Is London to Edinburgh worth it for a day trip?
 

If I leave London at 6 a.m., I'd be in Edinburgh at 11 a.m., to stay for an afternoon and explore and have a tiny Scottish adventure, and then return at 6 p.m. for another 5-hour train trip. I like trains and my requirements aren't too high--just to get a small sense of history and talk to some nice Scottish people. Will anything "wow" me in Edinburgh? Should I attempt this?

P.S. Staying overnight is not an option...

As much as I like Edinburgh, and a view as you say of my Scottish heritage, I think you would be better served to invest your 10 hours of train travel time in something closer to London, or within London.

For the price of the train ticket, you could buy tickets to two London musicals or 3, even 4, stage plays. Or travel to Cambridge, Oxford, and other destinations much closer in.

We did a day tour of similar time and distance to the Lake Country and, on the way back, decided it was a mistake. Just not enough time to enjoy the day.
Everything was rush, rush, and then sit, sit.

You could take the overnight sleeper train there and you'd have a few additional hours in Edinburgh. My brother and mother occasionally go to London for a day from Edinurgh, but I think they fly.

I have a Britrail pass which would cover the trip (standard class--no sleepers). The plays don't interest me as much as history does, but the point is well taken about rush, rush, rush, sit, sit, sit.

So, if I decide to stay closer in, realizing I like historical stuff better than shops or amusements, which would be better...Cambridge or Oxford?

By the way, I have an artificial leg and can walk very well and good distances, but major flights of steps, especially without a rail, can be a bear, if that makes any difference in choosing a destination.

Unless you are spending weeks in London, I'm with Mr. Brown.

While I enjoyed Edinburgh a lot, there was nothing so special to give up that much travel time.


Keith

Not worth it

Where's all this rush coming from?

Edinburgh, if you want it to be, can be a surprisingly compact city. It's also the most visually striking place in Britain, even if a lot of the buildings in themselves are pretty mediocre. The only cityscape to rival it is the view of Durham from the train on the way. Personally, I find the views of Edinburgh as you're travelling round it far more impressive than the generally ho-hum museums and galleries you'd be seeing if you spent more time there.

The first (0615)train gets in at 1112: the last ones back are at 1730 (arr 2218) or 1900 (arr 0017). Plenty of time to get the hop-on bus from outside Waverley station.

Don't hold up too many hopes of meaningful conversations with the locals: the burghers of Edinburgh have many sterling qualities (they tell us), but familiarity with tourists isn't quite what gets you elected to membership of the New Club.

With mobility problems, viewing Edinburgh from a hop-on bus may be a lot easier than Oxford or Cambridge, which really cannot be seen from their hop-ons, though buying a hop-on ticket will help you get into the historic centres from the stations. Edinburgh has one of the most spectacularly located railway stations in the world: I'd say only Istanbul Sirkeci matches it, whereas at both Oxford and Cambridge the stations are an ugly slog from the stuff you've come to see.

To see either, you have to do a great deal of walking - much of it on cobbles. Cambridge, for a day, wins hands down from Oxford (being stuck out in the wilds of East Anglia means it's been less touched by the real world and has one incomparably beautiful building).

But personally I'd go to Edinburgh. I've done the journey you're suggesting by train several times and it's fine.

Oh, you must stay longer in Edinburgh! It is worth atleast 3 days. I myself could stay there forever....sigh

Why don't you fly? It only takes about an hour and you can get some good deals if you book early...

Tallulah, you took the words out of my mouth.

I often have to fly to Edinburgh for work, frequently for 9am meetings. As it's an internal flight, you can check in up to 30mins before your flight, and check in is via electronic terminals i.e. no queues! Get a 7am flight out of Heathrow with BMI and you could be pounding the path up to the castle by the time it opens.

BMI is not a budget airline (in that you'll get a pretty decent breakfast included in the fare), but it often does budget prices. Worth checking out at least.

Edinburgh is spectacular, and as different from London as night and day, so a day trip would certainly give you a very different flavour of the UK, and there's more history to see in the city centre than sticks can be shook at.

<Don't hold up too many hopes of meaningful conversations with the locals: the burghers of Edinburgh have many sterling qualities (they tell us), but familiarity with tourists isn't quite what gets you elected to membership of the New Club.>

wow. Definitely not MY experience in May! Friendliest people anywhere I have traveled.
sal

Perhaps Flanner is talking from a not-tourist perspective. Edinburgh can be quite a difficult social club to break into if you move there for work (particularly if you're English). This has certainly been the experience of everyone I've known that's moved there. I'm sure Caroline can give you the best perspective here. No doubt it's different for a tourist, who isn't there to try and make regular friends.

Hi Kate. As an English incomer myself (12 years ago) I initially made friends through work easily enough, later expanding to wider circles. I think the difference I've found each time I've moved is just that can be harder to meet people as you get older, wherever you are.

I find people here very friendly after London. OK, not quite so friendly as Glasgow - but nowhere is as friendly as Glasgow ! flanner is just having a laugh : what proportion of the population of Edinburgh do you think are members of the New Club ?

But flanner's advice is good as regards getting the open top bus tour from outside Waverley station : it goes round all the main sites and gives you a good overview of the Old & New Towns. San, I'm not sure if you realise Edinbvurgh is very hilly ? But if you get the bus tour to as close to the Castle as it gets, it's only a short walk uphill from there; then, if you felt like it, you could walk down the length of the Royal Mile to the Pace & the Parliament before getting back on the bus tour.

No telling what the weather may be like, though, I'm afraid. And what time of year would this be ? The days are pretty short (c.8.30am-3.30pm) in the middle of winter. But I think you'd have a nice time.

As regards the train or flying - although I usually fly, it really takes about the same amount of time from city centre to city centre, once you factor in getting to & from the airports plus minimum check-in time, time to get through security, etc. If the days will be longer when you'd be coming, part of the train journey (from York to Edinburgh) is quite scenic.

Oh dear, slow response times b*ggered that up a bit : 'the Pace' should of course have been 'the Palace'.

Fair point Caroline. Most of my friends have been in the 'older' category (well, not students anyway!), and the one younger guy I knew was, well, perhaps not the easiest person to get on with anyway!

I made friends easily when I arrived in London, but then your social scene in your 20s in London does seem to revolve entirely around drinking down the pub with your work mates. I think it's also something to do with the fact that most young graduates working in London have left their families and old friends back in their home towns, so need to build a new network. This is obviously less the case in other cities, Edinburgh included.

Ouch...Caroline, you brought up two very important points. I can handle cobblestone just fine, but hills are evil. Still, I was ready to attempt it, until you pointed out that the light ends at about 3:30. That only gives me a few quality hours in return for my 10-hour RT ride. I don't think this is going to happen this time around.

Cambridge, here I come! Thanks for the excellent advice, everyone.

About 10 years ago I did a day trip to Edinburgh from London. I took the same trains that you mention and felt it was certainly worthwhile. Upon arrival, I had lunch then took a tour of the city and saw most of the highlights including a "whiskey" tour. On the return I was booked in first class and enjoyed a delicious dinner on the train. The train trip itself was an adventure. The short trip did whet my appetite to return to Scotland which I did several years later. As one poster said, perhaps the overnight train from London would be an option in order to spend more time in Edinburgh.

though of course the comments about not rushing it are valid and spending nine hours on the train, etc. Edinburgh is one of the most visually stunning cities in the world and just to see it and Edinburgh Castle regalling crowning a rise may be worth it if that's the only way you can do it.
Yes i think Edinburgh as a whole will 'wow' you.