we are landing close to the evening, so I'm not comfortable driving on the wrong side of the road in the dark) and then will drive to Dover. I found a nice B&B close to the port at a reasonable price (also has all good reviews on Trip Advisor).

Is it scary to drive in England? At least the signs will be in English. Hertz and Enterprise both have locations at the airport and Dover, although nobody had anything nice to say about the Hertz location in Dover (nasty people). And I'm actually looking forward to seeing the English countryside (I was hooked on Midsommer Murders on Netflix).

Thanks, as always, for any comments or recommendations.

 

[x3 skier]

I’ve never had any difficulty driving on motorways and A&B roads in the UK. OTOH, the other minor roads are a different item altogether. Also, driving in a town center can be tricky.

If you stick to main roads and avoid rush hours in towns, you should be ok. Avoid driving in London at all costs.

Just FYI, the pedals are in the same arrangement as in the USA

Cheers

 

[Pompey Family]

Is it scary to drive in England?

No, we're a very polite bunch. I find driving in the US to be a miserable experience, it's very combative, competitive, everyone wants to cut you up, nobody likes to let you out, there's no lane discipline and many of the roads are in a poor state so if you can deal with that in the US then you'll find things a lot gentler in England (and before anyone says one part of the US is particular bad for driving, my experiences were the same all over the country, obviously the more rural you get the better it becomes but that's true about everywhere).

The Southeast is busy and congested and you'll be driving a large portion of the M25, the worst road for driving in the UK simply because it's the circular motorway surrounding London and it's far too congested. However, that may be in your favour because in slow moving traffic you'll have the opportunity to get used to the car and if you remain in the inside lane you can just allow those who want to go faster overtake you.

 

[Bwolf]

Be sure to get a thorough overview of the car from the rental agent. Last time we rented at Heathrow, we had one of those cars that shuts off when you brake to a stop. No one told us. I felt like Buster Keaton. I'd try to restart the car when simply pressing down on the accelerator would get us going again. We figured it out, but should have been told.

We've driven the Southeast in various conditions: heavy fog, snow, and pleasant weather. Just be alert.

 

[mogens.h1951]

Is it scary to drive in England?

I hate driving in the “wrong site of the road” - primarily driving into roundabouts!
Also make sure you rent a car with automatic transmission. Many rental cars in Europe are manual.


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[SmithOp]

The biggest problem I had driving in UK was using my left eye peripheral vision to keep from hitting curbs and parked cars. The written signs are easy to figure out but the symbols are not intuitive, I mostly ignored those

You might want to consider an extra night at the airport and take a drive to Highclere Castle if you are a Downton Abbey fan, its only 45 min SW of LHR. We had a lovely day there touring the house and walking the grounds, tea in the garden.


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[nomoretslt]

Thank you all!! Tuggers are the best. Had to laugh @ x3 skier the "pedals are the same". I will be thrown off by the steering wheel and having my husband on my left hand side (I am the primary driver in our family).

@ Pompey Family....I drive in the New York/New Jersey area and you are spot on!! You put things in perspective for me.

@Bwolf...good advice about getting to know the car. I rent a lot out of Orlando....if it starts raining I panic trying to find the windshield wipers. Shutting off at traffic lights is a new one for me.

@mogens.h1951 .. thanks for that...I noticed Hertz has cheaper cars with manual transmission...no thanks!!

@SmithOp ... we changed plans yet again (rechecked my flights and we are landing early afternoon) and we are going to drive to Maidstone area and spend the night and then go on to Dover. I notice there are a number of sights to see in that area. I did like Downton Abby but got upset when they killed off someone....can't remember his name, but he was going to become a Dad. Then I found Midsommer Murders on Netflix.

Again, thank you everyone. I'm actually relieved to not be staying in London. I love the countryside, so am looking forward to this adventure.

 

[Glynda]

Highclere Castle closes to the public on September 3. It’s a beautiful property. If you were to go, you should reserve your tickets and time frame on their website.

We have driven many times over our 12 trips to Great Britain. Including in London. However, on our last two trips (2017 & 2018) which included cruises from Southampton, we hired a car service to pick us up at Heathrow. We used Woodford with great success. Our contact person was Cheryl Finch, cherylfinch4@aol.co.uk. She is one of the owners and very quick to respond to emails.

In ‘17, we were picked up at Heathrow and delivered to London where we remained for a week. Then picked up in London and taken to our hotel in Southampton. We were picked up two weeks later upon our return to Southampton, taken to our B&B in Windsor, and then again to Heathrow for departure. We had the same driver each trip. He was delightful but has now retired.

