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Roughing out a train/car trip from London to Scotland

Roughing out a train/car trip from London to Scotland

Old Jan 13th, 2017, 10:16 AM
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Roughing out a train/car trip from London to Scotland

So, my daughter, it suddenly turns out, will not get her UK work visa and passport back until March 10 at the earliest. This puts a serious crimp in our plans for a 10 day trip to Italy, since it was to have ended the 5th of March. My vacation time is set, requested six months ago, so the UK it is, and I'm more than happy with that. (Does anyone want two Italo train tickets from Florence to Rome on Feb 28? Or two seats for Il Trovatore in Rome that Friday?)

Plan B is to take a train north from London to somewhere near the Peak District where we can rent a car. I was looking at train to Chesterfield, rent car from Enterprise (home town company and have always done right by me, but not essential), spend two nights in Bakewell, then north to Glasgow for two nights. One night in a small town next, to be determined. (Suggestions? History, scenery, walks, lodging all desirable.) Then three nights in Edinburgh.

The Chesterfield Enterprise office is closed on Sundays, which would cut our trip short a day. I haven't driven on the left since I was there with my own Ma, so I'd like to start off fairly easily, not too congested or scary. But in that general Derbyshire/Peak neck of the woods. Can anyone suggest an alternate town reached by rail from London that would have car rental open Sundays?

Thanks!
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Old Jan 13th, 2017, 10:57 AM
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One night in a small town next, to be determined.>

Hexham and a great base for Hadrian's Wall is probably somewhat on the way.

For trains book at www.nationalrail.co.uk - can score nifty discounts but check conditions of use -but much cheaper than full fare.

Sheffield is one to check for possible Sunday car rentals or Nottingham.
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Old Jan 13th, 2017, 11:02 AM
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Thanks, Pal.
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Old Jan 13th, 2017, 01:05 PM
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When would this take place? Late March? Later?

Two thoughts that might be strange at first glance, but might make for an easy day of it.

1. Drive from Heathrow. It looks like on Sundays in March the train from London to Chesterfield takes around 3 hours or a bit more, most with a change someplace.

By comparison, it's around 160 miles from Heathrow to Bakewell, depending on the route you choose, most of which is on motorway, so easy driving with not too many roundabouts or other challenges for LHD drivers in RHD cars. You'd also get a much larger selection of vehicles, including automatics if you want, by picking up at Heathrow. Google maps (which I don't particularly trust on their times) says it's under 3 hours wheels turning, so regardless you're probably looking at the same or less travel time counting getting from central London to Heathrow vs. leaving the train somewhere en route and making your way to the car office, getting everything arranged, and getting back on the road.

Since you'd be paying for a whole day by picking up the car in the late morning or afternoon somewhere in the north, picking up at Heathrow might actually work out cheaper since you wouldn't have the train fare on top of the car.

2. Same idea but from Manchester airport. MAN is on the south side of the metro area, so it's close to the Peaks (probably an hour) and you wouldn't have too much "urban" driving between you and Bakewell. Trains from Euston to MAN (change at Manchester Piccadilly) also take around 3 hours.

As for someplace between Glasgow and Edinburgh, timing matters. You could head up into the Highlands someplace and still have an easy drive into Edinburgh, but if we're talking about March the chances are good that you'd have foul weather to deal with. I'd probably pick the Trossachs - Aberfeldy or Callendar - as having a good mix of nice landscapes and things to do. Or with a bit longer drive, maybe head to Fife. I especially like Falkland in the spring; it's very pretty (and hugely historic) village with good access to the East Neuk fishing villages or St. Andrews. Being on the east side of the country there's also a slight chance that the weather might be a bit dryer than farther west. It's also a quick ride to Edinburgh when it's time.
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Old Jan 13th, 2017, 02:36 PM
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Ah, thanks, Gardyloo.

Weather wise it makes little or no sense to go when we're going, Feb 23. That's one reason why Italy was our original destination.

With my plane tickets from US not refundable, my vacation time from work not changeable, and my daughter unable to go anywhere that needs a passport until after I head home, well, there we blinkin well are, aren't we? I'd suggest heading south, but 10 nights in Brighton that time of year doesn't sound like the answer. The important thing is getting to hang out with her, and get her out of town for awhile.

So, you think taking the Tube from London to LHR, setting out from there? I like standard transmission, and in fact part of my motive in driving is to teach Hannah how to use stick shift. Hmm!

Possibly the weather would be so bad we should forget the countryside and stick to city activities? Like rain all day every day?
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Old Jan 13th, 2017, 04:09 PM
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It turns out that a week rental of mini Enterprise car costs around $42 more from LHR than from Sheffield near train station. I'd have thought the opposite. Of course, two train tickets return will add up to more than that. Not that a few pounds either way makes a difference, but is it around 6 GBP to LHR still? My concern is mostly wear and tear on the nervous system.
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Old Jan 13th, 2017, 05:01 PM
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Except I can get megatrain tickets, 2 hr 15 min, from St. Pancras to Sheffield for total 18 GBP for both of us, half the cheapest National Rail price. Heck of a deal. Are these trains ghastly?
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Old Jan 13th, 2017, 09:45 PM
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Megatrain is a subsidiary of Stagecoach, which runs East Midlands Trains.

You travel on the same East Midlands train as everyone else. Only difference is you've paid less for your tickets, which can only be bought from the Megatrain site.
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Old Jan 14th, 2017, 05:03 AM
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Sounds like a great deal and a better idea than mine.

