Drive on the left. For international visitors used to driving on the right, this can be quite a challenge. Maintain your concentration at all times. Click here for further information (in multiple languages) from Road Safety Scotland.
The majority of roads on the Heart 200 route are two-way, however you may come to some single-track roads. When driving on single-track roads, please use passing places to let oncoming traffic pass you, or to let faster vehicles overtake you from behind. For information on driving single track roads, please click here.
If you are an international visitor, please study the British Highway Code. This can be found online here and covers rules for drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians, and explains our road signs and road markings. Please familiarise yourself with these road signs and markings as they may vary greatly to those used in your home country.
The national speed limit on motorways and dual carriageways is 70 miles per hour and the national speed limit on single carriage roads is 60 miles per hour, but this will reduce to 20, 30 or 40 miles per hour in built-up areas, so look out for the speed limit signs and respect these. Despite the limit, there will often be times when you’ll need to drive under that in order to drive safely for the conditions.
We know you’ll want to stop along the route to take photographs and admire the incredible scenery but please only stop in designated parking areas, do not park on roads or in passing places. Ensure that wherever you park is safe for you and your fellow road users.
Be aware of blind summits and sharp bends – there are many of these on the kind of country roads that you will encounter along the Heart 200. Look out for road signs warning of these dangers.
Please drive to the road conditions. We all know that Scotland is not known for its hot and dry climate! So, please be particularly careful when driving in adverse weather conditions. As well as snow, rain and frost, you might also encounter dense fog, which can cause problems on our roads at any time of year, particularly early in the morning.
Slow down for pedestrians, cyclists and animals, including horse riders. When overtaking cyclists, please give them plenty of room – information on minimum passing distances can be found here and here. Additionally, there is also an excellent video from Transport for London which gives safe tips for cyclist and drivers in more urban environments such as Stirling or Perth city centres, and can be viewed here. Equally, if you are a cyclist, when there is a safe space to pull into please pull over to allow traffic to pass safely on parts of the route where it may be difficult to overtake.
Allow other vehicles to pass safely. Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a long or slow moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently and if necessary, pull in where it is safe to allow traffic to pass.
Look out for wildlife, especially on country roads, as they may run out into the road unexpectedly. Red deer are notorious for running into the path of oncoming vehicles and pheasants also have a habit of running out in front of cars and motorcycles. Be constantly aware of these hazards and don’t swerve into oncoming traffic.
If you are driving a large vehicle, such as a motorhome or campervan, and especially if you are new to handling such a vehicle, then be aware of your limitations in terms of the roads you should be driving on. Meeting another vehicle on a single-track road often means having to reverse to the nearest passing place, which can be a hazardous manoeuvre for someone with little previous experience of driving such a large vehicle. For that reason, it would be advisable for drivers of any kind of large recreational vehicle to avoid some of the narrowest roads on the Heart 200 route, such as the B846 and B8019 around Tummel Bridge and Loch Tummel. The Heart 200 route map shows an alternative route along the A827 between Aberfeldy and Ballinluig, and we would recommend drivers of larger vehicles to take this route to link Aberfeldy with the A9 trunk road.
Junction Alert. The junction of the A911 and B919 at Balgedie Toll, on the north east side of Loch Leven (close to Kinross and Loch Leven’s Larder), requires a great deal of concentration and patience. The junction is set at an awkward angle and has restricted sightlines, so please approach this junction with extreme caution.
