London -Scotland 10 days
 

All,

Before you all tell me that 10 days is not enough I want to make it clear that we do not plan to visit every museum or castle in this trip.
We are travelling with a 3 year old, we plan to spend 5 days in London and 3 days in Scotland.

My question mainly is Scotland, we will be taking a train from London to Edinburgh.
Spending 1.5 day in Edinburgh and planning for a day trip to the Scottish Highlands by car. please pour in your suggestions and comments.

Also, any recommendation for London also will be appreciated.

Book London to Edinburgh trains as soon as possible - check National Rail Enquiries - Official source for UK train times and timetables to see various fares and when you can book in advance - early bird gets the cheap tickets - sold in limited amounts. There is also an overnight train that could be fun for all - get a private cabin and bring any food or drink aboard. Saves daytime travel time and fare offsets cost of a hotel - https://www.sleeper.scot/ - for lots on British trains check also www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. 1.5 days ain't much to tour Scottish Highlands from Edinburgh - maybe cut a day off London and add in.

It is not necessarily true that you must book train tickets as soon as possible to get cheapest fares. In fact, if you book too far in advance, you may end up paying more. Simply look for those departures that offer advance fares. They will usually show-up in a yellow box.

One day will barely get you into the Highlands especially if done as a day trip from Edinburgh. I'll let others make suggestions for that aspect of your trip. I would not cut any days from London. It has so much to offer. It would be helpful to know if your 10 days include arrival and departure days or not. You will loose a half day traveling to Edinburgh which only gives you one and a half days in Edinburgh and assuming another day for Highlands trip? The Edinburgh day and a half is fine, a bit short for me but doable. It's trying to do the Highlands in a day trip that is more problematic, but a loop tour pass Stirling, to Loch Earn, through the Trossachs and over to Loch Lomond ( not in the Highlands ) and back is a possibility. It'll give you a small tase of the Highlands and you can also go over the Rest and Be Thankful Pass.I'm sure janisj and Gardyloo will have better suggestions.

What kind of recommendations were you wanting for London? Things to do, places to stay?

It is not necessarily true that you must book train tickets as soon as possible to get cheapest fares. In fact, if you book too far in advance, you may end up paying more. Simply look for those departures that offer advance fares. They will usually show-up in a yellow box.>

Do you mean cheaper fares may pop up later? Those that offer advance fares - it is wise to book those as soon as can or can they go cheaper later.

Curious - as what I meant by book early as possible was to get lowest fares with flexibility of departure times - those departures advertising advance fares - it is wise to book them as soon as can or are they always available at that fare - I of course defer to your expertise and wish to know why what I said was wrong - why would too far in advance possibly end up paying too much?

Cheers!

>>In fact, if you book too far in advance, you may end up paying more.<<

True.

>>Before you all tell me that 10 days is not enough I want to make it clear that we do not plan to visit every museum or castle in this trip. We are travelling with a 3 year old, we plan to spend 5 days in London and 3 days in Scotland. My question mainly is Scotland, we will be taking a train from London to Edinburgh.
Spending 1.5 day in Edinburgh and planning for a day trip to the Scottish Highlands by car. please pour in your suggestions and comments.<<

Lots of suggestions but you may not like some of them. First of all though WHEN is this trip? That can make a huge difference re what you can do. And no one would assume you are trying to visit every museum or castle --- that would take years -- and you would still miss some.

Is your 3 days in Scotland four nights? Because if it is only 3 nights you will have 2.5 days free in Scotland. That is definitely not long enough for Edinburgh and the Highlands. To get somewhere like say Aviemore sort of mid-high;ands -- would require 6+ hours in the car without a single stop. So in real life with any stops and exploring at all you are talking a 10 to 12 hour day. Or say a simple loop to Killin > Aberfeldy > Dunkeld and back to Edinburgh would be about 7 hours car time without a single stop anywhere. So a 'day trip to teh Highland with a 3yo is a non starter. There are small group van day tours that do a loop through the highland s . . . but IMO totally inappropriate for s 3 yo. Not fair to the child and not fair to the other passengers.

