nooraali

I have booked 2 weeks in london and I have a spare week. Edinburgh always seemed fasicnating so shall I give it a go or go to somewhere warmer? I do not mind the cold but my kids are coming along (7 and 6 months) and they are both used to the warm weather of cairo, egypt. ALso, shall i go in the morning train or take an overnight train?

xxx

The train trip from London to Edinburgh takes 4 hours. If you do decide to take an overnight train and have a sleeping compartment, you are allowed to stay in the compartment one hour after the train arrives at Waverly Station in Edingurgh.

Keith

Almost right, xxx.<BR><BR>The daytime trains take 4 hours, but the overnight train takes about 7 - it stops and goes slowly due to rail works, etc, and also to give passengers a chance to sleep! It usually arrives at about 6.30 - 7am, but you get until 8am to leave the carriage (regardless of the time - if it arrives after that you are expected to leave immediately.)

anotherxxx

So the issues with taking the night train would seem to be: <BR>1.what to do with ones luggage until one can check into the hotel. <BR>2. And where would one take the children at 8 AM to get them out of the cold.<BR>It would appear that a daytime train would be the better choice .

Nick

Check out cheap flights - easy jet or ryan air. Often will be cheaper by a long way than train, although you have to add travel time and cost to get to Luton or Stansted and with 2 kids it may be easier to get on and off the one train. For first timers train may be more interesting anyway - although going north until you reach Durham I find the trip pretty boring.<BR>Unfortunately, Edinburgh can be pretty damned cold and miserable in winter as it gets dark so early and it can be pretty windy. (Been up there lots at Christmas time as family lives up there and I can't say I have ever experienced a really mild, sunny Christmas). So take lots of clothes. There are quite a few good museums etc, some of which are free so you can always take refuge from the weather. Despite the weather, Edinburgh is still one of Europe's most beautiful cities, so I would take the risk - if it gets too miserable, you can always return south.

nooraali

I called the hotel I will be staying in - The scotsman and they said I can check in early so that is a relief. I am still worried about my kids getting colds since they are not used to that weather. My husband thinks going to disneyland paris for the week would be a better idea...you think?

carol

I'm interested, too, in anyone's comments about Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland in the winter, because if there's a really good airfare sale in late winter 2003, I'm thinking of going to Scotland this time instead of Italy. I realize that Scotland's not a place people visit for the weather anyway, so I wouldn't rule it out just because it can be unpleasantly cold.

Beverly

Colds are caused by viruses, not climate. The little darlings are just as likely to catch one in Disneyland as Scotland.

brenda

My husband and I just returned from England and Scotland. We went to Edinburgh for two days. Edinburgh was not any colder than London and we actually had more sun there than in London although neither was a rainy as we had expected. Don't know if this was unusual or not and I realize you are going later in the winter than we did. I took a lined raincoat and did not need the lining at all. We took the sleeper train from Edinburgh to London and enjoyed it quite a bit. The train pulled into London early and we were allowed to stay on the train until 8AM. The sleepers are very small so if you have much luggage it will really be cramped if they don't have an empty berth that you can store it in. You can get bargain rates on the Scotrail site if you watch for your dates to come up. Also, there are lockers on St. Andrews Sq. in Edinburgh that you can store your luggage if you need to. We checked at the train station and they wanted some outlandish amount. The lockers are right on the street across from an attended bus stop. They are very reasonably priced and you can store them there and get a cab from there for less than storage at the train station. If you want warmth and Disneyland I would suggest you go to DisneyWorld in Florida.