Went on a road trip in the US a couple of years ago with the wife and we loved it... so much more relaxing driving than it is here. Being able to park just about anywhere free of charge was an absolute godsend and driving through the Shenandoah mountains without seeing another human for 3 hours straight was heaven. Way more claustrophobic here in the UK and I agree parking is a joke
As the man said, it's all about scale. We are a small country, crammed with world heritage site's and a 2000 year old social history. Millions of international tourist's come here. We have to accommodate them all and their individual likes. Our medieval roads, that lead to historic places, cannot cope, let alone the parking, when you arrive there. It takes a bit of planning and common sense i.e avoid Bank Holiday week -ends especially when hot and sunny. As for fast food--yuk. I have NEVER, had the need to stop at :services in the uk, because I'm Hungry---the toilet and a few sweeties yes, that's it. Just takes some snacks.
Philip Croft I understand why it is the way it is but that doesn’t make it any more sufferable. Even if you plan ahead it’s still busy pretty much all the time and common sense only goes so far. My wife is a teacher for example so we have no choice with what time we take off and always hit the masses. There are too many of us on this island, full stop. The over-crowding makes most things that should be enjoyable just unbearable... things like xmas markets are torture
@@MrDaiseymay Our roads can and do cope, it's the human beings who can't cope with the responsibilities that come with using them and the thoughtfulness needed to share them.
Highway Code - Always drive on the left unless you are overtaking. Move back to the left as soon as its safe to do so. This applies on all motorways, dual carriageways and two way single carriageways.
It's not undertaking if you are not exceeding the speed limit. I love sitting at 70 in the inside lane passing every idiot who doesn't understand how a motorway works its great
@@Cars_and_adventures Nothing to do with the speed limit. ON MOTORWAYS Rule 268 of the Highway Code states - do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake. OFFENCE Overtaking on the left is lawful if done in accordance with the above guidance. However, whilst there is no specific offence of overtaking on the left, if a driver undertook another vehicle, other than in the circumstances described above e.g. in the case of someone hogging lane 2 on a motorway, they may be prosecuted for careless driving.
What a stupid rule. Just leads to unnecessary congestion. AU rule for multi lane freeways or highways is usually “keep left unless overtaking” so slowest traffic on left and fastest on right (ideally!), however not unlawful to pass in left lane.
Matthew, parking is a real problem in UK cities because 1) the cost of land is very high in cities and using it as a parking lot might not be the most profitable use, 2) many city councils will not give permission for parking lots because they want to discourage motor traffic from entering the city to reduce pollution levels. And, as you know UK=tiny, USA=vast.
Yeah, some cities and large towns are moving to the park and ride system, you park on the outskirts. You pay for a parking ticket and get a free bus ticket that will take you into the city. It's a good system, less convenient but it's easier than finding a parking spot. I just train most places myself because I hate searching for parking
buggeroff the U.K. is so overpopulated it couldn’t feed its own population if imports were stopped. At a minimum you need 1 acre of farmland per person in a country. England has 32 million acres for 56 million people. So forget 1 acre of farmland per person, England doesn’t even have one acre of land per person at all. So yeah, it’s tiny.
Exactly, i have no option to park at work as its city centre and so i commute by train. If i drove i would still have to park and ride once i got to the city and i know that bristol and Manchester are both looking at a congestion charge as in both cities you don't need a car
CrazyInWeston Carry on doing it. I don’t take shit on the road, I will happily lay on the horn or flash my lights at someone who clearly needs telling that they’re in the wrong. The problem with most of us Brits is that we’re too polite, if you don’t let them know that you’re pissed off the they’ll never stop doing it.
On many road trips in the UK, wouldn't be via motorways, just be via 'A' roads, stopping in towns where there are no McDonalds etc., just a locally run café or tea-shop.
I think you have slightly misunderstood the motorway lane rules. The rule is that you keep left in the first lane, unless overtaking . Always try to keep left where possible. Obviously congested traffic stay in lane. You can get a fine for sticking in middle lane or third lane when there is room in the first lane. You said similar but made it sound like you can go in second and third lane if you just decide to go faster and stick there. It's only for overtaking and due to new laws you will be fined for being a middle lane hogger
Traffic density might be the reason for thinking you can stay in lane. It does make sense to stay in lane if you'll be constantly overtaking. If people are speeding that's no reason to inconvenience yourself and create a hazard by pulling over to almost immediately need to pull out again.
I like this channel because as a european we generally think of Americans sticking to themselves, and thinking that they run the show or that they don’t have any knowledge of the world outside of North America. Your channel is the complete opposite, you travel to different places and take in all the culture differences and this is even evident when you say things the way British people would as opposed to in the USA, you have changed my feelings towards Americans... (Or at least some) Love the channel, keep going with the hard work 😊
Although buying fuel at a service station is convenient, it is much more expensive. Use a sat-nav to find a supermarket or a petrol station just off the motorway it will be much cheaper. Most cities were built before the Car was invented, Hence parking is going to be an Issue. At least you are getting around the U.K. and not just staying in one place. Keep up the good work.
Or alternatively fill up before you hit the motorway so you probably won't have to fill up again until you are closer to your destination. Though if you have to this is a great alternative, though as with the comments in the video on drive thru's I get the feeling they don't want to waste time on even a minor detour. As for your comment on UK cities, whilst that is true I think a lot of it has to do with Airbnb's being in effect residential properties and not in areas designed for people who don't live there. There may be on street parking around, but you can't use it because it requires a permit. I know Airbnb's are convenient, and I use them, but only if there isn't a similarly priced hotel in the area. If you add on the cost of parking and the inconvenience in finding somewhere to park it often makes the price difference mute anyway. I do get your points though, and your points are still valid, and there is some great advice here.
Many supermarkets have sites near or next to the motorway junctions, or A roads, e.g. Tesco on the A9 in Perth, or next to junction 43 just off M6 where it crosses the English /Scottish border. It makes sense for them to be near good roads, they get more customers that way. The bigger supermarkets often have somewhere to eat and toilets too.
Be aware that motorway service stations charge a fortune for fuel. Local petrol stations are usually a fair bit cheaper and if there is a supermarket nearby with a petrol station they tend to be cheaper still.
Thank you for your comments about the U.K. Historically Britain's only fast food staple was fish & chips, culturally we were more restaurant orientated, on journeys a lot of people would prepare sandwiches and make up a flask of tea or coffee which is far more cheaper and quicker than doing fast food especially on family holidays we would then pull up somewhere scenic and eat our meal especially the older generation. (Which is me) Up and till 1963 the majority of the UK moved by train this included parcels and more modular freight. With regards to longer distance driving in the UK, we are advised by HMG to stop fatigue we are supposed to stop every 3 hours to take a break for driver safety.
For reference, supermarkets are considerably cheaper than BP or Shell stations for fuel. Petrol stations at service stations are even more expensive than both.
Well said. And if you plan ahead, you can take your own snap and a flask or maybe look up a place away from the motorway to take a nice break. The break is considered part of the journey rather than an inconvenience.
The rule is on a motorway the inside lane is the correct one to be in unless overtaking. The two outer lanes are for overtaking only, it is illegal to hog an empty outer lane or to undertake but these rules do get abused.
What motorway is this on? My wife and I are planning on coming over again (from California) when the virus situation has passed, and are looking to see some of that area. Would love to try it out. Edit: Found one on the M5. I presume it’s that.
There’s an arrow next to the speedometer on the dashboard that points to which side the fuel tank is on. Although undertaking is basically illegal the Highway Code says that if you’re in the left lane at the maximum speed limit and traffic in the outer lanes is slower than you, you’re allowed to continue at the same speed but you’re not allowed to weave in and out. You are supposed to stay in the left lane by law unless you’re overtaking and then should return to the inside lane but many ignorant, selfish drivers hog the middle lane causing a buildup of traffic behind them.
About the fast food thing... This is where most of us.... or at least us over a certain age would plan ahead and start bringing picnics, or packing our own food to avoid those costs. Heck, I do this when I don't travel by car, particularly when I'm going to conventions. Fast food is expensive in comparison, I have the options but having the 'make your own' approach buying in bulk when group travelling helps.
For those Americans watching, please be aware that it is not correct that if you wish to drive fast in the UK you can drive in the right lane. You are supposed to drive in the furthest left lane unless you are overtaking. This means that even if you are driving at the speed limit, you should keep to the left-most available lane. The lanes are not slow, medium, fast.
Driving in the UK, allow for traveling 40 miles in one hour, out in the country . Even you are driving on a motorway , where the speed limit is 70 MPH . This works out about right, unless there are delays due to road works etc .
Agree that parking is generally horrible in the UK unless you are in a newly designed area like a retail park. You’re better using public transport for most city centres and/or park and rides for the bigger places. In the U.S. public transport in my experience is fairly non-existent except in big cities.
The Honda jazz we have in the UK doesn't have the arrow. I am currently renting a car in Germany, and it doesn't have the arrow either. I was pretty used to the arrow in the US, but it doesn't seem to be as universal here.
My car (Renault Captur) doesn't have an arrow, but the little picture of the petrol pump does have the hose on the right hand side, the same side as my petrol tank. Whether that's deliberate, or just a happy coincidence, I couldn't say. But I'd like to think that Renault were at least trying to be helpful, even if their helpfulness didn't stretch to putting the bonnet release catch on the driver's side of my right hand drive car...it's in the passenger foot well! 🙄
@@patriciaburke6639 thanks for trying to help, but as I've indicated above, the arrow is standard in the US. It isn't on my current rental or our car in the UK.
