Day trip by rail from Edinburgh
Mar 10th, 2005 | 01:26 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2005
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Day trip by rail from Edinburgh
Before I ask my question, I wanted to thank everyone on these forums; this has been the most helpful site I've found, especially in understand how the rail system works. So... thanks!
My question: my partner & I are visiting Edinburgh next week (more detailed itinerary below.) We will have one travel day of our four-day BritRail flexipass unaccounted for, and thought we would take a day trip from Edinburgh one of the days we were there. Any suggestions?
Here's more information: we are good walkers (New Yorkers), and enjoy just wandering and poking around places. We are doing a few "ghost tour" type of things -- also interested in history/ruins/castles and all that sort of thing.
Our itinerary:
Arrive London 14 March, train to Edinburgh that day.
15, 16, 17 March: Edinburgh.
18 March: Edinburgh to York by train.
20 March: York to London by train, spending one night before returning to New York.
I imagine we'd try to do a side trip from Edinburgh on Wed. 16 of March. I've been reading the suggestions in the Fodor's Scotland; they all look interesting.
Thanks again for everyone's informative posts.
My question: my partner & I are visiting Edinburgh next week (more detailed itinerary below.) We will have one travel day of our four-day BritRail flexipass unaccounted for, and thought we would take a day trip from Edinburgh one of the days we were there. Any suggestions?
Here's more information: we are good walkers (New Yorkers), and enjoy just wandering and poking around places. We are doing a few "ghost tour" type of things -- also interested in history/ruins/castles and all that sort of thing.
Our itinerary:
Arrive London 14 March, train to Edinburgh that day.
15, 16, 17 March: Edinburgh.
18 March: Edinburgh to York by train.
20 March: York to London by train, spending one night before returning to New York.
I imagine we'd try to do a side trip from Edinburgh on Wed. 16 of March. I've been reading the suggestions in the Fodor's Scotland; they all look interesting.
Thanks again for everyone's informative posts.
Mar 10th, 2005 | 01:43 PM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,159
Likes: 0
I've said this before but...
1/ Day trips from Edinburgh on the train….
Perth is a former major route junction for the trains, and you will find lines from there to Edinburgh, Glasgow, via Stirling, Dundee and then Aberdeen, Inverness and all points between.
1(a) I would suggest a day in Stirling would be a good use of your time. The only problem is, it's a bit spread out, so you might need to use cabs a lot. Great castle; Wallace
Monument, Bannockburn; good shopping.
1(b) Another thought would be Pitlochry
then back to Dunkeld (actually, on checking my guide I see that some (not all, so be careful) trains stop at Blair Atholl. On second thoughts miss out Pitlochry, which is an overrated tourist trap, and go on to Blair Atholl) Blair Atholl is a planned village and is very pretty in a slightly twee Victorian style, and it houses Blair Castle, home of the Dukes of Atholl and the Atholl Highlanders. V. Impressive in the grand style. I have no idea how you get from the station to the castle but it's only a mile.
On the way back south plan to stop at Dunkeld- station is Birnam, again about a mile from Dunkeld proper.
The Cathedral is special, but so is the Square with its National Trust houses- the Little Houses. Some very good antique shops (never pay what they are asking)
Birnam is, of course, famous as being the place from which the wood came to Dunsinane in Macbeth. Dunsinane is just north of Perth on the Aberdeen Road.
1(c).Most of Perth's interest lies in its history- ancient capital of Scotland- and in its place in Scottish literature. Just north of Perth, 2 miles or so, is Scone Palace, worth a visit itself, which was the site where the kings and queens of Scotland were crowned, seated on the Stone of Destiny, (a good fake of) which you will no doubt have seen when you visited
Edinburgh castle.
The town's 12th century Church, St John's, is worth a visit. It contains the remains of an Earl of Perth who is supposed to have told the town's baillies "If you give me six feet, I'll give you twa Inches"- a reference to the two parks on either side of the old town, the North and South Inches (from the Gaelic Innis meaning meadow). In addition, it is where John Knox preached the destruction of the monasteries at the start of the Scottish reformation
Sir Walter Scott wrote a novel called "the Fair Maid of Perth" and her house and that of Hal o' the Wynd, can both be visited. This will tell you all about Clan Chattan and Clan Kay and the battle they fought (staged?) on the North Inch. Next to Hal o' the Wynd's house is the City Mills which has a restored oatmeal mill and some nice craft shops. The City Mills Hotel, which I think is now called the Stakis, is another converted Mill, done so the lade
can be seen flowing underneath.
