You are currently approaching Inshes Roundabout. Don't panic!

One of the most common searches that bring people to this site is variations on 'Inshes roundabout'. Aaarrgh! The dreaded Inshes roundabout, a 6-exit, multi-lane spiral roundabout. Actually, it is not as bad as people make out. Simply, approach in the same way that you would any other roundabout, but look out for road signs which clearly advise you which lane to take. Once you have selected your lane STAY IN IT. If you realise that you are in the wrong lane, don't panic. If you have time, check the appropriate mirror to see if it is safe to change lanes and, if so, indicate to let other know what you are doing. If you do not have time, or it is not safe to change lanes, don't panic. Simply follow your lane as it spirals out and indicate left to exit. Breathe out and look for a safe method of returning to the roundabout.

That's probably not the information your search brought you here for. You want me to tell you, step-by-step how to approach the roundabout from every possible direction, going to every possible exit. Tough. I'm not going to do that. My pupils pay me good(ish) money for that knowledge. However, I am feeling generous and will guide you a little on some of the routes:

Culloden to Hilton

1. Culloden to Hilton (thin red line on 1st photo - you can click on the photos if you want to make them bigger): After you have dealt with the pedestrian crossing, look for the left lane (you are turning left after all). DO NOT SIGNAL LEFT - YOU ARE NOT TAKING THE 1st EXIT. When it is safe to enter the roundabout, wait until you pass the 1st exit (Tesco) before indicating left, then look ahead before accelerating.

Culloden to town centre

2. Culloden to town centre (Raigmore Hospital) (wobbly yellow line on 2nd photo): The direction signs indicate that you should consider this as 'ahead' (rather than 'right'). Therefore, you should look for the lane with the 'ahead' arrow (the centre lane). Once you have entered the roundabout FOLLOW YOUR LANE. It will feel as though you are going out wide. Do not be tempted to accelerate, otherwise you will cut into the lane on your right. Indicate left as you are passing the Police station (3rd) exit.

Culloden to A9

3. Culloden to A9 (Turquoise line on 3rd photo): Easy-peasy. You are turning right (taking the 5th exit), so you should be indicating right and approaching in the right lane. After the second exit your lane spirals out, so follow it and indicate left as you pass the 4th exit. Again look ahead (especially for the pedestrian crossing) before you accelerate). if you get drawn into the next lane on your right, be very careful about trying to change lanes.

Town centre to Culloden

4. Town centre to Culloden (pretty pink line on 4th photo): Even easier! You are following the road ahead (2nd exit), so you are looking for the appropriate lane - road signs and road arrows tell you this is the centre lane. Your lane should be easy to follow, then indicate left as you pass the 1st exit. Because you will not be doing much turning after this point, ensure that you cancel your indicator after leaving the roundabout. Don't forget to look ahead for the pedestrian crossing and the bus-stop.

Hilton to Culloden

5. Hilton to Culloden (lime green line on 5th photo): Admittedly, this is a bit weird. It all starts straightforward enough; you are turning right (4th exit), so you should be indicating right and in the right lane. Enter the roundabout in the right lane (do not be tempted to go into the middle lane). Now, for some strange reason, your lanes splits into 2 lanes (at the little red 'X'). Keep to the left of your lane (unless you want to go to Tescos) and indicate left as you pass the 3rd exit. Again be careful to cancel your signal and look out for the bus-stop and the pedestrian crossing.

A9 to town centre

6. A9 to town centre (Hospital) (yellow line in 6th photo):  Now I can understand why some people get completely lost on this one, but don't panic. Firstly, you are turning right (taking the 5th exit), so you should be indicating right and approaching in the right lane. So far, so good. The left lane takes you to Culloden, the centre lane to Tesco, and the right lane takes you to Hilton. You want the next lane after the Hilton one. Blink and you will miss it, and you will end up in the 5th lane (which takes you all the way round to where you started from). Again, you may feel that you are going wide and in the wrong lane. Have a bit of faith in yourself and, keeping it slow, indicate left as you pass the 4th (police) exit. Smile as you realise you have cracked it.

