Edinburgh from London
 

We are in London for a week in mid-April & wondering if it would be worthwhile to make a trip to Edinburgh for a day. We (adults & our kids) are all major Harry Potter fans so are there a few sights in Edinburgh that we could cover by walking/ bus and possibly return to London by a night train or something?

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks!

For a day? It takes four hours by train, each way; if you fly, it wouldn't be far short of that, if you allow getting to and from the airports, security checks and so on. I haven't researched sleeper trains recently, but it would be an expensive way to tire yourselves out. A week in London would keep you more than busy.

Do you have a map of Great Btitain? It's a long way for a day trip. Perhaps as far as York, two hours, might make more sense.

Of course you can. If Edinburgh residents can go to London for a day, usually to shop, then it can be done the other way too. It WILL be a long and tiring day, but it can be done. Yes, it will involve traipsing to airports and all that that entails these days, but it an be done.

Get an early flight up to Edinburgh, eg 7am, spend the day and take a late flight back to London, eg 8 or 9 pm.

Here is a web site that uses the train for a day trip:

http://www.stuckonscotland.co.uk/edi...don-train.html

The scenery from the train is fantastic in places, especcially after you cross the border into Scotland. If you take the train, sit on the right side going north, and the left side going south.

I wouldn't do it, but if you want to, you can. I THINK (and someone here will correct me if I'm wrong) that you can see Bamburgh Castle (Hogwarts) from the train on the way north.

There's not much harry Potter-ish about Edinburgh apart from the fact that that is where J K Rowlings conceived the idea and wrote the first book, but it's a lovely town anyway

You can do it on the train...takes about the same amount of time as flying by the time you've factored in travelling to and from the airport, check-in, security etc.

However that only HP conection I'm aware of in the city is the Elephant House cafe which is where she wrote it.

<<< that you can see Bamburgh Castle (Hogwarts) >>>

It was Alnwick Castle where they filmed the Quidditch matches. Bamburgh Castle was the castle in "The Vikings" with Kirk Douglas & Tony Curtis

As for Edinburgh & HP, it is alleged that George Heriot's school was the inspiration for Hogwarts

Yes, it's possible to do a day trip to Edinburgh. Is it a good idea? NO. As Patrick has already noted, it takes about four hours to get there either by train or plane. Obviously, it'll take the same amount of time to return to London. That is eight hours which pretty much makes a full day just in travel time. With young children that's over-kill. Take them on the Harry Potter London Walk; it'll be a much better use of your time.

It is especially a bad idea when you see the rest of the OP's plan. They hope to do Stonehenge/Bath/Oxford as a day trip, have 3-4 days to see everything in London, and are traveling w/ young children.

SudhaViru: Is a day trip to Edinburgh doable? - yes, barely. Expensive? could be VERY depending on whether you book your train or far enough in advance. Since you are going in just 2 weeks, the cheap fares are likely gone. Advisable? Not really. There are really no "Potter Sites" in Edinburgh unless you mean the cafe. It is a truly amazing place - but 8+ hours train time for a 7 yo to get there and back and then sit on a coach or in a car for 10 hours another day - just too much.

The cafe isn't a truly amazing place....and the good is very average

Oh -- I didn't mean the cafe is amazing :)

The city is . . . . .

Thanks for all the replies. Actually after I had posted this, I did more research so I agree Edinburgh in a day would be too ambitious...

the cathedral in Gloucester, a train trip from London, was used in HP also and is a stupendous building.

Yes mazzandclara I was hoping we could squeeze that in somewhere on our westward drive from Reading :)