If you walk along the Tay, you can see where the houses in the Watergate had their gardens which led down to the river, where Kate Barlass held off the soldiers come to
capture and kill the king.
The town has really good shopping centered around the High street and Old High Street. On the north edge of the town is the Caithness Glass factory where you can see the glass
being made and, of course, buy from the factory shop. Caithness has gone into receivership, (like Chapter 11) so you need to keep an eye on the situation before making
the trek out
There are a lot of nice walks.. along the river and through the North Inch, through the Norie Millar gardens on the north side of the river, Branklyn gardens on the north side of the river, Kinnoull hill with its folly, and, Buckie Braes and Callerfountain out towards the west.
Places to eat- Let's Eat is without doubt the best place in town, Patrick’s is a bistro behind the Sherriff Court (which is on Tay Street), which is quite good, and Paco's and the Filling station, are cheap and cheerful.
The Willows tea room in St John's Square is very good for coffee/tea and cakes and things.
1(d) Go up the coast as far as Arbroath, which is a traditional fishing town, famous for its "smokies", and its cathedral, which is where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. "For so long as a hundred of us remain alive, we will yield in no least way to English dominion" and all that.
Stop (if you want) at Carnoustie a couple of miles down the coast.. smaller and more of a 1920s tourist place, but famous for its golf course. The course is owned by the Council and is remarkably cheap to play..
If you are rash enough to get off the train in Dundee (armpit of the Universe; am I making myself plain?) there's not much of quality to see or do. There is a very good visitor centre (the Discovery Centre) near the station, which interprets Captain Scott's voyages to the Antarctic, and his ship, the Discovery ,is moored alongside, so you can visit. Nearby is the Unicorn, a Dundee Whaler, which is also open to the public. There are people who
actually like Dundee but they are few and far between.
As an alternative to going up the coast from Dundee, you could change there and get the train to Leuchars, 6 miles from St Andrews. Buses leave Leuchars for St Andrews every half hour (not Sundays)
1/ Day trips from Edinburgh on the train….
Perth is a former major route junction for the trains, and you will find lines from there to Edinburgh, Glasgow, via Stirling, Dundee and then Aberdeen, Inverness and all points between.
1(a) I would suggest a day in Stirling would be a good use of your time. The only problem is, it's a bit spread out, so you might need to use cabs a lot. Great castle; Wallace
Monument, Bannockburn; good shopping.
1(b) Another thought would be Pitlochry
then back to Dunkeld (actually, on checking my guide I see that some (not all, so be careful) trains stop at Blair Atholl. On second thoughts miss out Pitlochry, which is an overrated tourist trap, and go on to Blair Atholl) Blair Atholl is a planned village and is very pretty in a slightly twee Victorian style, and it houses Blair Castle, home of the Dukes of Atholl and the Atholl Highlanders. V. Impressive in the grand style. I have no idea how you get from the station to the castle but it's only a mile.
On the way back south plan to stop at Dunkeld- station is Birnam, again about a mile from Dunkeld proper.
The Cathedral is special, but so is the Square with its National Trust houses- the Little Houses. Some very good antique shops (never pay what they are asking)
Birnam is, of course, famous as being the place from which the wood came to Dunsinane in Macbeth. Dunsinane is just north of Perth on the Aberdeen Road.
1(c).Most of Perth's interest lies in its history- ancient capital of Scotland- and in its place in Scottish literature. Just north of Perth, 2 miles or so, is Scone Palace, worth a visit itself, which was the site where the kings and queens of Scotland were crowned, seated on the Stone of Destiny, (a good fake of) which you will no doubt have seen when you visited
Edinburgh castle.
