We are taking a two week holiday to England in August. Our son (whose name is Scott) insists we visit Scotland. As we are spending a couple of days in Chester we wonder if we should spend a day (2 nights) in Edinburgh or in the Borders? Also, does anyone know if driving in Edinburgh is anything like driving in London? Thanks.

Well it really depends what you like; but Edinburgh is a top place to visit. It's nothinglike driving in London, but parking is a nightmare these days. Me I'd park somewhere and leave the car for 2 days. This is a very walker/bus friendly city

The Borders are lovely but if it is a toss-up, I too would pick Edinburgh. We had no trouble driving there, but also follwed Sheila's advice and parked the car and walked eveywhere within the city. We actually found driving there easier than Chester. The city center is pedistrianized(SP) and you can't drive into it. We were staying a little way outside if town in a suburb and used the Park and Ride.

Kam, <BR> <BR>Its a fairly long drive from Chester to Edinburgh...almost 250 miles and 5 hours, bypassing the lovely Lake District The Borders area is a little closer. This area could be a destination or a stop on the way to Edinburgh. <BR> <BR>My family vacationed in Cumbria/Lake District for several days, then we drove along Hadrians Wall (a "must-see" along the England-Scotland border) and spending one night in a B&B in Jedburgh in the Boarders, then driving to Edinburgh, where we dropped off our rental car and visited for several days. The drive into the city, in the early afternoon on a weekend, was not TOO taxing. <BR> <BR>While your 2 day side trip to Scotland is possible, it is too short to really see very much. You may want to re-evaluate and focus your trip a bit in the Chester area...that is, if you can work out a deal with Scott. York, as one example, is about 2 hours west of Chester. That's a great city in which to spend two days. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps <BR> <BR>David White <BR>http://www.KidsToLondon.com <BR>[email protected] <BR> <BR>

Correction: York is east-northeast of Chester. Guess I was looking at my mental map upside down.

I may have misled you , Chester is the one that's pedistrianized. On rereading my post even I got confused.

I would say E'burgh over Borders. <BR>Driving would take a l-o-o-o-ng time so get a train. There are massive savings to be had by going to www.virgintrains.com and booking ahead. Go from Chester and change at Lancaster or Preston and it could take up to 5 hours, but at least it is not driving. <BR>Book now to get the bargains. Second class is fine, but it is worth going first class if you get some good prices.

Thanks for the info - driving times are important. We are finding the trains really expensive compared to a car rental (for 4 people).We plan on taking the train from London to Bath and then renting a car from there. David - aren't York and Chester similar ie walled cities? It is so hard giving up anything ...we need months not days!!!!! <BR>Sounds like a common problem!

My two cents: We've taken the train many times from London to Edinburgh. Last September we arranged to pick up a car at Gatwick. Ended up canceling it after we looked into the gas prices (equaled about $6.00 gallon American) added to the cost of the rental car, time it would take away from planned adventures, etc. The train is very economical if you order your tickets at least three weeks in advance. You can call 011-44-345-484-950 to reserve. Ask for the Super Apex price.

Kam, keep in mind that august in Edinburgh means the Edinburgh festival. <BR>It's a great time to be there, but may be a major hassle if it's just for a day or two. It also means that if you want decent accomodations anywhere near the city, start loking now.

Now I've tamped down my celtic pride, I'm inclined to suggest one of two things about travel (incidentally I would not expect to take more than 4 hours to get from Chester to Edinburgh by car-legally) <BR> <BR>1. If you decide on the Borders take your hire car. <BR> <BR>2. If you decide on Edinburgh take the train. It's a bit of a hassle because you have to cross from one side of the country to the other (ie it's not on a direct route (please correct me if I'm wrong, Nigel) and the think I don't like about it is that you can't get out for a closer look if you see something you like. But it's much more relaxing and you get better views. The clincher is that I really think having a car in Edinburgh during the Festival is much more trouble than it's worth. <BR> <BR>If you are going to do this during festival time (check dates on web site) and you decide on Edinburgh, book your accommodation now.

How about driving through the Borders on your way to Edinburgh? You would have time to stop at a couple of places (I love Sir Walter Scott's house on the banks of the Tweed but I've just blanked on the name!). Then, when you get to Edinburgh, drop off the car because, as others have said, you won't need it and it would be a huge nuisance. You would still have a whole day in Edinburgh - that should be long enough to make you want to return as soon as you can!

We (my wife and I) and another couple returned Wednesday from two weeks in the UK. We had already rented a car and were enjoying ourselves at Woodstock, in the shadows of Blenheim Palace, when over a pint of bitter one night we decided to visit Edinburgh Castle. Using the Tourist service located in Woodstock we booked a B&B in a place called Newbigging, a thirty minute drive south of Edinburgh. Next day we drove into Edinburgh, parked in a pay & display lot at the foot of the Castle and enjoyed the rest of the day in downtown Edinburgh. The message here is that it's not a major effort to drive to Edinburgh from the South, nor is it a big deal to drive in Edinburgh itself. Neither my friend nor I had ever driven in the UK before, and we attempted this with about two days of driving experience under our belt. I'm 58 years old, so this was not something fueled by youthful exuberence. Petrol is expensive, we paid about 80P per liter, on average. <BR> <BR>By the way, I highly recommend the B&B in Newbigging. It's a combination B&B, Pub and restaurant. It's the only business in this very small town, and within easy reach of Edinburgh on nearly empty roads.