Don't worry when people say "Ooh! That Inshes roundabout... it's impossible." It's easy (there are certainly harder roundabouts in Inverness). Just approach in the same way you would all roundabouts (Mirrors-signal-position-speed-gears-look). Keep looking for the safe gaps in traffic and, once you are on the roundabout, take your time and follow the lanes.

Thank you to Google Earth for the images and apologies for the wobbly lines.

Look before you leap

When I first became an instructor I often looked at driving instructor forums - either BSM's or independent ones - for news and advice. You should never stop learning, but I rarely look at the forums these days.
One topic that would crop up from time to time  is 'observations as you approach a junction'. Should you look 'left-right-left'? Or 'right-left-right-left-right-left-right'? What is correct? Answer: It depends on the circumstance.
As you approach a T-junction, if you can see more clearly to the right, for example, then look right, then look left as that view becomes clear. By now, the situation may have changed on the right, so look right again, and so on, until you are 100% that it is clear on BOTH directions.
If you are approaching a crossroads, then you can usually have an early look at the situation in the road ahead long before you need to consider the left and right, but you will probably need to check the road ahead again as you near the junction.
Where should the last check be? Regardless of the type of junction, your last check should always be in the direction you are about to go. It is very tempting, especially when emerging left, to look to the right as you are starting to accelerate. This is NOT a good idea; anything could be happening in the road you are about to accelerate into.

A few years ago I had been teaching my pupil roundabouts. I had been explaining that, if approaching vehicles were in the outside lane, or moving to the outside lane, then it may be safe to go (NOT ALWAYS). She had been progressing nicely on the numerous roundabouts on Inverness' South Distributor Road, so we went to have a look at (the infamous) Inshes roundabout, a large, spiral roundabout that seems to terrify learners and experienced drivers alike. It was busy and we had to stop and wait for a gap in the traffic. We waited. And waited. I reassured her that there was no urgency, we just needed to be ready so that, when a safe gap appeared, we could go. Of course, both of us are looking to the right, thinking 'maybe after this car... no, maybe after this car...... no, maybe after this car, etc.' Then, all the cars that were coming round started moving over to the very outside lane. I could see her about to release the handbrake when I looked to the left. The reason all the cars were moving to the outside lane was because a car (maybe someone not from these shores) was driving the WRONG way round the roundabout! I got my dual brake and clutch down just as Libby was releasing the handbrake.

Similarly, there was another time when my pupil was waiting at Shore Street roundabout. This is another spiral roundabout in Inverness, and I think this one is even worse because the vehicles come round at an higher speed so you have to be fairly quick off the mark. My pupil could not see a gap so had applied the handbrake. I could again see his fingers clenching on the handbrake when I asked him to look left: Two dozy pedestrians were crossing the road, from left to right, in front of my car just as my pupil was about to go.

This is obviously what happened to the bus driver who hit my car a few weeks ago. He, like us, was having to sit and wait for a gap in the traffic. It is easy to get so focused on looking right to see where the gap is, that you forget to look left before you accelerate. He must have seen the gap, (wrongly) assumed my pupil had moved off and accelerated, without looking first..... straight into the back of us.

The other morning I was heading for my first lesson of the day in Forres. There were two cars in front of me as we approached a roundabout. The first car was indicating left, the second car, a BMW (not an Audi this time), was not indicating. I assumed they were going straight ahead but you never can tell. One other consideration – a pedestrian was walking towards the roundabout's first exit. The first car (and I) saw this, the BMW driver obviously didn't. We could all see that the roundabout was nice and clear, with no cars approaching. The first car saw the pedestrian now crossing the road he/she was about to turn into and stopped. The BMW was only looking right, saw a nice big gap, accelerated and had to brake VERY hard to avoid going into the back of the first car. He/she must have been literally millimetres away from hitting them.

Understandably, given recent events, I have become slightly twitchy about such things, but it is quite scary how easily these things happen.