The town's 12th century Church, St John's, is worth a visit. It contains the remains of an Earl of Perth who is supposed to have told the town's baillies "If you give me six feet, I'll give you twa Inches"- a reference to the two parks on either side of the old town, the North and South Inches (from the Gaelic Innis meaning meadow). In addition, it is where John Knox preached the destruction of the monasteries at the start of the Scottish reformation
Sir Walter Scott wrote a novel called "the Fair Maid of Perth" and her house and that of Hal o' the Wynd, can both be visited. This will tell you all about Clan Chattan and Clan Kay and the battle they fought (staged?) on the North Inch. Next to Hal o' the Wynd's house is the City Mills which has a restored oatmeal mill and some nice craft shops. The City Mills Hotel, which I think is now called the Stakis, is another converted Mill, done so the lade
can be seen flowing underneath.
If you walk along the Tay, you can see where the houses in the Watergate had their gardens which led down to the river, where Kate Barlass held off the soldiers come to
capture and kill the king.
The town has really good shopping centered around the High street and Old High Street. On the north edge of the town is the Caithness Glass factory where you can see the glass
being made and, of course, buy from the factory shop. Caithness has gone into receivership, (like Chapter 11) so you need to keep an eye on the situation before making
the trek out
There are a lot of nice walks.. along the river and through the North Inch, through the Norie Millar gardens on the north side of the river, Branklyn gardens on the north side of the river, Kinnoull hill with its folly, and, Buckie Braes and Callerfountain out towards the west.
Places to eat- Let's Eat is without doubt the best place in town, Patrick’s is a bistro behind the Sherriff Court (which is on Tay Street), which is quite good, and Paco's and the Filling station, are cheap and cheerful.
The Willows tea room in St John's Square is very good for coffee/tea and cakes and things.
1(d) Go up the coast as far as Arbroath, which is a traditional fishing town, famous for its "smokies", and its cathedral, which is where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. "For so long as a hundred of us remain alive, we will yield in no least way to English dominion" and all that.
Stop (if you want) at Carnoustie a couple of miles down the coast.. smaller and more of a 1920s tourist place, but famous for its golf course. The course is owned by the Council and is remarkably cheap to play..
If you are rash enough to get off the train in Dundee (armpit of the Universe; am I making myself plain?) there's not much of quality to see or do. There is a very good visitor centre (the Discovery Centre) near the station, which interprets Captain Scott's voyages to the Antarctic, and his ship, the Discovery ,is moored alongside, so you can visit. Nearby is the Unicorn, a Dundee Whaler, which is also open to the public. There are people who
actually like Dundee but they are few and far between.
As an alternative to going up the coast from Dundee, you could change there and get the train to Leuchars, 6 miles from St Andrews. Buses leave Leuchars for St Andrews every half hour (not Sundays)
Mar 10th, 2005 | 02:47 PM
#4
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 488
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I've done the same day train trips that Sheila discussed above (and did not even consider going to Dundee!), and I just wanted to add two nother places to mention as possibilites - Dunfermline and Linlithgow. Dunfermline was once the capital of Scotland and its abbey houses the graves of Queen/Saint Margaret and Robert the Bruce (except for his heart which is in Melrose Abbey). Right next door is the ruins of the medieval palace. You can also visit the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, and the town itself is a very pretty place to wander around and small enough not to be to strenous.
Linlithgow is so close to Edinburgh as to almost be called a suburb, and its palace (now in ruins) was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. The views from the top of the tower there are gorgeous over the loch and it's only a medium climb. The church of next door where Mary QOS was christened is in very good shape but topped with a truly ugly modern steeple. Again a very pretty town to explore and if you happen to be interested in needlework, there's a really nice embroidery shop in the High Street.
As Shelia mentioned, Stirling is wonderful but spread out and rather hilly (its castle, like Edinburgh, is at the top of an extinct volcano) but there is a hop-on-hop-off bus tour that you can catch right at the train station to tour the town, castle and environs including the Wallace monument.
Linlithgow is so close to Edinburgh as to almost be called a suburb, and its palace (now in ruins) was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. The views from the top of the tower there are gorgeous over the loch and it's only a medium climb. The church of next door where Mary QOS was christened is in very good shape but topped with a truly ugly modern steeple. Again a very pretty town to explore and if you happen to be interested in needlework, there's a really nice embroidery shop in the High Street.
As Shelia mentioned, Stirling is wonderful but spread out and rather hilly (its castle, like Edinburgh, is at the top of an extinct volcano) but there is a hop-on-hop-off bus tour that you can catch right at the train station to tour the town, castle and environs including the Wallace monument.
