Adventures in Scotland

“Getting There Is the Easy Part” – Transport Realities for Groups Without Cars

If you’re the person everyone looks to when a group trip is proposed, transport is often where the responsibility really starts to feel heavy — especially overseas. Driving on the left, unfamiliar roads, jetlag, and getting a whole group to the right place at the right time can turn what should be an exciting plan into a source of stress.

When trying to organise a group hiking tour in another country, transport is one of the major headaches. This is particularly the case when you’re travelling to a country where you either don’t speak the language, or in this case, where the locals drive on the other side of the road. So when your group is more than an average family in size – what do you do about transport? Do you drive yourselves? Do you book a private hire/driver? Do you go with public transport passes? All valid options with pluses and minuses.

If you decide to hire a vehicle

What you’ll need to consider if you’re going to hire a vehicle/vehicles

You may need more than one driver. How many of your group are comfortable driving on the left hand side of the road?  Will you need to book automatic transmission vehicles, which are less common in the UK than abroad? For group organisers, this often raises an additional question: who is ultimately responsible if something goes wrong? Can you get all your drivers insured and will this be an additional hassle you could do without. Read the small print carefully – we have had independent travellers who’ve been caught out by small print in hire contracts, particularly relating to foreign credit/debit cards

If you’re planning some hiking as all or most of your tour, you will inevitably end up on smaller, more rural roads which are very narrow and often windy; not to be under-estimated especially at the beginning of your trip when the drivers may also be suffering from jetlag. In fact, in more remote areas the roads may not only be narrow, but even be “single track”. There’s a whole separate etiquette for dealing with single track roads.

Single track roads:

always stay on your side of thr road (THE LEFT)

if the passing space is on the right hand side of the road stop on your side and let the oncoming traffic use the passing space to go around you.

These are manageable once you’re used to them — but they can be intimidating for first-time visitors, especially when you’re conscious of a group relying on you

Trailheads

This is not a term which is commonly used in the UK. We’re far more likely to talk about where the parking area is for a particular route. Unlike many US hiking areas, access points in the Highlands aren’t designed for large volumes of cars or groups arriving simultaneously — something that can catch overseas groups by surprise. Some of these parking areas are little bigger than passing spaces or only big enough for small number of vehicles. Again this is something it is worth bearing in mind when planning your trip. Do you want the hassle of searching for parking? And don’t forget the expense as well. Fewer and fewer parking areas are free of charge these days.

Jetlag

If you’re planning to drive, you should plan around jetlag. We do relatively frequently hear news reports of fatal accidents on the Scottish roads due to tourists accidentally driving on the wrong side of the road. This is much more easily done when you’re tired. One way to avoid this would be to plan a couple of days in or around the city of your arrival before starting the hiking part of your vacation. This way you can adjust to the new time zone before taking on the additional challenge of driving on unfamiliar roads and on what is for you the “wrong” side of the road. or volunteer organisers, this is one of the biggest hidden risks: tired drivers, unfamiliar road rules, and the pressure of getting everyone there safely

Public transport options

We have an excellent public transport system in the UK, but where it falls down for hiking groups is that access to the start of the trail is rarely in the same place as the train station/bus stop and many trails, particularly in the Highlands, can only be accessed in a private vehicle. Also multiple tickets on public transport are probably going to work out as expensive, if not more expensive than hiring a vehicle. You might even want to compare the costs with those of arranging private transport, including a driver.

For organisers, the key question is often not ‘is public transport possible?’ but ‘does it reduce stress for the group — or add to it? Co-ordinating tickets could be an additional headache you could do without.

How can we help

For many hiking groups the solution isn’t doing everything yourselves — or handing everything over — but working with a local partner who understands both the terrain and the realities of group leadership.

If you’re arranging a hiking trip in the Highlands with your friends/hiking club, you might want to consider the following services:

• airport transfers
  → Your group arrives together, rested, and oriented — without anyone needing to drive on day one.

• hike planning & trailhead transport
  → Walks matched to your group’s ability, with logistics handled quietly in the background. Also worth bearing in mind when trying to select hikes is that we have very different land access rights – something we can help you understand (loads of other articles on our blog which help to understand the Scottish Outdoor Access Code).

• arranging hikes from our home base
  → A shared base removes daily packing, reduces decision fatigue, and strengthens the social side of the trip.

You remain the trusted organiser for your group but we can work in partnership with you to make sure you all have a smooth experience and the group’s expectations are met or exceeded.