Do you have to return to London to fly home? If so I would skip Scotland completely. If you are flying home from Edinburgh . . . then do JUST London and Edinburgh.

But again - time of year can make a significant difference

As for London there are hundreds of things for families in London so - do you have any guide books or any specific ideas of your own.

I didn't say that -- it is as historytraveler explained, simply booking in advance does not guarantee cheap fares.

Sorry for asking - deleted the Q.

We will be in the first week of September, we have considered skipping Scotland but looking for what we could do in 3 days
from what I am hearing highlands is not recommended given the time I have

Maybe something closer to London like Cotswolds by car - take train to Oxford pick up car and drive to a neat cottage somewhere in the hills - visit Oxford after returning car and take train back to London?

>>from what I am hearing highlands is not recommended given the time I have<<

You could easily do London and Edinburgh in your timeframe. Or London and York. Or London and Bath + a bit of the Cotswolds. Or London and Liverpool or Manchester. Or London and some of Kent/East Sussex. But London and Edinburgh AND the Highlands really isn't a go. Even IF you did a one day Rabbies small group tour to the Highlands it really still wouldn't work. (and I'm not 100% sure they take toddlers -- I'll have to check) It will eat up half a day traveling from your hotel in London to your accommodations in Edinburgh and another half a day back south to fly home so in effect you'd barely have 1.5 days free in Edinburgh.

But honestly -- 8 days in London with a small child would be just about perfect IMO. You could take a day or half day trip to Hampton Court Palace and take a boat for a day/half day trip to Greenwich. There is sooooooooo much for families in London you certainly wouldn't run out of things to do.

Just a few:

https://www.mudchute.org
https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/...ial-playground
https://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo
https://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/
Home | Natural History Museum

Rabbies only allow children over the age of 5 years. Janisj has listed the best options, but if traveling with a 3 year old, staying in London with all its possibilities especially for young children really is the best option.

>>Rabbies only allow children over the age of 5 years. <<

Thanks - I suspected that was the case.

After lot of research we are considering spending 1.5 days in Edinburgh and 1 day trip to Glencoe only. Please provide me with any comments/input

>>and 1 day trip to Glencoe only. Please provide me with any comments/input<<

Driving or a tour?
In any case -- I wouldn't. Central Edinburgh to Glencoe without any stops would take 3.5 hours or more (that would be the tram or a taxi out to EDI, collecting the car, and the drive out) So 7 to 8 hours travel time plus any stops. And with a 3yo you'll likely have to stop for more than just the many photo ops. So with just a couple of hours IN Glencoe, you are talking a 10 to 11 hour day.

With just 3 days -- stick to Edinburgh. You could take a short train ride to Stirling or Linlithgow for a half day trip but that is about all you have time for.

St Andrews also makes a wonderful easy day trip from Edinburgh - train to Leuchars and bus the few miles from there into St Andrews which IME is much more than just golf - neat university town and nice seaside area. Janis in past has recommended a bus tour to St Andrews because it stops in some quaint seaside villages en route. And Edinburgh itself is so fantastic - to me one of the most beautiful cities anywhere. Listen to janis and historytraveler two Fodor absolute experts on all things Scottish.

>>St Andrews also makes a wonderful easy day trip from Edinburgh - <<

Not with a 3 yo IMO/IME. Too much hassle and too much walking . . .

No walking in Edinburgh? But OK valid point though seems same as Edinburgh in that regard? What should they do in Edinburgh that would not involve walking like in St Andrews would?

I was talking about a day trip -- I personally think a day trip via train and bus both ways and then walking around St Andrews is too much. In Edinburgh they will have a base and can return to the hotel if the little one gets tired or needs a nap.

Fair enough.