Filling with gas, check your petrol gauge, the little petrol pump with its nozzle will show you which side you put petrol in. If the pumps nozzle is on the right then the filler cap is on the right and so on
Another enjoyable video. I have done a road trip in the USA, albeit in 2001, and I enjoyed it immensely. We were on the interstates a fair amount, but tried going on the local roads as they were more interesting. As regards Britain, please don't think motorway service stations are typical of anything other than motorway service stations. As there is a relatively captive market, their prices for fuel and food tend to be higher. Usually you don't have to travel too far off a motorway to find a nice pub for food and a much cheaper petrol station. Also, the reason motorway service stations exist is because when motorways first opened in Britain, the government was concerned to ensure motorists were able to take a proper break while driving. I know it does wonders for refreshing me, and making my onward journey safer. I suspect there may be a law preventing drive-throughs at motorway service stations. Do keep up the good work. I enjoy your videos.
Just wanted to add that not all petrol station have longer hoses to fill the car on the far side, they vary a bit so just be a bit aware of that. Bigger more modern petrol stations are better but a lot are still awkward and it's hard to reach the far unless you have a particularly small car. It's still better to aim for the side you fill on.
Undertaking on the motorway is illegal. You have to pull into the leftmost lane whenever possible. Driving in the middle lane when the left lane is empty is also illegal and the police can give you a fixed penalty and points on your driving licence. Though, based on my experience, none of these rules have gotten through to people around London.
With the cost of fuel (gas ) in America its not just because the UK has more taxes, the American Govt subsidies the industry *In 2015-2016, the federal government provided $14.7bn per year to the oil, gas, and coal industries, on top of $5.8bn of state-level incentives*
The Romans built quite a few straight roads but mainly for centurions and cart. They also had these pointy things which they liked to stab you with. So we preferred walking or riding a horse through wooded areas and if it was wide enough for two way then we would stay on left hand side so our sword arm was free to swing on our right side.
No its not stop spouting lies. There is no such offence in the UK. However it can be misconstrued as dangerous driving depending on the situation of whats going on. (usually either Speeding past them, or weaving to lane 1 from lane 2 to "undertake" cos lane 3 is clogged up) - Doing 70mph while in lane 1 undertaking a 65mph lane 2 hogger is perfectly fine.
There has been a reduction of petrol stations over the years because it was increasingly harder to cover costs. When I was a kid I used to see many independents. You rarely see mom & pop petrol stations now.
@@SchaeferFamilyAdventure Mostly because supermarkets are able to buy petrol far more cheaply, undercutting the independent garages. Most villages would have had a petrol station and a village shop. Both have disappeared. Despite local people lamenting their loss, they're the very people who didn't use them, forcing them out of business.
Nah, it's more to do with the fact that the US was built with cars in mind because they were seen as necessity whereas in the UK cars were seen as a luxury even as recently as the 60's so when car manufacturers here started copying the US and making cheaper, affordable cars rather than luxury saloons for the upper middle class everyone bought one and suddenly city planners had to try and accommodate millions of new vehicles. A football stadium in the US can have many thousands of parking spaces across a giant grey field that is around three times the size of the stadium itself - in the UK you will never even see that many spaces at a supermarket or a shopping center (mall), not because of lack of land (most supermarkets are built on the periphery of cities) but because the emphasis is still on "Use public transport if you can and leave the car at home".
Beeching cuts were far too aggressive and many cant be reversed. Also as someone who cant drive due to epilepsy in the uk i can get to most places and employment by public transport. It may take longer but in the states i would be in a lot more difficulty getting to local shops and facilities let alone employers
It is nice to hear positive comments from an American tourist. On the parking issue, as you have already pointed out, land space is at a premium in the UK, so parking tends to be a tad more difficult than in the US where there is such an abundance of space available.
Lands end to John o'groats. Allowing for traffic and toilet/food etc breaks and changing drivers would probably take about 18 hours. I had planned on doing this with some friends many years ago but settling down with a family etc stopped that sort of thing. Great channel, seeing our country through the eyes of others is a good thing. If you want great scenery up here in Yorkshire (where I live) And over in Cumbria/the lake district are great places to visit. A belated welcome to our beautiful country BTW. Hope you are enjoying yourselves here. Have liked and subscribed.
As an Englishman, one thing to remember is many streets in British towns and cities were not built with motor traffic in mind. The Victorians, and indeed the people before them, built our highways with bicycles and horse-drawn vehicles in mind.
Something that you do find in the UK is that in many areas, local code limits the number of fast food outlets in a given district. Now this varies from place to place but it does limit the variation. Plus the big American fast food companies have so much more buying power so just straight up out bid smaller companies for prime locations. Now this can be exacerbated by the fact that many service areas in the UK are owned by a small number of companies who would rather have a big American fast food outlet that is a guaranteed income as opposed to something more niche.
If you look around where your speedometer is, oil, fuel gage etc you will see a little petrol pump, it will have an arrow next to it and that arrow points to the side of the car where you put in the petrol or diesel. So you don't really need to stretch the petrol pump around the car, just stop your car by the pump on the side the arrow shows.
You my friend have hit the nail on the head regarding the + & - of a road trip in the UK & the USA. But be aware there is a disease going around that causes people to think that the middle lane of the motorway belongs to them and them alone. They will not move for any amount of light flashing or horn beeping. Love your videos by the way.
Hi, My wife and l have travelled extensively across the USA by car which we have always thoroughly enjoyed. The biggest thing we found while driving in the USA as Brit's you don't appreciate until you're there is the sheer vastness of the country. If you attempted to drive the same number of miles in the UK as we did in the USA in one day you would run the risk of falling of the edge!! Keep up the good work, happy New Year to you all and stay safe.
If you notice, in petrol stations in the UK, the clip to hold the trigger open doesn't work on the pumps. I think they need to do this in the US because I've seen countless videos where people drive away from the pump with the nozzle still in the filler, ripping the pipe from the pump. I'm guessing they go into the shop to pay then forget to remove the pump before driving away?
Alex Hamilton carry a suitably sized thing like a narrow hex key and you can thread it through to hold the handle open and take your hands off. The automatic sensor in the pump will still work to prevent wastage. Don’t make it obvious to the staff.
@@user-ky6vw5up9m I saw a video yesterday of a pump overflowing all over the forecourt because the safety failed. There must have been a gallon on the floor. 😱
America has some stunning forts, and by forts I don't mean the wooden stockades the US army built to defend against the natives they liked killing, I mean massive stone fortresses lined with cannons that the European powers built in the 16th and 17th century to defend harbours or colonies. Some are gorgeous but sadly most are in worse state than European castles as Americans for a very long time weren't as keen on European-built structures as we Europeans are and either demolished them intentionally or let them fall apart. New York City and Boston have many of these "American castles" and if you sailed into either harbour when unwelcome they would sink you.
So in the US how do you know how much petrol to put in if you pay first ??? Leets say you pay $20 but you can only put in $10 worth. Do you get your $10 back
I think one reason for the lack of variety at service stations is that we don't really have a culture of specifically road-tripping in the UK. When we travel somewhere, we're more focused on the destination than the trip. Additionally, due to the shorter distances, it's just as common for people to stock up on fuel at the start and not plan to stop at all (barring loo breaks in case of traffic!). Service stations also tend to be more franchised and uniform, with about 3-4 main companies owning a majority. And those companies tend to partner with particular food outlets who obviously would prefer not to have too much competition! As a child we used to travel from Kent to Wales about three times a year - but my dad would always plan to drive it at night, both to miss the traffic and so that we children would sleep through the ~4 hour drive. Most trips we only made one petrol stop and perhaps a loo break if someone had woken up. He'd typically also pack snacks and drinks to carry in the car rather than pay for food at a service station. Others have pointed it out that the fuel is more expensive along the motorways as you're a captive market (and most people travel longer distances along the motorways rather than side-roads), but the food is often a little pricier as well, so savvy folks will carry treats with them, and sometimes plan to eat at their destination rather than along the way.
Motorway service stations are generally run by the same two or three companies, consequently each brand has the same franchises operating in each of there sites. The exceptions are Gloucester and Tebay, which are independently family owned and consequently soooo much better than the corporate ones!
Usually the reason for there being so little option for fast food at a service station is because they're run by a group (Usually Moto or Welcome Break) and they've done a deal with McDonalds or Burger King to have them in their service stations.
The highway code instructs us to keep to the left. If you want to overtake you move to the right or middle lane. After doing so, you should return back to the left. If you cannot because you don't have enough breaking distance, then you must stay in the middle lane until it is safe to do so. If someone in the middle lane is travelling faster than you, then they must overtake by using the right hand lane and return to the middle lane when safe to do so. There is no left slow lane, middle cruising lane and right fast lane. The authorities are at pains to point this out. So much so that they have prosecuted drivers for hogging the middle lane on an empty motorway when they should have been using the left lane only. Be careful. Don't hog the middle lane!
Myself I don’t understand why travelling in the middle lane at the speed limit is “hogging”, anyone who wishes to travel faster will be acting illegally and is basically expecting that they be allowed to “hog” the lane but at a faster speed. In my view, at motorway speeds, if you can see traffic in left hand lane and you are at a closing speed with it you are “overtaking”, weaving in and out for no real reason but an adherence to the Highway Code is unsafe.