Mar 11th, 2005 | 07:40 AM
#5
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 16
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I would definitely like to reiterate Perth, but Sheila has already given a great account of that!
As for St Andrews, there are trains that go from Edinburgh Waverly to Leuchars, and there you can get the bus to St Andrews (just 15 minutes but about £5 return and actually a little more frequent than Sheila suggests). The weather here recently has been a bit mixed and it's always windy, but then it is situated on the beach!
The Cathedral ruins are definitely a highlight, and are teeming with ghosts including the famous White Lady. And a word of warning - if a horse and black carriage pulls up beside you, do not get in - it will drive you into the sea!
Most of the University buildings are also beautiful, the prettiest being St Mary's Quad on South Street. The pier and the beach is gorgeous too, I would recommend the quainter East Sands as opposed to the wilder West Sands if there's a choice.
For eating out, I would highly suggest you try MacGregors on Market Street, or Chesterhills on South Street, both of which have little gift shops attached and serve excellent cakes and coffees. Brambles in on College Street (just off Market Street) is beautifully atmospheric for lunch or an early dinner.
Enjoy your trip, you will definitely want to return to Scotland, I'm sure!
xverso xxxxx
If you do decide on St Andrews, then feel free to ask for any suggestions/reccomendations including things like bus times, as I would be happy to help you!
As for St Andrews, there are trains that go from Edinburgh Waverly to Leuchars, and there you can get the bus to St Andrews (just 15 minutes but about £5 return and actually a little more frequent than Sheila suggests). The weather here recently has been a bit mixed and it's always windy, but then it is situated on the beach!
The Cathedral ruins are definitely a highlight, and are teeming with ghosts including the famous White Lady. And a word of warning - if a horse and black carriage pulls up beside you, do not get in - it will drive you into the sea!
Most of the University buildings are also beautiful, the prettiest being St Mary's Quad on South Street. The pier and the beach is gorgeous too, I would recommend the quainter East Sands as opposed to the wilder West Sands if there's a choice.
For eating out, I would highly suggest you try MacGregors on Market Street, or Chesterhills on South Street, both of which have little gift shops attached and serve excellent cakes and coffees. Brambles in on College Street (just off Market Street) is beautifully atmospheric for lunch or an early dinner.
Enjoy your trip, you will definitely want to return to Scotland, I'm sure!
xverso xxxxx
If you do decide on St Andrews, then feel free to ask for any suggestions/reccomendations including things like bus times, as I would be happy to help you!
Mar 11th, 2005 | 09:37 AM
#6
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 5,641
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Stirling and St Andrews would be two top choices - Stirling for its famous blood-soaked history and nice town and St Andrews not only for the golf courses, just to see if not play, and smashing seaside location with old university buildings - just a neat old town. (Train to Leuchars and buses from the station five miles to St. Andrews) Be sure to investigate BritRail pass - eight day consecutive pass $299 in 2nd class can also use from airports in London and on all ScotRail trains. I get passes from Budget Europe as they don't have some of RailEurope's handling fees and are extremely knowledgeable about British trains - whoever you talk to there will have traveled themselves for years around Britain by rail - ask them to send you their free European Planning & Rail Guide that details the many versions of BritRail passes and gives a ton of info on train travel in UK as well as an itinerary planner that covers York, Edinburg, Stirling, St Andrews, etc - really a great publication. You can go online and buy discounted London-Edinburg tickets that are nonrefundable or changeable that may be cheaper than BritRail but BritRail beauty is you can hop any train anytime - walk up fares in Britain are often extremely expensive so strongly investigate the pass - if you have 3 or more people traveling on a BritRail the 3 thru 9th people pay 50% of what the first two pay and kids under 15 go free! If this is the case than BritRail hard to beat even with discounted online fares. If you're a senior over 60 then first class passes are little more often than second class and first class in UK is much much more luxurious than standard class - on many trains you get tons of free food and drink in first class.
Mar 11th, 2005 | 02:39 PM
#7
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 102
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Thanks Daisy, Xverso & PalQ (and Sheila again) -- this is great. PalQ, we just picked up our BritRail passes today -- I found out about them from this site, actually. We're just using a 4-day Flexipass as we know we won't be on the train every day. We compared point-to-point and it seemed like the Flexipass was a great deal.