In ‘18, we were picked up at Heathrow and driven to our hotel in Southampton. Upon return, we picked up a rental car and drove to the Cotswolds where we had rented a cottage for a week. After that, we returned the car to Heathrow and were picked up by our driver who drove us to our London hotel where we remained for four nights. Picked up there and returned to Heathrow for our flight. We had 2 different drivers on the second trip.

It’s not cheap, but not as expensive as one might think, especially since we were traveling with another couple and the cost was split. It felt like a great luxury having someone handle our bags, drive us in comfort, and serve as an unofficial guide as well.

 

[Laurie]

we changed plans yet again (rechecked my flights and we are landing early afternoon) and we are going to drive to Maidstone area and spend the night and then go on to Dover. I notice there are a number of sights to see in that area. I did like Downton Abby but got upset when they killed off someone....can't remember his name, but he was going to become a Dad. Then I found Midsommer Murders on Netflix.

A fun thing to do near Maidstone is visit Historic Dockyards in Chatham and if you're a fan, go on a Call the Midwife tour! We did that this past June because we love the show and it's where they film lots of the scenes. We stayed right in that town, at a nice and reasonable waterside hotel called Ship & Trades, and took the tour before flying home out of Heathrow, so you might consider that instead of Maidstone because it's a beautiful historic town with lots to see and often used for filming. We had a rental car and parking was free at this hotel.

Now about rental cars and Haathrow: we've rented cars and driven in and out of Heathrow and all over the UK without difficulty a few times before. For some reason, we had more trouble this last time. At the rental car desk, they talked us into an upgrade which was a bigger and more luxurious car, plus the full insurance which we have never ever taken in the past ("because Americans always need this"). Don't know if it was the size of the car, in addition to having flown all night and being exhausted, but on arrival day driving out of Heathrow towards the countryside, we missed an exit, had trouble with our GPS, ended up winding thru small towns, hit a curb that was jutting out into the road, had a bad flat, and spent the next 3 days dealing with that because nothing was open on a Sunday and we were in a rural area and they don't put spare tires in lots of these cars anymore. Long story, and after that we managed ok for 3 weeks up thru England and Wales, but I don't feel so cavalier anymore about driving in and out of Heathrow or even around rural towns with narrow roads, high curbs and rock walls. (If we ever do it again, we'd stick with a smaller car and hopefully one with a spare tire!)

 

[Pompey Family]

Most modern cars are now equipped with run flat tyres which are designed to be driveable for around 50 miles if you experience a puncture, you'll be hard pressed to find a rental car with a spare tyre, simply because of the added weight and therefore increased fuel consumption.

The stop/start function was an EU directive imposed upon all cars destined for sale within the EU. The idea is to reduce fuel consumption and pollution when cars come to a stop and are idling with the engine running. The engine automatically cuts out when the car comes to a stop and will automatically start when you either take your foot off the brake (if you're not in neutral or park) or when you depress the accelerator. It's odd when you're not used to it and you will encounter it with any rental car in the EU. There are options to disable it but each car is different, sometimes it's a simple button on the console other cars it can be quite obscure.

 

[nomoretslt]

Thanks for the additional info. Am thinking of purchasing an inexpensive Garmin....not sure if my Waze app will work without draining my battery and using up all my data and $$$. I'll also print out maps from AAA.

 

[tlwmkw]

I second the advice to make sure you get an automatic car when in U.K.- it will blow your mind shifting with your left hand if you drive a “manual” car (as they call them).
The lane discipline is so much better there- people only pass in the middle lane (for them the right lane) when on the motorway.
You may be able to rent a GPS from the car rental agency. We got one which told speed limits and also location of speed cameras along the route and that was very helpful. Driving out of the Heathrow area can be tricky and the talking GPS is very helpful- also watch the lanes- they will actually have directions written on the roads to tell you where you are going.
The small country lanes with high hedges can be difficult so I would avoid them since they are very narrow.
Good luck!

