>If you have not been to Britain before the train will also show you the lay of the land - and though all of the about 4.5 hour train trip cannot be called scenic it does slice thru typical British landscapes and the part between Newcastle and Edinburgh is IMO very scenic as it goes often along the rugged coast.<

I'm with you Pal about the journey between Newcastle and Edinburgh but for me it 'happened' just before Newcastle when the train pulled into Durham station. Looking over to the town and its castle and cathedral was magical to me, a student all those years ago. I was hooked. I got off the train at Newcastle and double-backed. It has since become one of my favourite UK cities.

joe

joe4212 - i forgot about the Durham Cathedral and College that is so gloriously in view on a hillock as the train rolls thru Durham - there is more to Britain or any country IMO than airports and large cities.

ascoli, don't forget to factor in the cost of getting from airport to RR or bus station.

Could it be practical to rent a car? London to Edinburgh is 412 miles mostly an motorways. Jetlag would be a concern.

Driving to Edinburgh straight off the flight would be very tough. I often drive from Glasgow to Newbury (391 miles) and it's very tiring without jet lag and I know exactly where I'm going. I wouldn't attempt a journey like that straight off the plane.....especially with the joys of the M25 to contend with.

Nor would I. However, we don't know if ascoli is going directly to Edinburgh or spending a little time in London.

We once met our son at Gatwick, we from Boston and he from Dallas. For his first time driving in the UK he drove us to Cirencester with a stop at Avebury.

Wow--did this take some interesting (and very helpful) avenues! Sorry I had to be away from the thread after posting. Thanks to all for the suggestions, which we will now digest. And coincidentally, we always love traveling through Amsterdam, so thanks for those comments to jetsetj.

BTW, the IcelandAir prices and "free" stopover in Reykjavik are tempting...

I had forgotten the Iceland Air route....you coudl also stop a couple of days in Glasgow at one end of the other...