Now to the task of deciding which side trip to take -- ! Looking forward to it so much.
Now to the task of deciding which side trip to take -- ! Looking forward to it so much.
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Mar 14th, 2005 | 01:47 AM
#8
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,178
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robhart,
The suggestions of both Stirling & St. Andrews are both excellent but, as an alternative, can I throw Glasgow in to the mix?
Trains leave Edinburgh every 15 minutes & the journey to Glasgow Queen St. (in the heart of the city) takes around 45 minutes. Glasgow is a big city & so lacks the small-town charm of Stirling & St. Andrews but to compensate it does offer excellent shopping & dining opportunities.
If you exit Queen St. station onto George Square you will find a choice of hop-on, hop-off bus tours giving you a chance to see the sights & take a closer look if something in particular catches your eye.
Here's a link to the city's tourism website if you're interested;
http://www.seeglasgow.com/
Just a thought.....
Jim
The suggestions of both Stirling & St. Andrews are both excellent but, as an alternative, can I throw Glasgow in to the mix?
Trains leave Edinburgh every 15 minutes & the journey to Glasgow Queen St. (in the heart of the city) takes around 45 minutes. Glasgow is a big city & so lacks the small-town charm of Stirling & St. Andrews but to compensate it does offer excellent shopping & dining opportunities.
If you exit Queen St. station onto George Square you will find a choice of hop-on, hop-off bus tours giving you a chance to see the sights & take a closer look if something in particular catches your eye.
Here's a link to the city's tourism website if you're interested;
http://www.seeglasgow.com/
Just a thought.....
Jim
Mar 14th, 2005 | 06:57 AM
#9
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 157
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Have you thought of a day on the train seeing a lot just from your seat. You could go up to Aberdeen and then to Inverness and then back down the middle, back to Edinburgh You could stop for a bit in Inverness, Pitlochry or Perth.
Mar 14th, 2005 | 07:24 AM
#10
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 69
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I must be one of those few and far between people and it breaks my heart to hear these harsh comments about Dundee. Although not really a tourist haven, there have been major improvements in the city recently, some decent shopping, restaurants and attractions. Just one wee correction, the Unicorn wasn't a whaler, it is a Royal Navy frigate, one of, if not the oldest surviving of its type.
Mar 14th, 2005 | 01:27 PM
#11
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,159
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I'm sorry, you are quite right about the Unicorn.
But Fi, really, Dundee????
In some circumstances I'd ask you to name 2 good restaurants.... but in Dundee's case I'll settle for one. Any one.
I agree it's improved. But they had to knock it down to do it. It really is a dive. Really.
But Fi, really, Dundee????
In some circumstances I'd ask you to name 2 good restaurants.... but in Dundee's case I'll settle for one. Any one.
I agree it's improved. But they had to knock it down to do it. It really is a dive. Really.
Mar 16th, 2005 | 07:44 AM
#13
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 69
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No, lets not mention the football teams! That really would show us in a bad light! Anyway, grub...the Jahangir is a pretty decent indian restaurant, I also used to like Dandillys and Beiderbecks on Perth Road, but haven’t been for a while. The Deep Sea has been doing good old fashioned sit down fish & chips forever. The Birkhill Inn does nice pub food as does the Ship Inn, in Broughty Ferry and of course as a last resort there’s Pegasus on Nethergate for a kebab or any Wallaces bakers for a peh!
I have to say, I am not an avid foodie and you won’t find any Michelin stars, but I would say that that there are enough decent eateries to satisfy your average tourist. Having said all that we made the mistake of grabbing a bite to eat at the Discovery Quay, which is a Brewers Fayre. We were rushed for time, so called in as it was next door to the hotel. Bleugh!
But if nothing else swings it for Dundee, surely the fact that it’s the hometown of the great Eddie Mair must mean something!
I have to say, I am not an avid foodie and you won’t find any Michelin stars, but I would say that that there are enough decent eateries to satisfy your average tourist. Having said all that we made the mistake of grabbing a bite to eat at the Discovery Quay, which is a Brewers Fayre. We were rushed for time, so called in as it was next door to the hotel. Bleugh!
But if nothing else swings it for Dundee, surely the fact that it’s the hometown of the great Eddie Mair must mean something!