@@ShiningBlueCircle I agree. Whilst there is officially no such think as slow/faster/fast lanes, unless there is barely any traffic on the road, you generally find that drivers in the left lane are doing nowhere near 70 (presumably because they think it's the "slow" lane!). Although we are officially supposed to use the left lane unless we are overtaking, surely keeping to a safe speed in the middle lane is safer than constantly changing lanes to overtake those who are doing 55 in the left lane. And then of course when there is heavy traffic on the motorway, there's no way people are going to stay in the left lane, leaving the other lanes empty, that would be madness!
There's no reason why you shouldn't stay in an overtaking lane to pass a series of slower-moving vehicles if pulling over would require you to be constantly changing lanes but once past, you should return to the left hand lane - HWC Rules 264, 268. If on the other hand, you are sitting there when there is safe space to your left, you are obstructing the lane, no matter what speed you are doing. It's not your job to police other drivers. This is in accordance with The Highway Code and adherence to it is by no means unsafe. The Germans have a simple rule (it may even be a law) that if you are in an overtaking lane for more than 20 seconds past the point where it is safe for you to pull in, you can expect to get stopped by the police. That seems quite reasonable; they do think things through, these Germans.
Drive though facilities are not generally available in UK service stations on motorways because it is an offence to be distracted by, for example eating while driving. ‘Driving without due care’. I believe the exits and accesses to UK motorways are generally better designed than in the US to allow vehicles leaving or joining to slow down or speed up out of the main flow of traffic.
The motorway regulations have been mentioned by many here...may I add it is now an offence to be a 'Middle Lane Hogger' , though it doesn't seem to have registered with old geezers still bimbling along this lane in there underpowered Corolla or whatever. Though the speed limit is 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways, most drivers travel about 10mph faster unless it is a camera laden 'Smart Motorway'. I am surprised you haven't referred to the narrow and twisty roads here. A Florida friend of mine came over here with a strictly timed itinerary to visit friends in England and Wales based on average U.S. driving times. Messaging "we will be with you at 3pm Thursday" sort of thing. In the first week he was already 3 days behind!
As Hob Moor said, there is a deliberate planning policy to not provide sufficient parking to try to make people use public transport more. Mainly for the environment, but also to reduce traffic congestion and to stop cities becoming giant car parks. As the song says... "You paved paradise to put up a parking lot".
The UK's first motorway didn't open until 1959 (originally without a speed limit). They were built to make long distance travel quicker and safer as car ownership increased and transport switched from rail to road. They mostly supplement the existing road network. For example the M6 runs from north of London to near the Scottish border in the west, where it meets the Glasgow road. It's also used for journeys to and from Coventry, Birmingham, Stoke, Manchester & Liverpool. The A6 follows a similar route, that's 30 miles longer and goes right through the centre of Manchester as well as Bedford, Leicester, Derby and many other towns. Motorways purposely have fewer junctions, all with slip roads. Motorway service stations were kept to a minimum practical and regulated to provide free parking and toilets (but definitely no booze) so drivers can take a break as well as get fuel. They were businesses in their own right that leased the sites off the government - older Brits will remember Granada, perhaps not fondly. Like many things they've been deregulated, hence the subcontracted catering franchises & new, smaller, services off the motorway proper and sometimes in retail parks.
I have done 3 x 5000+ mile road trips with the kids across the states each time renting a full size pickup. Absolutely loved it and I generally find driving in the US much easier and more relaxing. One thing about the gas stations is you just click the nozzle and you don't have to have your hand on it (notice they've removed the pin for this in the UK) and most stations you can wash your vehicle for free whilst it's filling up
Just one short heads up for you. On UK motorways you drive in the left hand lane. You only move out of it to overtake, and having overtaken, you move back to the left. On three-lane motorways large trucks are not permitted to use the right hand lane at all. That is why you are likely to incur a large dose of wrath if you hog the centre lane with a truck behind you.
The second and third Lane are for overtaking only. You are supposed to sit in the first Lane it'll you come across a vehicle in front, going under 70mh then you overtake it then back into the first Lane you cannot travel fast on the motorway only up to 70 mile an hour
If sticking strictly to the rules of the motorway, the outer lanes are meant to be purely for overtaking, though a large number of drivers ignore this and stay in the outer lanes when there's no traffic to pass in the inner lane. Therefore undertaking isn't meant to happen because nobody is supposed to be travelling slower in the outer lane than the inner. Because of the fact undertaking is meant not to be possible, if everybody is obeying the rules, a lot of drivers think undertaking is a road traffic offence, hence they'll flash their lights at a slow outer lane driver to get them to move in rather than undertake them.
One linguistic difference I noted in your comparison between UK and US fyi: At 3:13 you said "that drastic OF a change." In British English (and ex Commonwealth countries) we don't use "OF", the usage being "that drastic A change." Although this little difference may seem inconsequential, there is a clear logic behind it. If the statement is quantitative ( to do with amounts) we use "OF", such as "We didn't eat that much OF a meal as we weren't hungry." This makes sense since the preposition "OF" signifies a part of a larger amount - "A serve of chips" for example. In contrast, if the statement is qualitative (to do with description of something's attributes) the "OF" is omitted. Thus: "How active a life do you want to lead?" "This is not that big a deal." To use "OF" with the above examples makes no logical sense, since you would not be speaking of a quantity, but of a quality. The traditional British usage involves simply transposing the article and the adjective: "An active life" "A big deal." Whereas in this form, "A big of deal" sounds weird and the the preposition OF is clearly not necessary at all. Thus it is not used in the transposed form either.
Motorway "Services" not "service stations". You will see a big blue sign with the words, for example, "Moto Services" or "Granada Services" (depending on what company owns it) and the number of miles to travel before you get there. Also on Motorways you should always signal that you're exiting before you get to the actual exit. You will see a small blue sign at the side of the hard shoulder with 3 white stripes in it, followed by one with 2 stripes the a final one with 1 stripe in it. These are countdown markers to your exit measured in yards (or metres if you want to use metric, 3' 3"-1/3" to 1 metre), so indicating before the last 1 stripe marker is acceptable and polite.
a helpful tip for you when fuelling your car in the UK ! if you look at your fuel gauge in the car MOST cars in the UK have a little arrow near the gauge pointing 2 which side of the car the fuel filler cap id located on ! its just most people do not spot this or dont know what it means !
@@octaviuswhelkstall4661 One remarkable example: there is a Stokesay Castle in Pennsylvania, based on the medieval Stokesay Castle in Shropshire, but originally created in the 1930s as a family holiday home.
One thing to mention are HGVS, lorries etc. UK they are governed, so cant go faster than 55mph. Against the law for them to be in the fast lane of a motorway. Same with buses. Biggest shock when driving in the US was being overtaken by a lorry doing 75mph.
David Smith it’s always fun when the whole motorway grinds to a halt because a lorry travelling at 55 decides to overtake a lorry travelling at 54. Up a hill.
@@jbaldwin1970 And our lovely American cousins call this a "Mexican road block". :) I haven't really thought of a non-PC British-adapted term for this so I sometimes call it... a Mexican road block. :P Or I use words like micropass and nanopass.
Tourist towns and historical cities usually have something called a "Park and Ride", It is a bus service for people that want to just visit the town for the day and enjoy themselves. It is basically just a very large parking area and a bus stop in which a Park and Ride bus will stop to pick people up from the parking area roughly every 30 minutes, then drive those people into the centre of the town/city. Then when you've spent the day looking around museums or playing on the beach or what have you, you find a bus stop that has the Park and Ride sign on it, hop onto the bus, and you get dropped off outside the town/city at the parking area where you left your car. The reason for this is because even the UK's "newer" towns and cities are on average older then the US has been a country. And all of them grew organically, and have not been designed. So most of these places have a main modern road, and a lot of small, tight, usually cobblestone roads with no parking space due to how the town/city grew over time. And since these places are so old, and the UK has EXTREMELY STRICT rules and guidelines on how historical and old buildings are maintained, towns and cities that see a lot of tourism can't just demolish buildings and build parking, even if a building is abandoned. So the Park and Ride is a way to mass transit lots of people in and out of a town/city so that there are fewer cars on the road that might need to park somewhere.
There is a sign on your speedo that tells you what side your filling cap is, Then you pull in the correct side for filling up, and that should be the opposite side from your hot exhaust pipe which of course you should never drip petrol on, so really long hose's are not for the reason you are sometimes using them. Danger of the worst kind in a petrol station.
Haven't seen all of this yet, but had to comment. Do not, repeat do not if you can help it fuel-up at a filling station off the Motorway - why - they charge a lot, lot more for it. Most towns and cities have supermarket filling stations which are usually the cheapest.
So in the states what happens if you accidentally go over when refuelling, does it know to cut it off or know to just bill you a little extra? Like if you paid first then it would automatically stop and not let you fill anymore once you reached that amount, that would be a good idea.
Another British tradition: if your road trip ends with a visit to family and friends, be ready to offer a blow-by-blow account of your route together with justification for your choices of road. This will take the first half an hour of your visit so be prepared. This tradition began in the days when our road network was being modernised - motorways were being added and bypasses built around little villages SATNAV has maybe killed this fine old habit.
I'm not a fan of sat-nav. If I'm using it, I'm already desperate or just want to weasel my way around an unfamiliar town (it IS handy for that). Otherwise, I can happily navigate using my geographic intuition and road signs most of the time. :)
@@nobbynobbynoob I still scout the route via map and memorise the junctions in need to use! and have sat nav going on silent as back up, in case of roadworks or accidents.
