2 seniors want to take a couple night rail trip starting in Edinburgh in August. . Will a good travel agency set that up for me ? Or do I need to do it myself ? Is Edinburgh to Perth to Inverness a good possible route ? .
We are flying from the US to Edinburgh. Reserved for an Inntravel walking trip from Lower Largo to St. Andrews,. We have 3 nights before the walk. Want to relax and see a little of Scotland. We like simpler hotels and smaller towns if possible. Any ideas or advice for us ?

No reason at all to require a travel agent for this.

Might I suggest something different though?? Look over the short small group tours from Rabbies -- alway 16 or fewer pssengers and will get you to rural places the trains don't go. https://www.rabbies.com/en-us/tours/...from-edinburgh

Or you could maybe take the train from Edinburgh down into the Borders https://www.scotrail.co.uk/inspirati...urgh-tweedbank. There are local buses from Tweedbank that serve places like Melrose, Abbotsford, Galashiels, etc as well a an explorer bus service that hits many of the major sites in the area like Jedburgh and even runs a hop on hop off service.

Another option would be to get a taste of the Highlands and Islands with a trip to Oban, a small town on the west coast. The train ride there (with a change in Glasgow) takes around 4 hours, most of them very scenic, and there are numerous affordable places to stay, especially compared to Edinburgh during August, when the various festivals pack the city and push up hotel prices big time.

The next day, you could take a day trip to the Isles of Mull, Iona, and possibly Staffa in the Inner Hebrides. Mull is famously beautiful, and Iona is one of the most historically important places in all of Scotland (birthplace of Christianity in Scotland, more or less.) Staffa is an uninhabited, save for a zillion seabirds, possibly including some puffins still about in August. It's a geologic wonder, including famous Fingal's cave, subject of a Mendelsohn overture.



You'd return to Edinburgh the next day. This would give you an easy and (IMO) pretty impressive introduction to the Highlands and Islands.

I also considered throwing Oban into the mix. It is a much longer train ride but an easy transfer at Glasgow and Oban is well set up for foot travelers -- with regular ferry tours over to Mull/Iona and lots of good seafood restaurants.

Thank you very nuch for some good ideas and information. I had wondered about the Border area.

The Border Abbeys, Traquair House (fabulous), Abbotsford, Floors Castle, great walking etc -- the Borders are one of my favorite areas. Not the dramatic scenery of Mull (another big favorite) but really lovely.

Thank you very much for some good ideas and information. I had wondered about the Border area.

I like the train to Oban for its scenery and Oban's smaller size, but we will probably have just 1 night to spend.
Great video attached.
Where would you recommend spending a Saturday overnight in the Borders area?
What do you think of taking the train toward Inverness ? Any suggestions for an overnight stop there ?
My husband loves riding the rails and watching scenery.

We could have 2 nights if we get back to Edinburgh for an afternoon pickup on Monday. Probably only 1 night if we go as far as Oban. janisj says Oban is well set up for foot travelers. Any thing like that closer ?

Me personally with just one night -- hopefully two -- I'd hit the Borders. The link in my post #2 above shows transit options from Tweedbank where the train terminates. You could stay in Tweedbank or a couple of miles away in Melrose. Abbotsford is walking distance from either village and Melrose Abbey is wonderful. Dryburgh Abbey may be my favorite though. Jedburgh and its abbey is reachable in about 45mins by bus.

The train tide north to Inverness is nice but Inverness itself is just a city. It would be a fine place to live (except for the traffic in the centre) but for a leisurely couple of days - not so much. There are a lot neat things within car commute distance - Culloden, Clava Cairns, Ft George, Cawdor Castle, Urquhart Castle, Speyside, etc. But by public transport it would be a slog.

Another option - shorter than the Borders - would be to take the train to the coastal town of North Berwick, around a 30 min. ride from Waverley Station. North Berwick is a very pleasant coastal town with nice beaches and the Scottish Seabird Centre. There's a coastal trail that will take you to nearby Tantallon Castle, and there are plenty of other things to do. You can take the same train on to an equally pleasant town, Dunbar, which boasts its own set of fun diversions.

North Berwick/Dunbar are good options as well. There are also boat trips out to the Isle of May from N. Berwick. Tantallon is terrific. The main reason I would lean more to the Borders/abbeys/etc is because your walking tour is in the East Neuk and will obviously be very 'coastal scenery-centric' and the Borders would offer completely different vibe. Scott's View, the Tweed, Melrose, Abbotsford, and so on . . . as opposed to what you'll get in Fife.

The train trip from Waverly Station down to Tweedbank is maybe 30 mins longer than out to North Berwick.

What are your thoughts on the most scenic or most interesting train ride? I like those Rabbie tours linked above, but my husband is really interested in a train ride.

Any comments on Pitlochry ? As a scenic train ride from Edinburgh and a place to stay ?

Pitlochry is Tourist Central -- Lots of people like it but its mainly a tourist town with a theatre. Sort of Ashland-ish (Oregon) on a smaller scale. I personally would choose either the Borders or Oban over Pitlochry. Most any train ride in Scotland is scenic, except for maybe Edinburgh <> Glasgow.

Taking your advice, I have booked the Station Hotel in Melrose for 2 nights in August. . We plan to take the train from Edinburgh Waverly station to Tweedbank.

Is it a good idea for us to buy our tickets in advance since it's such a busy time in Edinburgh ? Going out on a Saturday mornign and coming back early on Monday.

I really appreciate the generous gifts of time and knowledge from all of you.