 

[bevans]

Why bother with all the logistics when you can take the train from London to Dover and stay there as the castle alone is a fun visit. The train terminal is small and a bus comes and takes you to the Ferry terminal which you can take a Ferry to Calais France and rent a car there and drive on the same side of the road as in America. Dover is the end of the line for that train so no need to change trains and make connections just enjoy the English countryside. The train and the Ferry are way cheaper than renting a car and buying gas. If you feel compelled to drive in England then skip the Ferry and rent a car in Dover and drive from there as it is mainly countryside. Curt

 

[Chrisky]

That is an great information from bevans. The train system in London is easy, why bother with being nervous about driving. Investigate the train, you will be happy that you did, no stress.
From what I understand you are arriving in the afternoon on a flight from the US. Unless you are familiar with driving on the ‘wrong’ side , just more stress for you. Train is better!

 

[sun starved Gayle]

No advice, but had to say I read the post title without my glasses and thought it said “Driving from Heathrow to DENVER.” I thought gee, that will be worth reading!

 

[nomoretslt]

Wanted to report back and thank everyone again. The nice lady at the Hertz counter upgraded us to a nice Audi with GPS....thank goodness, as my Garmin would not load. As it turned out, the M26 was closed due to an accident so the M25 was bumper to bumper, and after we got off that for the Maidstone area, that too was closed due to another accident. The GPS saved my life for sure. Even the roundabouts got to be easy enough....I would drive and DH would count each exit on the roundabout....the talking GPS would say "at the third exit of the roundabout...". A one hour trip took us almost 3 hours!! We stayed at the Hilton in Maidstone, were so exhausted after 12 day tour in Italy that we just ordered fish and chips from their inhouse restaurant. They were really quite good. The included breakfast buffet was outstanding too. Leeds Castle was so beautiful. We stayed at The Oast Bed and Breakfast, maybe 8 miles up from Dover, for two nights. What a wonderful place. Their breakfast was made with all things from their little farm.....but we did pass on the black pudding. We did Canterbury the next day, but opted to go back to the B&B afterwards. We were really worn out from the drive the day before and from our Italy trip. Never made it to Dover Castle. Returning the Hertz rental was super easy......getting a taxi to the pier was another story, but it all worked out fine.

The English people were so nice! We will definitely go back some day and will do the train instead. I was surprised at how easy it looked to board the train from Terminal 3 at Heathrow! And train stations everywhere. Very different from what I am used to.

Thanks again for all the info!

 

[cp73]

We just got back from Scotland for two weeks. It was my first time every driving on the wrong side. I would recommend definitely get a car with an automatic and also get one with GPS built in. The car we rented was a Peugeot and the built in navigation was a life saver. It provided instructions on both the navigation screen and also right next to the speedometer which was very helpful. It also had posted the speed limits there next to the speedometer. A built in GPS will be easier to keep eyes on road rather than a Garmin. Have your husband ride shotgun and keep telling you where you should be such as stay to the left. You will need this reminder. Especially on roundabouts its nice to have a co pilot confirm which exit to take as well as the GPS. I also found a UK driving game app for the iPhone and my Mac that I practiced with before our trip. I think this helped me get into the wrong side frame of mind before our trip. After a few days of real driving it became easier. But I still kept getting in the wrong side of the car. Also when you look at other drivers in their cars I tended to look at the passengers thinking it was the driver. As long as you pay close attention and have a good co-pilot you will be good. Have fun.

 

[RX8]

We just got back from Scotland for two weeks. It was my first time every driving on the wrong side. I would recommend definitely get a car with an automatic and also get one with GPS built in. The car we rented was a Peugeot and the built in navigation was a life saver. It provided instructions on both the navigation screen and also right next to the speedometer which was very helpful. It also had posted the speed limits there next to the speedometer. A built in GPS will be easier to keep eyes on road rather than a Garmin. Have your husband ride shotgun and keep telling you where you should be such as stay to the left. You will need this reminder. Especially on roundabouts its nice to have a co pilot confirm which exit to take as well as the GPS. I also found a UK driving game app for the iPhone and my Mac that I practiced with before our trip. I think this helped me get into the wrong side frame of mind before our trip. After a few days of real driving it became easier. But I still kept getting in the wrong side of the car. Also when you look at other drivers in their cars I tended to look at the passengers thinking it was the driver. As long as you pay close attention and have a good co-pilot you will be good. Have fun.

I did a trip end of August/beginning of September to Scotland and England with just my siblings. Left kids and spouses at home. A great way to reconnect with lots of laughs and telling of stories. We mainly drove during the trip.

The three keys for an enjoyable experience for any first timer driving on the “wrong” side of the road - get an automatic, have GPS (or Nav app), and like cp73 says, have a co-pilot. We were constantly reminding the driver “make a left and STAY left”. We also counted out on the roundabouts.