Hi, Matthew, very interesting , it's always nice to see comparisons like that. You are definitely right about the cost of petrol, duty is charged and then VAT on top including on the duty so you pay tax on a tax. On a motorway the service area food outlets are very similar you get more variety if you pull off the motorway into a town. Hope to hear more about your travels here. Looking forward to your next video soon.
In the Americas, a gallon is equivalent to 128 fluid ounces or 3.785 liters (American spelling). But in the UK, it's 160 fluid ounces or 4.546 litres (British spelling)
I much preferred gallons and the chap who would come out and fill your petrol for you, I'm old fashioned and miss pounds, shillings and pence also - I know I'm a sad case.
FYI there is an arrow next to the pump sign on your dash, it points to where the fuel door is. Also the fuel is higher octane in the UK generally speaking. Great video
I know this is an old video but in petrol stions there are normally both, pay at the pump and go in and queue. It has been luke this for at least 10 years. Also, you can always see which side the filler cap is on, even in an unfamiliar car, there is a little picture of a petrol pump on the dash with an arrow showing you what side it is! Your distance analogy is slightly flawed, saying that if you travel for 13hrs in England would take you 13hrs in the US, but if you drive from Scotland to Moscow it would take you 39hrs, 2200 miles. There are 8 parking spots in the US for every car, a liccle bit excessive!
schools must be within 1 hour by bus and if it is morethan 3 miles by foot you'll be given a free bus pass. I believe it is 1 mile for primary. The whole idea is you walk or bus to school rather than jamn up residential streets so the locals can't get to work
Not going to re-iterate the Highway Code comment so many have already said but cars who flash their lights at you are rude. You could be doing the speed limit or above and overtaking the car in the left-hand lane but either Audi or BMW drivers will still flash their lights because it's not fast enough for them. But if you're doing 45 in the right-hand lane when the limit is 60, fair enough.
Agree with you about the lack of petrol stations in the UK. A lot of local petrol stations have closed over the years, and very often you have to drive to a supermarket to fill up.
For me, 4-5 Fast food drive throughs in more then enough. I perfer the UK system where the put a mini mart at the roadside, at least you then have many healthy options.
1:57. It’s not quite the same product. U.K. petrol is a much higher octane than US gasoline. U.K. petrol tends to be 95octane for standard fuel and 99Octane for the premium fuel. Whereas US gasoline tends to be 88 octane for standard fuel and 92-94octane for premium.
Sorry but this just isn't true. US gas has as much, if not more octane than UK gas. US premium 93 octane = 99 octane in the UK. The US uses a more strict measure of determining octane compared to the UK. In the UK, you use just the Ron measurement system. In the US, we use the average of the Ron and Mon system. This is a better system, as the Ron and Mon averaged out represent real world burn under atmospheric conditions. Tesco 99 for example, has a Ron octane of 99. But it has a Mon rating of just 87 octane. The same holds true for Shell in the UK. So since the US uses the Anti knock index, (R+M)/2 = 93 US octane. 94 octane in the US is 100 Ron. And E85 in the US is 108 US octane. Then we have stations that sell (R+M)/2 - 100 octane and 110 octane.
If you are bored with the same fast food option's at service stations, then a good idea is to come off the motorway to a small town or village, where you'll have a choice of pubs, cafe's and coffee shops to eat at or even a park or stream to sit and eat. If I'm doing a long road trip in the UK, I'll plan ahead and Google nice scenic areas off the motorway to eat so if we have 2 stops, we'll usually have one at a service station and one at a scenic area. That way you also get to see areas you wouldn't normally see too.
On your fuel gauge next to the symbol for the fuel pump. There is a triangular arrow pointing to either the left or the right. It's there to tell you on which side the filler cap is on your car.
Just a quick tip for you. There are very often large supermarkets such as Tesco Extra or Morrisons within a mile or so of motorway junctions, where the fuel is far cheaper, and they usually have cafes/restaurants instore - Morrisons in particular are usually excellent and have a great choice of hot meals. If you check the store locator on their websites when planning your next trip it will give you locations and also whats available at each store. I would also suggest that a proper british road trip should not include motorway travel, as you miss so much that is unique to our country (meaning historic sights etc, guys, not roadworks and traffic queues!)
Pieter Boogaart (a Dutch Anglophile) shows how to do an English road trip in his book "A272 - An Ode to a Road". 72 miles of the A272 with diversions north and south of up to seven miles.
I'm not sure you understood the motorway rules perfectly. Once you've finished overtaking you must pull back over to the left. The middle and inner lane are supposed to be just for overtaking, not for sitting in according to your speed. The people who flashed you would probably have been annoyed!
Refueling cars in the UK .... Useful hint/tip: If you look at your Fuel/gas gauge the icon will indicate which side of the vehicle the filler is on ..... Either via an Arrow or the filler hose 😉 no need to get out and look/check.
Fun Fact on the fuel gauge where the little petrol pump symbol is will be an arrow on the left or right of that symbol, that's the side your tank is on.
I have eaten fast food and I personally don't care how convenient it may be, I would prefer to get anything else. I also think people are drawn to what they recognise when travelling rather than risk trying the unknown in case it is not to their taste. Using service stations along the motorway may be convenient but the price is usually high and the quality low, imo it is better to plan 45 minutes to an hour out of the day and stop at a restaurant or cafe in a town or city along the route. Many places do lunch specials.
You have to plan ahead with parking. Book a hotel with parking and use google maps at other times. Visit tourist sites on a Sunday and park on the road for free.
Went on a road trip in the US a couple of years ago with the wife and we loved it... so much more relaxing driving than it is here. Being able to park just about anywhere free of charge was an absolute godsend and driving through the Shenandoah mountains without seeing another human for 3 hours straight was heaven. Way more claustrophobic here in the UK and I agree parking is a joke
We think the Shenandoah mountains are beautiful as well. Glad you enjoyed road tripping in the US. Thanks for watching.
Yeah, always great being away from humans once in awhile.
As the man said, it's all about scale. We are a small country, crammed with world heritage site's and a 2000 year old social history. Millions of international tourist's come here. We have to accommodate them all and their individual likes. Our medieval roads, that lead to historic places, cannot cope, let alone the parking, when you arrive there. It takes a bit of planning and common sense i.e avoid Bank Holiday week -ends especially when hot and sunny. As for fast food--yuk. I have NEVER, had the need to stop at :services in the uk, because I'm Hungry---the toilet and a few sweeties yes, that's it. Just takes some snacks.
Philip Croft I understand why it is the way it is but that doesn’t make it any more sufferable. Even if you plan ahead it’s still busy pretty much all the time and common sense only goes so far. My wife is a teacher for example so we have no choice with what time we take off and always hit the masses. There are too many of us on this island, full stop. The over-crowding makes most things that should be enjoyable just unbearable... things like xmas markets are torture
@@MrDaiseymay Our roads can and do cope, it's the human beings who can't cope with the responsibilities that come with using them and the thoughtfulness needed to share them.
Highway Code - Always drive on the left unless you are overtaking. Move back to the left as soon as its safe to do so. This applies on all motorways, dual carriageways and two way single carriageways.
Exactly. There are no fast or slow lanes, just overtaking lanes. You overtake and pull in IF safe to do so.
Correct
It’s actually against the law to be sitting in any of the outside lanes too
Unless you're in a Audi then you do what ever you like! You don't even have to indicate!
@@jonnysniper666 and you must drive a couple of cms behind people to bully them to move over 😂
You are so diplomatic about the way you put your points across. It's impossible not to like you.
"Undertaking" is illegal in the UK. You can only overtake on the right hand side that's why people flash cars going too slowly in the middle lane.
Yes even though there is often lane 3 free to use.
It's not actually illegal, on a case by case basis it can be considered dangerous driving though
It's not undertaking if you are not exceeding the speed limit. I love sitting at 70 in the inside lane passing every idiot who doesn't understand how a motorway works its great
@@Cars_and_adventures Nothing to do with the speed limit.
ON MOTORWAYS
Rule 268 of the Highway Code states - do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.
OFFENCE
Overtaking on the left is lawful if done in accordance with the above guidance. However, whilst there is no specific offence of overtaking on the left, if a driver undertook another vehicle, other than in the circumstances described above e.g. in the case of someone hogging lane 2 on a motorway, they may be prosecuted for careless driving.
What a stupid rule. Just leads to unnecessary congestion. AU rule for multi lane freeways or highways is usually “keep left unless overtaking” so slowest traffic on left and fastest on right (ideally!), however not unlawful to pass in left lane.
Matthew, parking is a real problem in UK cities because 1) the cost of land is very high in cities and using it as a parking lot might not be the most profitable use, 2) many city councils will not give permission for parking lots because they want to discourage motor traffic from entering the city to reduce pollution levels. And, as you know UK=tiny, USA=vast.
Yeah, some cities and large towns are moving to the park and ride system, you park on the outskirts. You pay for a parking ticket and get a free bus ticket that will take you into the city.
It's a good system, less convenient but it's easier than finding a parking spot.
I just train most places myself because I hate searching for parking
The uk is pretty small- might be a large island but as just a country it’s pretty small (there’s always gonna be smaller places but yeh)
buggeroff the U.K. is so overpopulated it couldn’t feed its own population if imports were stopped. At a minimum you need 1 acre of farmland per person in a country. England has 32 million acres for 56 million people. So forget 1 acre of farmland per person, England doesn’t even have one acre of land per person at all. So yeah, it’s tiny.
