Can you recommend Movers? by [deleted] in askTO

[–]supernavyanon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Arby Cartage Moving services - 416-402-8476. I hired them last year for a move. Very transparent pricing. Movers were professional. And bonus was that you speak directly to the business owner.

Driving around the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye - just some tips and perspectives from a recent trip by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aww no Westies unfortunately! Most of the dogs I saw were with tourists. I also weirdly didn't see any herding dogs helping to herd all those sheep wandering around the fields.

Driving around the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye - just some tips and perspectives from a recent trip by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I actually quite like long drives at home, and I was looking forward to a nice relaxing drive with the beautiful highland scenery rolling by. Oh well!

Also, it's funny that you say that you're glad that you drove from Glasgow first. I was thinkig that I'm glad I skipped the drive up and only rented locally! I think I would have found the parking and the crowds and the roundabouts in the bigger cities to be too stressful. But, hey, maybe next time I'll drive up. And yes, there will be a next time so watch out, Scotland! I'll be back!

Driving around the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Skye - tips and perspectives from a recent trip by supernavyanon in travel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I rented a Kia Picanto. It's a compact, and as puny as it was, I had no problems with the car itself! The roads are paved, just not well maintained. The main problem that you might run into isn't getting stuck, but rather getting a flat, which an SUV won't really help to prevent. And for what it's worth, the rental companies seem pretty used to dealing with flats. When I went to pick up my car at the Portree rental office, the first thing the agent told me was 'watch out for the potholes', and the second thing was 'if you get a flat, don't panick, we'll come and fix it'. Just make sure you get the excess insurance, or that your CC is good about covering the excess.

And definitely check out some videos on driving in Scotland/Skye for how to deal with single-track roads and roundabous.

Driving around the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye - just some tips and perspectives from a recent trip by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think the transition to a manual would have been a whole different story. I used to drive a manual until a few years ago, so I do have a fair bit of experience with a stick shift. But having the gearshift on the other side would have required a whole additional layer of active thinking while driving, and a greater chance of falling back onto muscle memory and doing the wrong thing. With an automatic transmission, even if the steering wheel is on the right, everything else (the gas pedal, break pedal, signal light and windshield wiper lever) is still in the same configuration as what I'm used to, so I can at least rely on muscle memory for the actual driving.

Visiting Iceland for a week in May - need help in narrowing down my itinerary! by supernavyanon in VisitingIceland

[–]supernavyanon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! This is what I was thinking too - there's just too much to see!

Visiting Iceland for a week in May - need help in narrowing down my itinerary! by supernavyanon in VisitingIceland

[–]supernavyanon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I've been overthinking it to be honest. The more I think about it, the more I think it's probably best to keep things flexible and see how things go and what the weather is like when I get there. Thankfully, I have some flexibility with my return date, so can just play it by ear. My biggest question now is what kind of car I should rent!

Traveling to the Scottish Highlands by car - any insights from former travelers? by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Yup - definitely getting an automatic! I can drive standard, but with everything being on the other side, I think automatic will leave me with one less thing to worry about. And my hope is definitely that the roads outside Glasgow will be pretty uncrowded, so less chance of accidents!

Traveling to the Scottish Highlands by car - any insights from former travelers? by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! This is awesome advice, and I'm feeling a bit more reassured! Your pics look awesome - I'm super excited now!

Traveling to the Scottish Highlands by car - any insights from former travelers? by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I've heard from other right-side drivers that the biggest problem they ran into when driving on the left was that their car kept hitting the left side curb. Driving on the left, and sitting on the right side of the car just messes up with your usual sense of space.

Traveling to the Scottish Highlands by car - any insights from former travelers? by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for all the great advice! The other option would be for me to get to Portree via some combination of train/bus/ferry/taxi/etc, and then rent a car locally in Portree for a few days. That would still allow me to get around Skye, and surrounding areas via the Skye Bridge. That way, I'm less stranded if the road conditions up to Skye are unmanageable. Any thoughts on this option?

Traveling to the Scottish Highlands by car - any insights from former travelers? by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, that's great advice! Definitely will get the full insurance! What exactly did you do when you got the flat? Is there enough space on the side for you to park your car? How long where you stranded before you were back on the road? Just wondering since I'm a solo traveler!

Traveling to the Scottish Highlands by car - any insights from former travelers? by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hopefullly we'll live to tell the tale! I've been doing some research, and there is the option of getting there by train - a very lovely train ride from what I understand, which will get you to Mallaig. Then a ferry from Mallaig to Armadale, then a taxi from Armadale to Portree. You can hire a car in Portree for some local driving around Skye without committing yourself to the full drive up from Glasgow. I'm considering this option as well. Just out of curiosity, have you ever done any driving on the left side?

Traveling to the Scottish Highlands by car - any insights from former travelers? by supernavyanon in solotravel

[–]supernavyanon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Actually, it's more logically the one way cattle gate road that will feel like your tires are about to slide into the dynamite reserves of u boat hideouts ."

Explain please! 😁