My daughter is doing an internship in London commencing May 21. The four of us,
including another college aged daughter are in the midst of trying to plan an itinerary
leaving the US on May 13. We are open to flying into Edinburgh and out of London,
although more expensive. We want this to be a relaxed fun trip, not long days in a
car. Love the train and actually prefer it when possible. England or Scotland? Maybe
Wales? Would love your ideas.

Trains are a great way to get around Britain and I have done so annually now for decades - trains go everywhere all the time. From Edinburgh you could rail down the west coast to placs like the fabled Lake District, Bath, north Wales and over to London - you can score really cheap discounted fares online if booked well in advance - www.nationalrail.co.uk is a booking site with lots of discounts which are however often restricted on changing the train or refunding a ticket so have you itinerary and times in concrete. If wishing fully flexible travel on trains then the BritRail Pass can be cheaper than buying full fare tickets at stations and allows you to just jump on any train anytime - thus it would be cheaper to advance book with train specific discounted tickets but if wanting to just show up at a train station and hop any train anytime anywhere the pass can be a great boon. For loads on British rail travel and passes and discounts, etc check out these info-laden sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com. Passes are not sold at British stations since Brits cannot use them so must be bought before leaving. You can get some discounts at stations once there by buying the day before or even on the day of the train if the number of seats sold at cheaper rates is not exhausted so always ask for the cheapest fare if buying as you go along.

Thank you for this valuable information.
After reviewing several postings, I think
we will focus on Scotland for 7 days beginning
in Edinburgh. Want to travel leisurely not long
days in a car between locations. Would love any
input on creating a must see itinerary.

Well there is also a Freedom of Scotland railpass that also includes many ferries - like the one between Maillag and the Isle of Skye.

By train go to Inverness then take the dramatically scenic Inverness to Kyle of Lochlash rail line that slices thru the quintessential Highlands scenery you expect - heather-clad moors dotted by small lakes, a rugged coast line near Kyle, etc - universally considered to be one of Europe's most scenic rail lines.

Then hop over to the Isle of Skye via bus over the bridge - spend a few days in one of Scotland's fabled rural islands - then hop the ferry to Maillag, back on the Scottish mainland and take an even more scenic railway line - th fabled Maillag to Fort William and Glasgow line - again going along a fjord-like coast and then slicing thru the really desolate Ranloch Moor (sp?) - a vast yes desolate is the only word for it moor for many miles with nothing but more moor in sight. Fort William, on the sea, makes a great place to interrupt this trip for an overnight or two.

I think the Borders Abbeys - the fabled and so so dreamy in their ruined states and lush countryside enveloping them are some of the more romantic sights I've seen in decades of European travel and they are easy to incorporate into any visit to Edinburgh - either as a day trip to say Melrose and or Jedburgh - frequent bus service takes about an hour or to stay in a smaller town like Melrose. Check out the Borders Abbeys IMO.

If going to Edinburgh I can highly recommend some great and easy day trips by train, car or bus - my favourite is to St. Andrews, above an hour by train to Leuchars then a shuttle bus to this ancient seaside university towns (Prince William went to school here) - a really neat old town with a smashing seafront with some ruins and of course golf - the Old Course I guess claiming to be the birthplace of Gulf - several courses here and the famous clubhouse. Trains or buses go very frequently from Edinburgh.

a part of the day trip to St Andrews if you go by train is you get to cross one of the world's most famous bridges - the cantilevered Firth of Forth railway bridge, affording sweeping views over the Forth and Edinburgh in the distance from its middle.

The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 kilometres (9 ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Bridge

For lots of details on the superbly scenic IMO Kyle of Lochalsh rail line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh check out these sites - and I cannot think of a better few day excursion than going from Edinburgh to Inverness, spend a few days in the Loch Ness region and then train to Kyle of Lochalsh - bux over to the Isle of Skye then ferry to Maillag on the Scottish mainland and take the even more scenic IMO rail line from Maillaig via Fort William and the Ranoch (sp?) Moor to Glasgow - a great week or so trip that takes you thru the superb Highlands. Lots of neat traditional B&Bs all along the way.

.Kyle of Lochalsh Line - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe Kyle of Lochalsh Line is a primarily single track railway line in the Scottish Highlands, running from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_of_Lochalsh_Line


Friends of the Kyle Line - Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh Railway ...Friends of the Kyle Line - Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness. The Highland Railway Line History and current events.
www.kylerailway.co.uk/

What do you like?

We can't give good ideas other than throwing names of places around without an idea of what you 4 want to see.

Scotland has a good variety of attractions considering its miniscule size.

whiskey tours, Highland walks, castles, scenic railways, whiskey, heather-clad desolate moors, the QE 2, tartans, old ruined abbeys, dramatic fjord-like coasts, remote desolate islands, whiskek, pften practically unintelligible English to foreigners ears, lovely lochs, whiskey...

jeepers creepers - forgot to add to Scottish delights - the ubiquitous bagpipes and bagpipers, which I loathe - the worst thing about Scotland IMO

And in a book on Irish history the author said bagpipes were invented by the Irish who sent them to the Scots, who never got the joke!