msalli

Hi,
We ended up having an extra day between Edinburgh and London.
Our itinerary currently is: 1 day in Cambridge, 4 days in Edinburgh, picking up a car and spending 6 nights in the Inverness area, 2 nights in the Stirling area, dropping the car off in Edinburgh and taking the train to ???? before 6 nights in London and flying home. Our original plan was to stay in London a week but our lodging is only available for 6 nights.
Do you suggest another night in southern Scotland-border area close to the train?
Or a place in England for one night?
Interests are varied but history and castles are always good.
Hadrian's wall?
A nice quiet town, "quaintly" British near the rail?
Thank you much

MmePerdu

You've counted your time in both days & nights which is confusing. How many nights in Cambridge & Edinburgh? Are you going directly from airport to Cambridge or coming from somewhere else? And what time of year?

Without more information, I'd say in general that 1 night spent anywhere is often fairly useless so I'd add your extra night to a place you currently have 1 night.

michele_d

York would be perfect for this situation. It is a lovely little town. Take the early train from Edinburgh to York, spend the night and then train on to London the next day. Beautiful cathedral. Walk the walls, stroll about the shambles. Have a great dinner at one of the many restaurants.

IMDonehere

A second for York.

RoamEurope

York +1. The perfect spot.

almcd

Without a doubt, York. In fact, I would shorten your Edinburgh stay by a day and spend two days in York.

msalli

Apologies if I wasn't clear.
Cambridge one day and night
Edinburgh 4 days and nights
Inverness area 6 days and nights
Stirling area 2 days and nights
Extra day and night here
6 days and nights in London.

Lovely--thank you for suggesting York. We had considered it earlier but had discarded due to time.

PalenQ

A nice quiet town, "quaintly" British near the rail?>

Berwick-on-Tweed is one - well it is both English and Scottish though in England - you can take a bus from Edinburgh to the Borders Abbey - Melrose, Jedburgh, etc - all easily done by bus then a bus to Berwick-on-Tweed - an interesting city at any rate - old fortifications in this military bastion on the sea. I found a hotel - the Station Hotel I believe right by the station, on the mainline Edinburgh to London and many hotels a short walk away.

York would also be a natural stop but not quaint in the way a smaller less touristed town would be. But York is one of my favorite cities in all of the U.K., along with Bath I'd put it right up there at the top after Edinburgh and London for large cities.

For lots of info on British trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com - be sure to book long-distance tickets ASAP to get deep discounts - full fare can be dauntingly steep IME.

Berwick-on-Tweed images: https://www.google.com/search?q=Berw...=1600&bih=1075

MmePerdu

York seems to be a favorite around here but I'm just not that enamored of the place. I found it jammed with visitors in the center, a victim of it's own popularity.

You seem to have less than a day in Cambridge if traveling there on your 1 day/night. I'd add your extra day there and you'd have time for a half day visit to small & charming Ely with it's outstanding cathedral, a short walk from the station, about 15 minutes by train from Cambridge.

bilboburgler

York, a city before even the Vikings found North America, might find the description as "a quaint town" a little irritating, but it is a great place to stay. I've just watched the Tour de Yorkshire (why the "de"? long story) cycle in and around the walled city that makes up York. The station is technically just outside the walls (would you believe that steam engines came after the city was founded as indeed did bicycles, the internal combustion engine, the printing press etc etc), but lots of nice little B&B around and also some sensible hotels. All the key points are in easy walk from cobbled area just over the river from the station.

bilboburgler

If you end up down in East Anglia try to make Bury St Edumnd (where England's (East Anglia's) only sainted king was buried) and Ely, both worth visiting but each only for a couple of hours. I give you also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereward_the_Wake

annhig

I wondered if you were watching t'tour, bilbo.

trouble is one night is barely enough for York, but I suppose it's better than nowt.

bvlenci

We spent a few days in Durham, and really enjoyed that small city. We also stopped in York on the same trip, but we really preferred Durham. It has a lovely cathedral, nice walks along the river, a charming town center. One of our favorites was the beautiful Crook Hall and Gardens, which we discovered just by chance. Since it's a smaller city, it's easier to see in a day than York is. If you have only one night, you'll really only have a few hours by the time you get there and get settled in.

MmePerdu

Re-reading your post at the top, I now realize you may already have booked the places you mention and it would only make sense to stop somewhere between Edinburgh & London.

General thoughts:

1. Adding a day to a place you're already staying has the advantage of not needing to move. For a 1 day stay somewhere, too much time is often spent on travel & logistics, making a day trip from a place you're already staying advantageous. And a trip on a local bus, when there isn't a train, can be entertaining, so keep it in mind.

2. It's sometimes difficult to know, when reading replies to your questions, who has a variety of experience and who's had 1 trip to a place and is extolling the virtues of a town they visited for an hour or 2 with nothing to compare. If a post says "I visited Molfrey and loved it (period)" you may be reading one of those. Whereas an experienced poster will give details. Just keep it in mind.

Now, regarding York, while I wouldn't go back, there are residents and experienced UK travelers here telling you it's great. Eliminate the other one-time visitors' recommendations and you still have the most votes for York. If you don't mind having less than a day in a place and moving again, then the center of York can be considered a smallish place for a few hours' visit. I think there are nicer places but it has the advantage of being on your way to London and easy in that regard and accessibility from the train.

bilboburgler

tour going past the house in a few hours, hopefully the rain will have cleared

PalenQ

I agree with Durham being a real quaint gem with a neat cathedral but it is relatively little of the way to London if you wanted to break the longish train journey in about half - York would be supreme for that!

Gardyloo

Personally, I'd cut one night out of the Stirling stay, keep the car, and spend the (two) days driving from Stirling to York, stopping at Lindisfarne, Bamburgh and Durham en route. Drop the car at York and take the train from there to London. Amazing history at Lindisfarne/Holy Island, one of the best castles in Britain in Bamburgh, and Durham Cathedral is one of the (my vote, THE) finest buildings in Britain. Nothing short of awesome.

europeannovice

York definitely makes a nice midway stop on the train route between Edinburgh and London. The York Minster is fabulous. In addition, the rail way museum is a fascinating place to spend a few hours even for non train enthusiasts. The York Castle Museum has an interesting Victorian street and some nice exhibits. It is fun to walk the walls.

Christina

I spent a day in the Lake District in-between Edinburgh and London, and enjoyed that. I suppose a car might be best for that, I didn't take the train but bus. It appears there are some train options, though http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visit...elandtransport

msalli

All wonderful ideas. I really appreciate everyone's replies