…and it's still snowing like a ****er. The main roads are all reasonably clear but the backstreets are clogged. Is it unreasonable to think they might cancel? If I cancel within 2 days of the lesson I have to pay for it, but it strikes me as pretty daft to have me going out with exactly 0 skill in iffy conditions…

(I've got about 50000 miles under my belt on motorbikes including snow miles but never driven a car. Well, backed my dad's about 2 foot up the driveway once.)

Instructor will make that judgement and may well have a clear location set up for you already.

Makes sense… I'm a wee bit nervous tbh, the snow was the last thing I need! I might be used to riding around on a bike with the performance of a ferrari but it's only 2 feet wide so it's easier to keep on the road Cheers!

Snow will make heehaw difference to what you will be doing on your fist lesson. Controls, biting point and maybe a wee bit of moving off and stopping will be about as far as you'll get. Instructor will make the decision. Check that the guys badge is green and not pink – if it's pink get another instructor as they aint fully qualified.

That's encouraging, cheers! I'll check the badge too, though the school say they're all qualified can't hurt.

My first driving lesson was in the snow too. You'll be fine.

be doing on your fist lesson.

Although I didn't get to do that.

They need a brown badge for that.

And some entirely different PPE

before I was 17 i was a member of a junior drivers club – used to cost a £1 a day for use of an MOT failure and they taught you how to drive, , mock tests, skid pan etc, maintainance.

my sis did the same thing – then when you get out on the real roads you can just concentrate on all the other shit going on..

should be more of these – skid pan was most useful/fun.

anyhow if you have a good instructor you will be fine

As it turns out, he never even turned up, the school changed the lesson to tomorrow apparently but never even bothered to tell me. That's twice 🙁 Pisstaking ****holes, money back time I think.

And then, today he phoned and said "I'm completely snowed in, can't make it". So I said, "Whereabouts are you" and he said "Currie" and I said "Funny that, so am I and all the roads are clear" Time wasting ****. New instructor please driving school…

Northwind – what school was it?

Could be worse Northwind, i had my driving test on monday cancelled because of the weather 👿

Goan, it's BSM. I don't want to be too harsh on them, the first one was just some admin mistake which can happen but then they went away "No worries, we'll make sure the next one goes smoothly since you've had this problem" and next thing, they **** up again and reschedule the lesson. And now this. Don't much appreciated being lied to 🙁

Ah – the big school of motoring. Admin mistake is BS as an excuse btw.

If you want I can recommend you a couple of instructors. Or if you fancy doing a more intensive wee course next week, then getting someone else to take you for your test I may be able to give you a few lessons for a reasonable fee.

That is assuming that it's Currie in Edinburgh.

A recommendation would be great- I'm going to give them one last chance with a different instructor first- it'll hold things up more if I have to change, I reckon. But I'll pass on the lessons, very good of you to offer but I'd sooner it be someone I've no other connection with, in case I'm totally s**t

The people that would always be leaving Currie test centre with their pupils having passed their test was Skyline School of Motoring.

http://www.skylineschoolofmotoring.com/about.html

The owner of the school has been in the game for a hell of a long time and knows his stuff. Has the same level of qualification, for teaching learners, as me – the highest.

Everyone is totally shit for their first couple of lessons. My tip for you on your first couple of lessons is to listen to the routines that the guy is trying to tell you, commit them to memory until the come as second nature.

Cool, I'll bear that in mind, thanks!

I expect to be useless, I just hope not to be disasterous 😉 I didn't do very well at all when I did my motorbike CBT, frustration and nerves led to mistakes which led to nerves and frustration…

Just to say thanks for the recommendation, I got set up with Skyline and finally had a first lesson today- another was cancelled last week due to bad snow on the day but unlike BSM, they actually managed to tell me. Went very well I think, good instructor.

"Snow will make heehaw difference to what you will be doing on your fist lesson. Controls, biting point and maybe a wee bit of moving off and stopping will be about as far as you'll get."

Um. I ended up going down lanark road, around slateford and wester hailes a bit, then back along the calder road and up to balerno, then away down snow-covered cherrytree 🙂 Plus a couple of abysmal 3-point turns. Apparently this guy doesn't hang about I was a wee bit taken aback when my second ever junction and 3rd ever pulling-away-from-stop was onto the lanark road mind.

Northwind – Member

"Snow will make heehaw difference to what you will be doing on your fist lesson. Controls, biting point and maybe a wee bit of moving off and stopping will be about as far as you'll get."

Aye – there would likely be a bit of biting during your "fist" lesson…..

Bikers always make better drivers anyway, Andy – those years of looking further ahead, anticipating & pre-planning will put you in good stead. (hoping to get a few more motorbike miles in myself later this year if you're interested in some recreational 3-4 hr cruises – stepped onto more relaxed bikes 2 years ago… 🙄 )

sounds like you've got a good instructor, I hated mine for not pushing quickly enough, IMO I could have passed after 10 lessons, the next 15 were just a money making excercise for him.

Other things to remember when going form a bike to a car…….

a) don't use the clutch at slow speeds, well not to the extent you would on a bike anyway,

b) use the clutch to change gears not just bliping the throttle

c) remember theres a handbrake as well!

That's the 3 things that I kept getting caught out by-

1) there's 3 mirrors
2) there's a handbrake and
3) You can't just go absolutely everywhere in 3rd 🙂

Robgarrioch, I've kind of fallen out with motorbikes since I started cycling again but I'll still be doing some fun rides through the summer I reckon…