And to encourage locals to use the precious bus services x
Exactly, i have no option to park at work as its city centre and so i commute by train. If i drove i would still have to park and ride once i got to the city and i know that bristol and Manchester are both looking at a congestion charge as in both cities you don't need a car
They will flash their lights and say"hey you need to move over. I want to pass you. No what they are really saying is "move out the f#%king way" 😂😂
I did that once and while they did move over, I caught him looking at me as I overtook shouting his mouth off at me....
CrazyInWeston Carry on doing it. I don’t take shit on the road, I will happily lay on the horn or flash my lights at someone who clearly needs telling that they’re in the wrong.
The problem with most of us Brits is that we’re too polite, if you don’t let them know that you’re pissed off the they’ll never stop doing it.
@@CrazyInWeston Doing a ton were you ?
@@MrDaiseymay nope, 80mph in Lane 4 of a 4 Lane Motorway with Lane 3 clear. Berk should be in Lane 3. Keep left unless overtaking.
On many road trips in the UK, wouldn't be via motorways, just be via 'A' roads, stopping in towns where there are no McDonalds etc., just a locally run café or tea-shop.
HERE HERE
I think you have slightly misunderstood the motorway lane rules. The rule is that you keep left in the first lane, unless overtaking . Always try to keep left where possible. Obviously congested traffic stay in lane. You can get a fine for sticking in middle lane or third lane when there is room in the first lane. You said similar but made it sound like you can go in second and third lane if you just decide to go faster and stick there. It's only for overtaking and due to new laws you will be fined for being a middle lane hogger
Traffic density might be the reason for thinking you can stay in lane. It does make sense to stay in lane if you'll be constantly overtaking. If people are speeding that's no reason to inconvenience yourself and create a hazard by pulling over to almost immediately need to pull out again.
I actually do understand the rule, I just did a poor job of articulating it. Thanks for clarifying it!
I like this channel because as a european we generally think of Americans sticking to themselves, and thinking that they run the show or that they don’t have any knowledge of the world outside of North America. Your channel is the complete opposite, you travel to different places and take in all the culture differences and this is even evident when you say things the way British people would as opposed to in the USA, you have changed my feelings towards Americans...
(Or at least some)
Love the channel, keep going with the hard work 😊
Your name is what I say to you
There are approx 9000 petrol stations in the UK, by area land mass that would be 65% higher than the USA.
There are 0 petrol stations in the US, so that's a lot more. 👍
@@SchaeferFamilyAdventure you must have some, I mean where do you get your petrol?
@@sgtspite They use gasoline instead.
Gasoline = petrol, petrol = gasoline. They speak a different language.
@@billweaver6092 twas a pithy comment, I mean why name a "Liquid" "Gas"! Lol.
Although buying fuel at a service station is convenient, it is much more expensive. Use a sat-nav to find a supermarket or a petrol station just off the motorway it will be much cheaper. Most cities were built before the Car was invented, Hence parking is going to be an Issue. At least you are getting around the U.K. and not just staying in one place. Keep up the good work.
Or alternatively fill up before you hit the motorway so you probably won't have to fill up again until you are closer to your destination. Though if you have to this is a great alternative, though as with the comments in the video on drive thru's I get the feeling they don't want to waste time on even a minor detour. As for your comment on UK cities, whilst that is true I think a lot of it has to do with Airbnb's being in effect residential properties and not in areas designed for people who don't live there. There may be on street parking around, but you can't use it because it requires a permit. I know Airbnb's are convenient, and I use them, but only if there isn't a similarly priced hotel in the area. If you add on the cost of parking and the inconvenience in finding somewhere to park it often makes the price difference mute anyway. I do get your points though, and your points are still valid, and there is some great advice here.
Many supermarkets have sites near or next to the motorway junctions, or A roads, e.g. Tesco on the A9 in Perth, or next to junction 43 just off M6 where it crosses the English /Scottish border. It makes sense for them to be near good roads, they get more customers that way. The bigger supermarkets often have somewhere to eat and toilets too.
Be aware that motorway service stations charge a fortune for fuel. Local petrol stations are usually a fair bit cheaper and if there is a supermarket nearby with a petrol station they tend to be cheaper still.
That's why I always fill up to a full tank, and never let in fall below a quarter.
Thank you for your comments about the U.K. Historically Britain's only fast food staple was fish & chips, culturally we were more restaurant orientated, on journeys a lot of people would prepare sandwiches and make up a flask of tea or coffee which is far more cheaper and quicker than doing fast food especially on family holidays we would then pull up somewhere scenic and eat our meal especially the older generation. (Which is me) Up and till 1963 the majority of the UK moved by train this included parcels and more modular freight. With regards to longer distance driving in the UK, we are advised by HMG to stop fatigue we are supposed to stop every 3 hours to take a break for driver safety.
For reference, supermarkets are considerably cheaper than BP or Shell stations for fuel. Petrol stations at service stations are even more expensive than both.
Well said. And if you plan ahead, you can take your own snap and a flask or maybe look up a place away from the motorway to take a nice break. The break is considered part of the journey rather than an inconvenience.
Branded fuel is often better quality and fresher. Better MPG can level out some of the cost difference.
We brought lots of snacks and food - but hard to pack enough food for a week long trip, ya know?
@@chrisbodum3621 Snap? I dont think Americans will understand what snap is! (Are you a Northerner by any chance?)
@@hlund73 That one's been debunked a few times. I've never noticed any difference.
The rule is on a motorway the inside lane is the correct one to be in unless overtaking. The two outer lanes are for overtaking only, it is illegal to hog an empty outer lane or to undertake but these rules do get abused.
In the US 100 years is a long time but in the UK 100 miles is a long way.
True--I remember my Canadian Cousin telling me, we think nothing of driving 100 miles in the evening, just to eat out.
Stop at Gloucester services, it's a fast food farm shop way better than all the other convenience crap
i'm on my way
Also Tebay on the M6 through the Lake District. Food sourced locally.
It's the nicest service station in the country
@CurlyBird why is your profile picture Michael Rosen?
What motorway is this on? My wife and I are planning on coming over again (from California) when the virus situation has passed, and are looking to see some of that area. Would love to try it out.
Edit: Found one on the M5. I presume it’s that.
There’s an arrow next to the speedometer on the dashboard that points to which side the fuel tank is on.
Although undertaking is basically illegal the Highway Code says that if you’re in the left lane at the maximum speed limit and traffic in the outer lanes is slower than you, you’re allowed to continue at the same speed but you’re not allowed to weave in and out. You are supposed to stay in the left lane by law unless you’re overtaking and then should return to the inside lane but many ignorant, selfish drivers hog the middle lane causing a buildup of traffic behind them.
Doesn't always work! ( the fuel tank indicator, I mean)
Nearly right but the right hand lane is for overtaking only regardless of speed you should always move to the left after overtaking.
About the fast food thing...
This is where most of us.... or at least us over a certain age would plan ahead and start bringing picnics, or packing our own food to avoid those costs.
Heck, I do this when I don't travel by car, particularly when I'm going to conventions. Fast food is expensive in comparison, I have the options but having the 'make your own' approach buying in bulk when group travelling helps.
For those Americans watching, please be aware that it is not correct that if you wish to drive fast in the UK you can drive in the right lane. You are supposed to drive in the furthest left lane unless you are overtaking. This means that even if you are driving at the speed limit, you should keep to the left-most available lane. The lanes are not slow, medium, fast.
Driving in the UK, allow for traveling 40 miles in one hour, out in the country . Even you are driving on a motorway , where the speed limit is 70 MPH . This works out about right, unless there are delays due to road works etc .
This works out about right, except that there are always delays for road works, etc.
Ftfy
Agree that parking is generally horrible in the UK unless you are in a newly designed area like a retail park. You’re better using public transport for most city centres and/or park and rides for the bigger places. In the U.S. public transport in my experience is fairly non-existent except in big cities.
Did you know that there is an arrow at the side of the little petrol pump picture in your car. That arrow shows what side you fuel cap is on the car.
This is not universal. Probably (though I've not researched it) mostly on car brands sold in North America, where filler side is more important.
The Honda jazz we have in the UK doesn't have the arrow. I am currently renting a car in Germany, and it doesn't have the arrow either.
I was pretty used to the arrow in the US, but it doesn't seem to be as universal here.
Schaefer Family Adventure. Just to visualise: ‘the arrow’ - whether it is there or not, see video (44 sec)
th-cam.com/video/0Wl466HA628/w-d-xo.html
My car (Renault Captur) doesn't have an arrow, but the little picture of the petrol pump does have the hose on the right hand side, the same side as my petrol tank. Whether that's deliberate, or just a happy coincidence, I couldn't say. But I'd like to think that Renault were at least trying to be helpful, even if their helpfulness didn't stretch to putting the bonnet release catch on the driver's side of my right hand drive car...it's in the passenger foot well! 🙄
@@patriciaburke6639 thanks for trying to help, but as I've indicated above, the arrow is standard in the US. It isn't on my current rental or our car in the UK.
Filling with gas, check your petrol gauge, the little petrol pump with its nozzle will show you which side you put petrol in. If the pumps nozzle is on the right then the filler cap is on the right and so on
Another enjoyable video.
