Thanks for advising me to get a car in Scotland. For the second week of my trip, I rented a tiny Fiat Punto 1.2 and drove through the backroads of the Highlands.

Yes, it was an experience to be had by a driving enthusiast (which I barely am). Manual transmission with the left hand, desperately maintaining 60 mph on single carriageways (aka: two lane roads?) so the guy riding your tail doesn't rear end you, forcing the car to handle at its best and overall pushing your physical and mental limits.

NOW I understand the European approach to automobiles, and why they disagree with the American approach so much. Small cars with small engines, overengineered to give great speed and handling, but easy on the petrol. Now I understand Lotus Elise, BMW, motorcycles, WRX, etc, and how they fit UK roads like a glove.

I really wish I had a dash-mounted camera to film the driving experience for the folks back home. They'll just never understand how narrow the roads were, how high the speed limit was, and how fast you'd be passed by a local for going under it.

Thanks for the advice, it was a great experience.

(P.S. Anyone know how to get out of a speed cam ticket that I'm sure I'll receive?)