However I confess I then found myself thinking "...February... Peaks... Glasgow... WTF?" ;-)

Then I looked and saw you can fly from London to Barcelona and from Barcelona to Edinburgh in February for £87.52 per person all in. Just sayin'.
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Old Jan 14th, 2017, 05:59 AM
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Not that a few pounds either way makes a difference, but is it around 6 GBP to LHR still?>

figure in the cost of petrol too and time on the car rental -sleep in Sheffield and save a whole day rental fee if applicable.
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Old Jan 14th, 2017, 06:00 AM
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Sofar, thanks!

Yes, Gardy, of course. If they would let Hannah fly to Venice, where we already have tickets, without her passport, which is locked somewhere in a Home Office dungeon, believe me we would.

Her HR department had told her in October that she could almost for sure have the visa in time to come home to the U.S. for Christmas. So late February seemed safe.
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Old Jan 14th, 2017, 06:05 AM
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Thanks, Pal. I might look at Sheffield. We'll just be out seeing what there is to see. I thought two nights in Bakewell so we could settle in, walk some trails, see Haddon Hall.
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Old Jan 14th, 2017, 06:22 AM
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Right now inn Edinburgh it's 41F and partly cloudy. In St Louis MO where we are it's 9F and in the middle of an epic ice storm, total 3/4 inches accumulation possible by tomorrow.

Winter in Scotland is sounding pretty good.
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Old Jan 14th, 2017, 07:52 AM
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I wouldn't stop in Sheffield. Check out some of the villages to the west - Grindleford, Hathersage, Castleton... These are all good places for walking with Kinder Scout on the doorstep. Haddon Hall isn't too far by car either. This is wonderfull and one of my favourite stately homes. There is also Chatsworth House nearby too.
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Old Jan 14th, 2017, 08:41 AM
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Thank you, ESW. I liked Haddon a lot more than Chatsworth a few years ago with our other daughter. We walked the path from Bakewell and enjoyed it very much.

I'll look at those villages. I'm thinking we'll drive back from Edinburgh on Saturday and find a scenic town within an hour of Sheffield to spend one night. Walks a bonus, a cozy pub or so.
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Old Jan 14th, 2017, 09:11 AM
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...without her passport, which is locked somewhere in a Home Office dungeon, believe me we would...

Oh right, sorry I blanked on that.

Useless information: I lived in Edinburgh for a number of years during which I worked as a university teacher with a work permit. I needed to return to the US (for good) right while my visa status was about to be changed to permanent resident, which I badly wanted, since by leaving my teaching job I'd have a hard time getting a work permit in the future, the UK having joined the EU while I was living there.

So when it came time for me to go back to the US my passport was at the Home Office, in the aptly named Lunar House in Croydon (a spectacular emblem of bureaucracy if there ever was one - not a dungeon but a building that would do Stalin proud) awaiting the new visa.

I started trying to contact the people in Croydon about a month before I was scheduled to leave (December) both to get the visa approved and also to get my passport back. I must have phoned, sent letters... dozens of times, only to be met with "don't know" or "can't help" responses.

I finally had to ask a friendly MP (with whom I had worked on some planning projects around Glasgow) to make a phone call, and that worked, and I got my passport back 24 hours before I was to fly. Needless to say, they had plucked it from the "pending" pile (rooms full) of passports waiting for permanent visas, so I went from somewhere near the top of the queue to limbo on that front. I love the UK but those days I was ready to join the SNP and move for a rapid divorce. You can keep the kids and the clotted cream, pal, just give me my #@%! passport.
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Old Jan 14th, 2017, 10:31 AM
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Gardyloo, ha! The story she got was "holidays backlog." I envision some latter day Bob Cratchit hunched over in the gloom, struggling to stay warm as piles of passports spill onto his desk. Pan out to see the endless bulging storerooms behind him.
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Old Jan 15th, 2017, 01:05 PM
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So, two nights in Bakewell, I think, two in Glasgow, two in the Highlands, three in Edinburgh, one in the York area, return car in Sheffield, train.

Booked Edinburgh and York, nonrefundable guest houses, the rest not fixed. Bearing in mind that it will be last week of February and first few days of March, suggestions for where in the Highlands? Stay in Inverness and take day trips to hike?

Castles I can take or leave, though they're fun to be near. Castles and museums like the Highlands one seem only to open after Easter, anyway.
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Old Jan 15th, 2017, 01:12 PM
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The longer I look at the maps the less adventurous I feel.
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Old Jan 15th, 2017, 01:17 PM
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Yes, Gardy, of course. If they would let Hannah fly to Venice, where we already have tickets, without her passport, which is locked somewhere in a Home Office dungeon, believe me we would. >>

I too was going to mention the aptly named Loony house in Croydon - the mere mention of which can make even the most battle hardened immigration lawyer cry. I am so sorry that your DD has had to have anything to do with them - I suspect that she has been caught up in the rush by EU citizens to regularise their immigration status in the UK but it may of course just be their normal level of incompetence. I have occasionally pondered why we put up with it, but the answer is of course that by and large, it's not us Brits that have to endure its Kafkaesque procedures so there are no votes in sorting it out.

I came late to this thread and it looks as if you've sorted out at least part of an itinerary, but I did just want to throw in a bid for the Southwest - where by the end of Feb -beg of March the Spring flowers will be in bloom and just about everywhere is open for business.
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