I have done a road trip in the USA, albeit in 2001, and I enjoyed it immensely. We were on the interstates a fair amount, but tried going on the local roads as they were more interesting.
As regards Britain, please don't think motorway service stations are typical of anything other than motorway service stations. As there is a relatively captive market, their prices for fuel and food tend to be higher. Usually you don't have to travel too far off a motorway to find a nice pub for food and a much cheaper petrol station.
Also, the reason motorway service stations exist is because when motorways first opened in Britain, the government was concerned to ensure motorists were able to take a proper break while driving. I know it does wonders for refreshing me, and making my onward journey safer. I suspect there may be a law preventing drive-throughs at motorway service stations.
Do keep up the good work. I enjoy your videos.
Just wanted to add that not all petrol station have longer hoses to fill the car on the far side, they vary a bit so just be a bit aware of that. Bigger more modern petrol stations are better but a lot are still awkward and it's hard to reach the far unless you have a particularly small car. It's still better to aim for the side you fill on.
Undertaking on the motorway is illegal. You have to pull into the leftmost lane whenever possible. Driving in the middle lane when the left lane is empty is also illegal and the police can give you a fixed penalty and points on your driving licence. Though, based on my experience, none of these rules have gotten through to people around London.
With the cost of fuel (gas ) in America its not just because the UK has more taxes, the American Govt subsidies the industry
*In 2015-2016, the federal government provided $14.7bn per year to the oil, gas, and coal industries, on top of $5.8bn of state-level incentives*
The Romans built quite a few straight roads but mainly for centurions and cart. They also had these pointy things which they liked to stab you with. So we preferred walking or riding a horse through wooded areas and if it was wide enough for two way then we would stay on left hand side so our sword arm was free to swing on our right side.
yup, its actually illegal to pass on the left (undertake), in the UK, unless its obvious its a queue for leaving on a sliproad.
No its not stop spouting lies. There is no such offence in the UK. However it can be misconstrued as dangerous driving depending on the situation of whats going on. (usually either Speeding past them, or weaving to lane 1 from lane 2 to "undertake" cos lane 3 is clogged up) - Doing 70mph while in lane 1 undertaking a 65mph lane 2 hogger is perfectly fine.
@@CrazyInWeston No careless driving. DD would require more than just undertaking.
www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q891.htm
Slip roads are always on the left on motorways so your statement doesn’t stack up
Sorry - above comment aimed at Ian Curtis
eek, sorry i did actually give incorrect info, sorry guys seems its just frowned upon, learn something new everyday
There has been a reduction of petrol stations over the years because it was increasingly harder to cover costs. When I was a kid I used to see many independents. You rarely see mom & pop petrol stations now.
That's too bad, isn't it?
@@SchaeferFamilyAdventure Mostly because supermarkets are able to buy petrol far more cheaply, undercutting the independent garages. Most villages would have had a petrol station and a village shop. Both have disappeared. Despite local people lamenting their loss, they're the very people who didn't use them, forcing them out of business.
U.K. driver here. Driving in rural USA is pure joy.
I have a vision of Rod Steiger wearing amber shades.
Texas is about 3 x larger than the UK with less than half the population. That's why you can't park in the UK easily.
Nah, it's more to do with the fact that the US was built with cars in mind because they were seen as necessity whereas in the UK cars were seen as a luxury even as recently as the 60's so when car manufacturers here started copying the US and making cheaper, affordable cars rather than luxury saloons for the upper middle class everyone bought one and suddenly city planners had to try and accommodate millions of new vehicles.
A football stadium in the US can have many thousands of parking spaces across a giant grey field that is around three times the size of the stadium itself - in the UK you will never even see that many spaces at a supermarket or a shopping center (mall), not because of lack of land (most supermarkets are built on the periphery of cities) but because the emphasis is still on "Use public transport if you can and leave the car at home".
@@krashd Thank god then, I live here.
Beeching cuts were far too aggressive and many cant be reversed. Also as someone who cant drive due to epilepsy in the uk i can get to most places and employment by public transport. It may take longer but in the states i would be in a lot more difficulty getting to local shops and facilities let alone employers
It is nice to hear positive comments from an American tourist. On the parking issue, as you have already pointed out, land space is at a premium in the UK, so parking tends to be a tad more difficult than in the US where there is such an abundance of space available.
I don't advise eating while you're driving in the UK. While it's not illegal per se, you could open yourself to a charge of driving without due care.
Lands end to John o'groats. Allowing for traffic and toilet/food etc breaks and changing drivers would probably take about 18 hours. I had planned on doing this with some friends many years ago but settling down with a family etc stopped that sort of thing.
Great channel, seeing our country through the eyes of others is a good thing. If you want great scenery up here in Yorkshire (where I live) And over in Cumbria/the lake district are great places to visit. A belated welcome to our beautiful country BTW. Hope you are enjoying yourselves here. Have liked and subscribed.
Road trip? In the UK you are never more than 72 miles from the sea, 1 1/2 hours?
As an Englishman, one thing to remember is many streets in British towns and cities were not built with motor traffic in mind. The Victorians, and indeed the people before them, built our highways with bicycles and horse-drawn vehicles in mind.
We plan our parking in advance, use park and ride for cities or take the train. Buy a flask and have a picnic, it's healthier and cheaper
Well advised. If you're willing to walk, there's often a street (by a green space for instance) out of a town centre you can park for free.
Something that you do find in the UK is that in many areas, local code limits the number of fast food outlets in a given district. Now this varies from place to place but it does limit the variation. Plus the big American fast food companies have so much more buying power so just straight up out bid smaller companies for prime locations. Now this can be exacerbated by the fact that many service areas in the UK are owned by a small number of companies who would rather have a big American fast food outlet that is a guaranteed income as opposed to something more niche.
like Westmoreland/tebay.. omg fave services of all, we actually build that into our planned stops just so we can buy their amazing snacks.
If you look around where your speedometer is, oil, fuel gage etc you will see a little petrol pump, it will have an arrow next to it and that arrow points to the side of the car where you put in the petrol or diesel. So you don't really need to stretch the petrol pump around the car, just stop your car by the pump on the side the arrow shows.
You my friend have hit the nail on the head regarding the + & - of a road trip in the UK & the USA. But be aware there is a disease going around that causes people to think that the middle lane of the motorway belongs to them and them alone. They will not move for any amount of light flashing or horn beeping.
Love your videos by the way.
Hi,
My wife and l have travelled extensively across the USA by car which we have always thoroughly enjoyed. The biggest thing we found while driving in the USA as Brit's you don't appreciate until you're there is the sheer vastness of the country.
If you attempted to drive the same number of miles in the UK as we did in the USA in one day you would run the risk of falling of the edge!!
Keep up the good work, happy New Year to you all and stay safe.
If you notice, in petrol stations in the UK, the clip to hold the trigger open doesn't work on the pumps. I think they need to do this in the US because I've seen countless videos where people drive away from the pump with the nozzle still in the filler, ripping the pipe from the pump. I'm guessing they go into the shop to pay then forget to remove the pump before driving away?
Alex Hamilton carry a suitably sized thing like a narrow hex key and you can thread it through to hold the handle open and take your hands off. The automatic sensor in the pump will still work to prevent wastage. Don’t make it obvious to the staff.
The pumps are designed to hold the trigger but in the UK the pins are removed. You get the same pumps in Europe but the pin is there to latch
@@user-ky6vw5up9m I saw a video yesterday of a pump overflowing all over the forecourt because the safety failed. There must have been a gallon on the floor. 😱
How many castles are there in America?
America has some stunning forts, and by forts I don't mean the wooden stockades the US army built to defend against the natives they liked killing, I mean massive stone fortresses lined with cannons that the European powers built in the 16th and 17th century to defend harbours or colonies. Some are gorgeous but sadly most are in worse state than European castles as Americans for a very long time weren't as keen on European-built structures as we Europeans are and either demolished them intentionally or let them fall apart.
New York City and Boston have many of these "American castles" and if you sailed into either harbour when unwelcome they would sink you.
So in the US how do you know how much petrol to put in if you pay first ??? Leets say you pay $20 but you can only put in $10 worth. Do you get your $10 back
I think one reason for the lack of variety at service stations is that we don't really have a culture of specifically road-tripping in the UK. When we travel somewhere, we're more focused on the destination than the trip. Additionally, due to the shorter distances, it's just as common for people to stock up on fuel at the start and not plan to stop at all (barring loo breaks in case of traffic!). Service stations also tend to be more franchised and uniform, with about 3-4 main companies owning a majority. And those companies tend to partner with particular food outlets who obviously would prefer not to have too much competition!
As a child we used to travel from Kent to Wales about three times a year - but my dad would always plan to drive it at night, both to miss the traffic and so that we children would sleep through the ~4 hour drive. Most trips we only made one petrol stop and perhaps a loo break if someone had woken up. He'd typically also pack snacks and drinks to carry in the car rather than pay for food at a service station. Others have pointed it out that the fuel is more expensive along the motorways as you're a captive market (and most people travel longer distances along the motorways rather than side-roads), but the food is often a little pricier as well, so savvy folks will carry treats with them, and sometimes plan to eat at their destination rather than along the way.
Motorway service stations are generally run by the same two or three companies, consequently each brand has the same franchises operating in each of there sites. The exceptions are Gloucester and Tebay, which are independently family owned and consequently soooo much better than the corporate ones!
