Adelaide99

During our UK tour in 2007 we plan to hire a car in Edinburgh in early July to travel to the Borders area - Kelso, Jedburgh, Roxburgh, Roxnam (home of ancestors) for a couple of days. Is it best to hire from the airport to get to this area? Also, when we return to Edinburgh we'll be getting the train to London. Can cars be returned to the train station? Thanks for any advice.

janisj

Depends which company you use - several have locations at/near Waverly station. But anywhere in the center will be convenient to the station either by bus, taxi or walking.

For a lot of folks it is easier to pick up a car at EDI because it is outside of the city traffic. But you'll probably be using the A68 and it is on the opposite side of the city from the airport. So I'd just pick up the car in central Edinburgh

Adelaide99

Thanks Janisj for that. I wasn't sure exactly where the airport was located, so we'll take your advice and hire from central/southern Edinburgh, and hope I can cope with the traffic. At least we'll be driving on the right side (left!) of the road - we're Australian. Thanks again.

meks

It depends if you are staying in Edinburgh at anytime or if you are just flying to Edinburgh airport in order that you can travel onward to the Borders.
Edinburgh is not car friendly for driving or parking so I would not suggest having a hired car in Edinburgh for any length of time. It would be easier if staying anytime in Edinburgh, to only hire a car in Edinburgh (sometimes it is still easier to return to the Airport and hire a car there) when you are leaving Edinburgh to travel through the Borders. The car can then be returned to Edinburgh when you return to catch the train. The main car hire company with facilities at the Waverley Station is Europcar and I think Novacar have also a drop off car park there.

If you do not intend staying in Edinburgh at anytime then it would be more sensible to hire a car from the likes of Europcar at the Airport and when you leave the airport initially follow the signs for Edinburgh and then take the Edinburgh City Bypass (A720) to the Sheriffhall roundabout where you can take either the A68 or the A7 to the Borders.
It is far easier than travelling into Edinburgh, making your way to / finding the car hire company, hiring a car, then having to make your way out of an unfamiliar city whilst driving an unfamiliar car, especially when the car hire companies have depots at the airport and they will either bring the car to you or take you to pick up your hired car.

Adelaide99

Thanks Meks. We are not flying into Edinburgh. We'll be finishing a bus tour there and staying one or two nights at the Hilton Grosvenor before heading off to the Borders. I'm not sure where the hotel is situated or how far out the airport is. It seemed to me best to hire a car from the city on the day we drive to the Borders, but is an airport pick-up option better

janisj

My answer was based on you leaving from Edinburgh - not driving IN Edinburgh itself. Seems pretty clear since you said you were hiring the car from Edinburgh to drive to the Borders.

If you are visiting Edinburgh for a couple of days it makes no sense to stay out near the airport. And if your hotel is anywhere in central Edinburgh then hiring in the city makes most sense.

meks

Adelaide99 - the Hilton Grosvenor is in Haymarket just over half a mile to the west of Princes Street. This location will give you a number of options for hiring a car - dependent on your needs / confidence of driving in the UK.

The first would be to travel into the Waverley Railway Station to hire a car there. You could get to the Railway station by taking one of the many local buses - cost £1 per person per journey to the East end of Princes Street and walking round to the Waverley Railway Station or you could get a local taxi cost about £5 to take you to the car hire depot in the Railway Station or you can walk from the hotel the short distance to Haymarket Railway Station and get the train to the Waverley Station. You could then hire a car there from the likes of Europcar and drive from there to the borders. On the downside this means starting off driving in a very busy part of the city centre. The easiest way would be to drive up the ramp out of the Station onto Waverley Bridge and turn left towards Market Street. At Market Street turn left and after a short drive just over 100 yards bear right and drive into Jeffrey Street. Once on Jeffrey Street follow the A68 signs and this will take you out to the large Sheriffhall roundabout at the city bypass. You can then take the A1, A7 or the A68 to the Borders.
Alternatively Avis have a car rental facility in West Park Street which is only 3 - 400 yards from the Grosvenor Hotel. You could hire a car there and follow the A71 signs out to the A720 City bypass. Join the A720 - travelling eastward to the Sheriffhall roundabout.
Alternatively there are a number car hire companies with premises in Roseburn just over half a mile away) and you may wish to take the local bus or taxi the short journey to Roseburn and hire a car there. When you leave there it is a short journey to the A71 and again follow that to the city bypass.
The last option would be to take the dedicated airport bus out to the Airport from the bus stop about 100 yards from the Grosvenor Hotel and hire a car at the airport. As mentioned in my previous message you can then drive out of the Airport to and round the city bypass and take any route suitable to you, from there south to the Borders.
This will give you various options when you start driving an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar city. The first is difficult for the first mile but thereafter should be straight forward, the second and third options reduce the city centre traffic problems but you are better driving west then east to avoid the city centre and the last cuts out the city traffic but introduces steady / busy traffic from the Airport. All routes suggested should be reasonably well signposted.
I would suggest contacting the various hire companies to ascertain which ones will enable you to drop the hire car off at the Waverley Railway Station when you return to Edinburgh to get your train.
Enjoy your trip.

Adelaide99

Thanks Meks and Janisj for your help. You've given us plenty of options to consider. With your help I reckon we'll get where we want to go and enjoy the trip!

caroline_edinburgh

If starting from the Grosvenor, what I'd do is get the airport bus (which stops just round the corner, on Haymarket Terrace outside Haymarket station) to the airport, & pick up a car there.

Chop

Adelaide99, recently drove around Scotland and UK without incident. When you pick up the car, I suggest you thouroughly check out the features before driving anywhere. If you are from Adelaide, all the controls are 'back to front' which is fine until you hit the first roundabout and turn on the wipers. Plan your exit from the pick up point carefully, once you're on the road it becomes a bit easier. The big roundabouts can be a bit confusing, if in doubt, just do another lap while you work out where you are going but be wary of other drivers as on the roundabout, it's a bit of a free-for-all. Edinburgh is very easy to get around on foot.

alanRow

< If you are from Adelaide, all the controls are 'back to front' >

Not true - they MAY be back to front BUT it depends on the car manufacturer