Driving on Tobago

Sarah Piddington · Post by **Sarah Piddington** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:53 am

I am surprising my husband next week (18th) for his 40th birthday and am taking him to Tobago. We are staying at The Seahorse Inn. Just wondered how safe the driving is out there. It would be lovely to see as much of the island as we can (especially as the kids are staying at home!). Any recommendations as to where we could drive to would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks!

Sarah Piddington

Post by **Steve Wooler** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:10 am

Hello Sarah

Welcome aboard!

What a lovely pressie. He's a very luck man and it's sure to compensate for the fact that he's now on the down-hill slope.

There is nowhere that you CAN'T drive in Tobago. If you look at our maps of Tobago (menus: Tobago/Maps) you will see that the island has very few road - basically just a big circle of the island with just a couple of roads crossing the spine. That adds up to a lot of fun because it's hard to get lost and getting lost can often turn up the highlights of the holiday. There is nowhere that you shouldn't drive - except down unmade roads etc where you might scare youself silly because you can't turn around (not to mention the risk of damage to the vehicle which will not be covered by insurance). Anyway, best bet is to start by reading our articles on the subject (menu: Tobago/Getting Around/Car Hire).

Have a great trip and a great birthday. Don't take my comments about being on the downhill slope too seriously. It's true what they say - life begins at 40. The 20 years since then have certainly been the best for me in many, many ways.

Tony Ennis · Post by **Tony Ennis** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:56 pm

we spent our holidays driving all over the island in December and I found the roads great fun !! Although north of Stonehaven bay the roads wind considerably everywhere and are badly potholed in places, because you will be turning a corner every 100yds it is not possible to get much speed up - 20 TO 40MPH MAX !! This makes it feel very safe and all the better for viewing the gobsmacking vistas the guys who stay in their hotel compounds are missing out on . Mount Dillon is a must - not too far from you and easy to find.

Jean-michel · Post by **Jean-michel** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:12 am

Despite the speed was not high, I found the drivers a little crazy handling their cars.

I have been twice in tobago for the tobago cycling classic and always find the drivers little dangerous. However, driving the car should be very fun because the road are plenty of turns and going up and down.

Kevin Hampson · Post by **Kevin Hampson** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:04 pm

Hi Sarah,
If that's what your giving for birthdays if you ever fancy a change I'll let you have my phone number

. I think I got socks!!!

Anyway back to the driving There should be no problem they drive on the right side for us Brits (that's the left)
There are a couple of things worth thinking about though. When you arrive off the flight you will be rather tired, it's a long flight and and with the time difference your body will tell you its about 9:00 even if only 5pm. It also gets dark very quickly which can make things difficult unless your close to the airport. We always stay up at Speyside which is about 1 1/2 hours drive and by the time we arrive it's pitch black.

On arrival the best bet is to get a taxi and sort a car out later.

Driving round the Island is pretty simple but always give yourself plenty of time to stop and take in the sights.

Regards
Kevin

Clyde Alleyne · Post by **Clyde Alleyne** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:08 pm

Sarah, if you are still inclined to drive directly from the airport to the Seahorse Inn - even at night, don't be too concerned. The road to Seahorse is off one of the main roads, so its not twisty, potholed, or with lots of road hazards. It should not take more than 20 minutes to get there from the airport. Just make sure you get directions for where to turn off off the main Shirvan/Grafton road onto the road to Seahorse itself.

Sarah Piddington · Post by **Sarah Piddington** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:03 pm

Thank you all so much for your helpful advice. Think I will definately slip the Old Man's driving licence in the hand luggage! Only going for a week so will probably think about hiring a car for a day or so mid-break.

Will let you know how we both got on. Hubby thinks he is going to Gran Canaria by the way (until we get to Gatwick)!!

Kind regards

Sarah

Steve Pitts · Post by **Steve Pitts** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:02 am

Sarah Piddington wrote: Will let you know how we both got on. Hubby thinks he is going to Gran Canaria by the way (until we get to Gatwick)!!

Hi Sarah

What a surprise!
Please take a photo of his expression when the peny drops and post it on here for us to see.

Cheers
Steve

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