Usually the reason for there being so little option for fast food at a service station is because they're run by a group (Usually Moto or Welcome Break) and they've done a deal with McDonalds or Burger King to have them in their service stations.
The highway code instructs us to keep to the left. If you want to overtake you move to the right or middle lane. After doing so, you should return back to the left. If you cannot because you don't have enough breaking distance, then you must stay in the middle lane until it is safe to do so. If someone in the middle lane is travelling faster than you, then they must overtake by using the right hand lane and return to the middle lane when safe to do so. There is no left slow lane, middle cruising lane and right fast lane. The authorities are at pains to point this out. So much so that they have prosecuted drivers for hogging the middle lane on an empty motorway when they should have been using the left lane only.
Be careful. Don't hog the middle lane!
Exactly what I was about to say! It's a common myth that there is a slow lane, a faster lane and a fast lane, but that's just not true.
Those terms are constantly used in the media though (Daily Mail, take a bow) so people assume they're valid - like a lot of other crape they write.
Myself I don’t understand why travelling in the middle lane at the speed limit is “hogging”, anyone who wishes to travel faster will be acting illegally and is basically expecting that they be allowed to “hog” the lane but at a faster speed. In my view, at motorway speeds, if you can see traffic in left hand lane and you are at a closing speed with it you are “overtaking”, weaving in and out for no real reason but an adherence to the Highway Code is unsafe.
@@ShiningBlueCircle I agree. Whilst there is officially no such think as slow/faster/fast lanes, unless there is barely any traffic on the road, you generally find that drivers in the left lane are doing nowhere near 70 (presumably because they think it's the "slow" lane!). Although we are officially supposed to use the left lane unless we are overtaking, surely keeping to a safe speed in the middle lane is safer than constantly changing lanes to overtake those who are doing 55 in the left lane. And then of course when there is heavy traffic on the motorway, there's no way people are going to stay in the left lane, leaving the other lanes empty, that would be madness!
There's no reason why you shouldn't stay in an overtaking lane to pass a series of slower-moving vehicles if pulling over would require you to be constantly changing lanes but once past, you should return to the left hand lane - HWC Rules 264, 268. If on the other hand, you are sitting there when there is safe space to your left, you are obstructing the lane, no matter what speed you are doing. It's not your job to police other drivers. This is in accordance with The Highway Code and adherence to it is by no means unsafe. The Germans have a simple rule (it may even be a law) that if you are in an overtaking lane for more than 20 seconds past the point where it is safe for you to pull in, you can expect to get stopped by the police. That seems quite reasonable; they do think things through, these Germans.
Drive though facilities are not generally available in UK service stations on motorways because it is an offence to be distracted by, for example eating while driving. ‘Driving without due care’.
I believe the exits and accesses to UK motorways are generally better designed than in the US to allow vehicles leaving or joining to slow down or speed up out of the main flow of traffic.
The motorway regulations have been mentioned by many here...may I add it is now an offence to be a 'Middle Lane Hogger' , though it doesn't seem to have registered with old geezers still bimbling along this lane in there underpowered Corolla or whatever.
Though the speed limit is 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways, most drivers travel about 10mph faster unless it is a camera laden 'Smart Motorway'.
I am surprised you haven't referred to the narrow and twisty roads here. A Florida friend of mine came over here with a strictly timed itinerary to visit friends in England and Wales based on average U.S. driving times. Messaging "we will be with you at 3pm Thursday" sort of thing. In the first week he was already 3 days behind!
As Hob Moor said, there is a deliberate planning policy to not provide sufficient parking to try to make people use public transport more. Mainly for the environment, but also to reduce traffic congestion and to stop cities becoming giant car parks. As the song says... "You paved paradise to put up a parking lot".
Petrol is taxed, partly for tax income, but also as a green issue.
michaels640 at one time the standing joke was.......there is no F in petrol
Green issue my arse, that's just a way of people to feel less annoyed about the amount of tax while achieving precisely dick.
Green or greed ???
The UK's first motorway didn't open until 1959 (originally without a speed limit). They were built to make long distance travel quicker and safer as car ownership increased and transport switched from rail to road. They mostly supplement the existing road network. For example the M6 runs from north of London to near the Scottish border in the west, where it meets the Glasgow road. It's also used for journeys to and from Coventry, Birmingham, Stoke, Manchester & Liverpool.
The A6 follows a similar route, that's 30 miles longer and goes right through the centre of Manchester as well as Bedford, Leicester, Derby and many other towns. Motorways purposely have fewer junctions, all with slip roads. Motorway service stations were kept to a minimum practical and regulated to provide free parking and toilets (but definitely no booze) so drivers can take a break as well as get fuel.
They were businesses in their own right that leased the sites off the government - older Brits will remember Granada, perhaps not fondly. Like many things they've been deregulated, hence the subcontracted catering franchises & new, smaller, services off the motorway proper and sometimes in retail parks.
I have done 3 x 5000+ mile road trips with the kids across the states each time renting a full size pickup. Absolutely loved it and I generally find driving in the US much easier and more relaxing.
One thing about the gas stations is you just click the nozzle and you don't have to have your hand on it (notice they've removed the pin for this in the UK) and most stations you can wash your vehicle for free whilst it's filling up
Just one short heads up for you. On UK motorways you drive in the left hand lane. You only move out of it to overtake, and having overtaken, you move back to the left. On three-lane motorways large trucks are not permitted to use the right hand lane at all. That is why you are likely to incur a large dose of wrath if you hog the centre lane with a truck behind you.
The second and third Lane are for overtaking only. You are supposed to sit in the first Lane it'll you come across a vehicle in front, going under 70mh then you overtake it then back into the first Lane you cannot travel fast on the motorway only up to 70 mile an hour
In the USA it seemed there were a lot more traffic lights than the uk when not on a freeway. You seem to have to stop a lot more.
If sticking strictly to the rules of the motorway, the outer lanes are meant to be purely for overtaking, though a large number of drivers ignore this and stay in the outer lanes when there's no traffic to pass in the inner lane. Therefore undertaking isn't meant to happen because nobody is supposed to be travelling slower in the outer lane than the inner. Because of the fact undertaking is meant not to be possible, if everybody is obeying the rules, a lot of drivers think undertaking is a road traffic offence, hence they'll flash their lights at a slow outer lane driver to get them to move in rather than undertake them.
Have you visited Chester and North Wales ?.
If you look at your fuel gauge, there will be a red dot or arrow, this denotes which side the filler cap is on
One linguistic difference I noted in your comparison between UK and US fyi: At 3:13 you said "that drastic OF a change." In British English (and ex Commonwealth countries) we don't use "OF", the usage being "that drastic A change." Although this little difference may seem inconsequential, there is a clear logic behind it. If the statement is quantitative ( to do with amounts) we use "OF", such as "We didn't eat that much OF a meal as we weren't hungry." This makes sense since the preposition "OF" signifies a part of a larger amount - "A serve of chips" for example. In contrast, if the statement is qualitative (to do with description of something's attributes) the "OF" is omitted. Thus:
"How active a life do you want to lead?"
"This is not that big a deal."
To use "OF" with the above examples makes no logical sense, since you would not be speaking of a quantity, but of a quality. The traditional British usage involves simply transposing the article and the adjective:
"An active life"
"A big deal."
Whereas in this form, "A big of deal" sounds weird and the the preposition OF is clearly not necessary at all. Thus it is not used in the transposed form either.
Motorway "Services" not "service stations". You will see a big blue sign with the words, for example, "Moto Services" or "Granada Services" (depending on what company owns it) and the number of miles to travel before you get there. Also on Motorways you should always signal that you're exiting before you get to the actual exit. You will see a small blue sign at the side of the hard shoulder with 3 white stripes in it, followed by one with 2 stripes the a final one with 1 stripe in it. These are countdown markers to your exit measured in yards (or metres if you want to use metric, 3' 3"-1/3" to 1 metre), so indicating before the last 1 stripe marker is acceptable and polite.
a helpful tip for you when fuelling your car in the UK ! if you look at your fuel gauge in the car MOST cars in the UK have a little arrow near the gauge pointing 2 which side of the car the fuel filler cap id located on ! its just most people do not spot this or dont know what it means !
If I want to visit any of the castles in the US, will I be able to park easily?
I know you are joking - but yes. If you wanted to visit a castle in the US, you would be able t park easily.
We really do have some castles.
@@SchaeferFamilyAdventure Really? I had no idea, I was just being facetious.
Who built them?
@@octaviuswhelkstall4661 One remarkable example: there is a Stokesay Castle in Pennsylvania, based on the medieval Stokesay Castle in Shropshire, but originally created in the 1930s as a family holiday home.
@@PastPresented I looked it up - it's fantastic. I particularly like the interior woodwork.
One thing to mention are HGVS, lorries etc. UK they are governed, so cant go faster than 55mph. Against the law for them to be in the fast lane of a motorway. Same with buses.
Biggest shock when driving in the US was being overtaken by a lorry doing 75mph.
David Smith it’s always fun when the whole motorway grinds to a halt because a lorry travelling at 55 decides to overtake a lorry travelling at 54. Up a hill.
@@jbaldwin1970 And our lovely American cousins call this a "Mexican road block". :)
I haven't really thought of a non-PC British-adapted term for this so I sometimes call it... a Mexican road block. :P Or I use words like micropass and nanopass.
