anon

How long are the train trips from London to York, and from York to Edinburgh? What are the costs?<BR><BR>Are the train stations close enough to lodging by foot, or would we need to rent some other transportation to get from the station to a B&B? <BR><BR>How is the scenery on these trips?

anon

Another question on this topic...If we booked rail tickets from London to Edinburgh, would we be allowed to get off in York and spend some time there? Would we even be able to spend the night there before continuing on to Edinburgh?

marie

anon, check www.trainline.com for timetables and prices for your journeys. Also, search for GNER - that's the rail company which operates the service. Last month we got a deal (&pound;40 return for a 3 day trip)from Glasgow to York purchasing tickets over the counter here in the UK, but Trainline should have all sorts of ticket prices available. You will be able to stop off in York and travel on to Edinburgh next day, or indeed a coupla days later. Obviously things like off-peak day tickets are cheaper, but check out special tickets (such as APEX), GNER always have deals, often with discounted accommodation. Both York and Edinburgh (E/burgh has 2 stations,Waverley & Haymarket) stations are close enough to lodgings to walk, though it'll only cost a few pounds to travel by cab to any city centre accommodation - a good idea if you have lots of luggage.There are hotels right at each of the stations, though if I were you, I'd pay the coupla quid cab fare to go to a nice B&B. Good luck.

Vanessa

Anon,<BR><BR>I took the trip from London to Edinburgh last September. London to Edinburgh is approximately 4 hours. York is close to Edinburgh, I think under an hour away by train. The scenery is great, you'll see a lot of towns that you'll be tempted to explore, and a lot of farms.<BR> If you buy a ticket from London to Edinburgh, you will not be able to get off at York and get back on again. They are strict about checking to see what time your ticket was booked for. You would have to book from city to city.<BR> The most important thing I want to warn you about is booking ahead. Do book ahead of time! I booked a couple of weeks ahead of time and it cost 36 pounds roundtrip (London to Edinburgh, Edin. to London). I found out if I hadn't done this, the same trip would have cost 180 pounds! <BR> The train station in Edinburgh is Waverley Station, which is in the center of town, right on Princes St. I stayed at the Castle View Guest House, easily walking distance from the train station.<BR>E-mail me if you have any other questions.<BR>Vanessa

tom

Be careful taking advice from someone who thinks York is near Edinburgh???<BR><BR>London to Edinburgh is a little less than 400 miles and York is almost exactly 1/2 way between - a couple of miles closer to London actually.<BR><BR>

pete

York is 2-2.5 hours from London, Edinburgh is about 2 hours from York. Go to www.gner.co.uk for train schedules, fares, and special offers. You may have to call and talk directly to a customer service representative, especially if you want to break the trip and spend a few days in York. We did a similar trip last September, train from London-York, stay a few days, then train from York-Edinburgh, then flew from Edinburgh-Amsterdam, and on to other destinations. I found the cheapest fare was to book London-York, then book York-Edinburgh as two separate fares. It was cheaper than the London-Edinburgh with a stopover in York. To make matters more complicated, the trains run specials all the time, which can be great deals. It's almost like booking an airline ticket, there are so many different fares & combinations. A couple of rules of thumb are that the earlier you book, the cheaper your fare (21 day apex is usually the cheapest). Also, if you book for a particular train, you will get a cheaper fare than if you book an open ticket. The downside is that you cannot change your train reservation without penalty (if you miss the train or decide to stay later or go earlier). Also, returns are usually cheaper than one-ways, so you may luck out with a London-York return, combined with a York-Edinburgh return. Good luck, and book before you go for the cheapest rates.<BR><BR>Oh, the train stations are downtown in Edinburgh and London, and within easy distance of the old town in York

J

We took the train last May, from London to Edinburgh,(the Flying Scot) to Waverly station. Several days later on our return we were able to break in York for two days and continue onto London same ticket. My understanding was the break was only allowed on the return trip. *I called tthe UK direct and got the tickets when we were there as the trip was to be a week after our arrival in London. J