Hello, I'm Hester
Between the Dots is a journal dedicated to the quiet beauty found in ordinary moments.
A space where I share sparkles of joy, my adventures far away and nearby, and my answers to tough questions. Welcome. I hope you’ll find yourself at home between these stories of things we tend to overlook.
table of contents
- ......................................... quiet beauty
- ...................................... simple recipes
- ............................................ slow travel
- ....................................... sustainability
- ................................................... health
- ............................................... Theology
- ......................................... womanhood
- ............................................... marriage
- .............................................. thoughts
With Summer in full swing – although it might not always feel like it here up North, with overcast skies and temperatures that want to make you put on another layer – Scotland is overrun by tourists again. And while we love sharing our beautiful country with the rest of the world, this also means an influx of dangerous situations on the road. So I thought it would be wise to share some tips from one person who was used to driving on the right side of the road to another.
stay on the left side of the road
It feels a bit silly to write this first one, but it happens quite a lot where tourists forget to drive on the left side of the road. Especially when they bring their own cars, or ride a motorcycle. This creates highly dangerous situations, and can have serious accidents as a consequence. In more busy areas, you’ll be reminded to drive on the left by signs along the road, but there are plenty of situations where you have to remember yourself.
This also applies to single-track roads. When the passing place is on the right side of the road, you stay on the main road, allowing oncoming traffic to pass you by via the passing place. When the passing place is on the left side of the road, you pull into the passing place, allowing oncoming traffic to pass you by on the main road.
the roads don't always allow for the speed limit
A lot of our roads have a speed limit of 60 miles per hour, but unlike most countries in Western Europe and Northern America, most of our roads aren’t straight and even motorways. Roads are winding, and not always of the best quality. Especially after a period of bad weather, you might run into potholes – some that could swallow a wheel – so you might want to drive a bit more slowly to avoid accidents. And don’t forget the animals you might encounter. Some of the most common around here are: sheep, deer, pheasants, rabbits, and badgers. But one time I found a cow in the middle of the road, and that could have ended very differently had I been driving the maximum speed.
use your ears as much as your eyes
At some point you’ll probably find yourself coming off a single-track road, having to join traffic on a road with traffic driving both ways at 60 miles an hour – without proper view, or a roadside mirror to assist. Of course, you can just risk it. But a safer option is to roll down your window and listen for traffic. Be extra careful for cyclists, though, because they are a bit more difficult to notice.
you might be the one that has to reverse
Sometimes you meet another car on a single-track road in-between two passing places. Usually, the one closest to a passing place will reverse. But during the busier months, I notice an increase of people just waiting for me to reverse, only to find that they were much closer to a passing place than I was. Don’t be like these people.
don't stop in passing places
And last, but definitely not least: don’t stop in passing places. I get that a lot of the most beautiful views can be found along single-track roads, but especially during Summer, you can create really inconvenient, and sometimes incredibly dangerous, situations by stopping in a passing place. Even when it’s a passing place that could fit four cars, just don’t do it. Sometimes it does need to fit four cars so traffic doesn’t come to a complete stand still. Please go find a parking spot to enjoy the view.
So if you find yourself driving on the wrong side of the road while travelling, I hope these tips help you make it a safer experience. And, as someone who has been driving on the left for three years now, I promise you, it’s not as scary as you might think it is. Just use your common sense, and don’t make any weird moves you wouldn’t make at home.