Tourist towns and historical cities usually have something called a "Park and Ride", It is a bus service for people that want to just visit the town for the day and enjoy themselves. It is basically just a very large parking area and a bus stop in which a Park and Ride bus will stop to pick people up from the parking area roughly every 30 minutes, then drive those people into the centre of the town/city.
Then when you've spent the day looking around museums or playing on the beach or what have you, you find a bus stop that has the Park and Ride sign on it, hop onto the bus, and you get dropped off outside the town/city at the parking area where you left your car.
The reason for this is because even the UK's "newer" towns and cities are on average older then the US has been a country. And all of them grew organically, and have not been designed. So most of these places have a main modern road, and a lot of small, tight, usually cobblestone roads with no parking space due to how the town/city grew over time. And since these places are so old, and the UK has EXTREMELY STRICT rules and guidelines on how historical and old buildings are maintained, towns and cities that see a lot of tourism can't just demolish buildings and build parking, even if a building is abandoned.
So the Park and Ride is a way to mass transit lots of people in and out of a town/city so that there are fewer cars on the road that might need to park somewhere.
There is a sign on your speedo that tells you what side your filling cap is, Then you pull in the correct side for filling up, and that should be the opposite side from your hot exhaust pipe which of course you should never drip petrol on, so really long hose's are not for the reason you are sometimes using them. Danger of the worst kind in a petrol station.
Haven't seen all of this yet, but had to comment. Do not, repeat do not if you can help it fuel-up at a filling station off the Motorway - why - they charge a lot, lot more for it. Most towns and cities have supermarket filling stations which are usually the cheapest.
So in the states what happens if you accidentally go over when refuelling, does it know to cut it off or know to just bill you a little extra? Like if you paid first then it would automatically stop and not let you fill anymore once you reached that amount, that would be a good idea.
Another British tradition: if your road trip ends with a visit to family and friends, be ready to offer a blow-by-blow account of your route together with justification for your choices of road. This will take the first half an hour of your visit so be prepared. This tradition began in the days when our road network was being modernised - motorways were being added and bypasses built around little villages SATNAV has maybe killed this fine old habit.
I'm not a fan of sat-nav. If I'm using it, I'm already desperate or just want to weasel my way around an unfamiliar town (it IS handy for that). Otherwise, I can happily navigate using my geographic intuition and road signs most of the time. :)
@@nobbynobbynoob I still scout the route via map and memorise the junctions in need to use! and have sat nav going on silent as back up, in case of roadworks or accidents.
Different options for fast food.... narr we have greggs thats all u need!
Hi, Matthew, very interesting , it's always nice to see comparisons like that. You are definitely right about the cost of petrol, duty is charged and then VAT on top including on the duty so you pay tax on a tax. On a motorway the service area food outlets are very similar you get more variety if you pull off the motorway into a town. Hope to hear more about your travels here. Looking forward to your next video soon.
I’m pretty glad we don’t have the options of the monstrosities of all those fast food options. The world would be a better place without them.
In the Americas, a gallon is equivalent to 128 fluid ounces or 3.785 liters (American spelling). But in the UK, it's 160 fluid ounces or 4.546 litres (British spelling)
I much preferred gallons and the chap who would come out and fill your petrol for you, I'm old fashioned and miss pounds, shillings and pence also - I know I'm a sad case.
FYI there is an arrow next to the pump sign on your dash, it points to where the fuel door is. Also the fuel is higher octane in the UK generally speaking. Great video
Petrol stations are further apart but we probably fill up less often, because we don't all drive 5.0 V8s!
It’s funny that the only 5L V8 was made for Rovers in the United Kingdom
I know this is an old video but in petrol stions there are normally both, pay at the pump and go in and queue. It has been luke this for at least 10 years.
Also, you can always see which side the filler cap is on, even in an unfamiliar car, there is a little picture of a petrol pump on the dash with an arrow showing you what side it is!
Your distance analogy is slightly flawed, saying that if you travel for 13hrs in England would take you 13hrs in the US, but if you drive from Scotland to Moscow it would take you 39hrs, 2200 miles.
There are 8 parking spots in the US for every car, a liccle bit excessive!
You're so right about car parks, they are a nightmare. Luckily, for me, i can get around on my motorbike.
"You took paradise and put up a parking lot"
Sorry I couldn't help myself...love your channel, and I value your opinion.
Thanks!
I do think not having parking lots is better...but less convieniant for road tripping!
@@SchaeferFamilyAdventure oh absolutely. Parking is a nightmare in Britain, especially around schools.
schools must be within 1 hour by bus and if it is morethan 3 miles by foot you'll be given a free bus pass. I believe it is 1 mile for primary. The whole idea is you walk or bus to school rather than jamn up residential streets so the locals can't get to work
Undertaking in The UK is an offence and you could get a ticket for it.
You get more than a ticket, it's 3 points on you licence, and so it should be.
@@jimwilson6892 Usually prosecuted as at least S.3 careless driving, can be S.2 dangerous driving dependent on circumstances
Not going to re-iterate the Highway Code comment so many have already said but cars who flash their lights at you are rude. You could be doing the speed limit or above and overtaking the car in the left-hand lane but either Audi or BMW drivers will still flash their lights because it's not fast enough for them. But if you're doing 45 in the right-hand lane when the limit is 60, fair enough.
Tip.... its called find somewhere to park and walk.... its really easy
yea lol
Agree with you about the lack of petrol stations in the UK. A lot of local petrol stations have closed over the years, and very often you have to drive to a supermarket to fill up.
For me, 4-5 Fast food drive throughs in more then enough. I perfer the UK system where the put a mini mart at the roadside, at least you then have many healthy options.
1:57. It’s not quite the same product. U.K. petrol is a much higher octane than US gasoline. U.K. petrol tends to be 95octane for standard fuel and 99Octane for the premium fuel. Whereas US gasoline tends to be 88 octane for standard fuel and 92-94octane for premium.
Sorry but this just isn't true. US gas has as much, if not more octane than UK gas. US premium 93 octane = 99 octane in the UK. The US uses a more strict measure of determining octane compared to the UK. In the UK, you use just the Ron measurement system. In the US, we use the average of the Ron and Mon system. This is a better system, as the Ron and Mon averaged out represent real world burn under atmospheric conditions.
Tesco 99 for example, has a Ron octane of 99. But it has a Mon rating of just 87 octane. The same holds true for Shell in the UK.
So since the US uses the Anti knock index, (R+M)/2 = 93 US octane. 94 octane in the US is 100 Ron.
And E85 in the US is 108 US octane. Then we have stations that sell (R+M)/2 - 100 octane and 110 octane.
This is incorrect, most gas stations in the uk have the facility to pay by card at the pump
If you are bored with the same fast food option's at service stations, then a good idea is to come off the motorway to a small town or village, where you'll have a choice of pubs, cafe's and coffee shops to eat at or even a park or stream to sit and eat. If I'm doing a long road trip in the UK, I'll plan ahead and Google nice scenic areas off the motorway to eat so if we have 2 stops, we'll usually have one at a service station and one at a scenic area. That way you also get to see areas you wouldn't normally see too.
On your fuel gauge next to the symbol for the fuel pump. There is a triangular arrow pointing to either the left or the right. It's there to tell you on which side the filler cap is on your car.
Not in my car, or in the rental (brand new) I currently have for a trip in Germany.
In the US, the arrow is mostly standard.
Just a quick tip for you. There are very often large supermarkets such as Tesco Extra or Morrisons within a mile or so of motorway junctions, where the fuel is far cheaper, and they usually have cafes/restaurants instore - Morrisons in particular are usually excellent and have a great choice of hot meals. If you check the store locator on their websites when planning your next trip it will give you locations and also whats available at each store. I would also suggest that a proper british road trip should not include motorway travel, as you miss so much that is unique to our country (meaning historic sights etc, guys, not roadworks and traffic queues!)
Pieter Boogaart (a Dutch Anglophile) shows how to do an English road trip in his book "A272 - An Ode to a Road". 72 miles of the A272 with diversions north and south of up to seven miles.
I'm not sure you understood the motorway rules perfectly. Once you've finished overtaking you must pull back over to the left. The middle and inner lane are supposed to be just for overtaking, not for sitting in according to your speed. The people who flashed you would probably have been annoyed!
Refueling cars in the UK .... Useful hint/tip:
If you look at your Fuel/gas gauge the icon will indicate which side of the vehicle the filler is on ..... Either via an Arrow or the filler hose 😉 no need to get out and look/check.
Fun Fact on the fuel gauge where the little petrol pump symbol is will be an arrow on the left or right of that symbol, that's the side your tank is on.
Only one driving lane on the motorway the other 2 are overtaking lanes
Clue ... most modern cars have a small arrow alongside the image of a pump by the fuel guage indicating which side the filler cap is on
Petrol at motorway stations is significantly more expensive. An extra 10p per litre is common, the cheapest petrol is at supermarkets.Great video.
@charlie cheeseface yes could well be, I avoid them like the plague.
I have eaten fast food and I personally don't care how convenient it may be, I would prefer to get anything else. I also think people are drawn to what they recognise when travelling rather than risk trying the unknown in case it is not to their taste.
Using service stations along the motorway may be convenient but the price is usually high and the quality low, imo it is better to plan 45 minutes to an hour out of the day and stop at a restaurant or cafe in a town or city along the route. Many places do lunch specials.
You have to plan ahead with parking. Book a hotel with parking and use google maps at other times. Visit tourist sites on a Sunday and park on the road for free.