Lara

My husband and me, along with another couple are going to be flying in very early in Londan Gatwick (7 am) and then we somehow have to make it up to Edinburgh.<BR><BR>I think we are going to go by train because it is faster, but I still have some general questions.<BR><BR>1. There are four adults plus our luggage, can we fit in the coach section or do we need to go first class?<BR><BR>2. Is the price difference between coach and first class worth it? why?<BR><BR>3. Should we stop along the way to do any siteseeing? I hear some fairs will allow you to get off the train, and on the return trip to london we might do it.<BR><BR>4. If we do get off what do we do with our luggage?<BR><BR>Thank you in advance for answers to any or all of these questions. Your advice is MUCH appreciated.<BR><BR>

Mel

I don't think you can catch a train directly from Gatwick. You'll probably need to get to Kings Cross station in London. The trip takes about 4 hours (sometimes 5, especially on Sunday, when they seem to make more stops). If you want to get off, in York, for example, you'll need to have that stipulation on your ticket. In other words, you can't just "hop on, hop off." There are racks to store luggage at the end of each car and small spaces in the middle of most. I'd recommend going second class, because there is a big difference in the price and, often, once on the train they'll announce that there is room in first and you can upgrade for about 10 GBP, which is a huge savings. As far as the coach vs. first class section for "fitting," it's like most trains--rows of seats, 2x2 in both classes, although first,of course, has roomier seats, tableclothes, food service vs. trolley, etc. A couple of recommendations: Get the number for the Great Northern Line and book your tickets at least three weeks in advance. Ask for the Super Apex Saver--it's about 1/3 the price of walking up to the ticket window at Kings Cross. When you book, ask for seats with the tables between them (some are rows, like on a bus, but each car has a few that face each other with a table in between--great for playing cards, doing crossword puzzles, snacking, etc.)<BR><BR>Have a great trip--you will LOVE Edinburgh!

sophie

Lara,<BR> If you are short on time, just fly.<BR>Last year we had a RT London trip and booked a one way flight LGW to Edinburgh and meandered two weeks eventually ending in London. York is a delightful walled city enroute if you train or fly(train 2 hours S of Edinburgh). It really depends on itinerary and time schedule. Scotland was a joy as well as York. Sophie

Ben Haines

The coach section, here called standard class, has saloon cars with space for luggage on overhead racks, between seats, and ends of cars, so your bags will certainly fit. Sundays apart, a buffet car train leaves Gatwick at 0945 and reaches Edinburgh without a change of train at 1909. Beautiful places on the way are Oxford and Oxenholme (for the Lake District). You can travel faster, and along a more beautiful route, if you leave Gatwick about 0800, reach Kings Cross Thameslink about 0840, drop from the platform by the stairs marked for the Piccadilly Line, walk under the tracks, take the escalator straight up to street level, take a luggage trolley, and walk to Kings Cross Main Line station. Trains with restaurant cars usually available to all passengers leave there every hour on the hour and take 4 hours 30 minutes to Edinburgh. The route includes York, Durham, and Berwick upon Tweed, each of them worth a visit, and a small diversion takes you to Cambridge. The Saver return fare demands hat you go without a stopover from Gatwick to Edinburgh (by either route, and in fact you will be too tired for much sightseeing) But it lets you make one break on your journey south. The best ticket for you is a Saver return Gatwick, Edinburgh, Gatwick, and then a further ticket London to Gatwick. If you buy an Apex or SuperApex you can not break your journey in any direction. If you get off at Berwick, Durham, York, or Cambridge you take your bags with you by bus or taxi to a hotel or restaurant in the city or town centre and ask the staff to look after them. Worry over Irish bombs (I am afraid bombs subsidised in the USA) means that there is no left luggage provision at provincial stations.<BR><BR>I agree with Mr Jordan that the price difference is not worth it. There are no Savers on first class, so you pay a good deal more, and what you get is space you do not need.<BR><BR>Please write if I can help further. Welcome to Britain.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR>

Mel

Ben, you always come through with advice that makes it so easy for a traveler new to an area to get from point A to point B. Excellent.<BR><BR>By the way, I'm MRS. Jordan, not MR!<BR>

Keith

If it's speed and ease you are looking for, you'd be better off flying to Edinburgh from Gatwick, either with BA or with Easyjet. Have a look at their websites - I have in the last hour bought a return from Gatwick to Edinburgh for my wife for &pound;77, which is cheaper even than Easyjet and probably about the same as the train.<BR><BR>What you don't say is the day you are arriving. If you do go by train and it is a Saturday or Sunday, then I would suggest booking in advance and booking Weekend First (that's the upgrade for &pound;20 which Mel was talking about - it's gone up in price.) Personally, I think that the length of journey from London to Edinburgh does make this worthwhile, especially if you choose the direct Gatwick train which takes 10 hours! First class also tends to be quieter than Standard, partly because there are few kids and partly becasue of the better carpeting and soundproofing in the carriages.

Nigel Doran

I love travelling by train, but getting to Edinburgh from Gatwick after a transatlantic crossing will be tiring and perhaps frustrating. Why not, then, go to Edinburgh by plane? <BR>Try www.easyjet.com or www.ba.com. The latter is full service, unlike easyJet which is no-frills. B A has just eased restrictions, so you can, theoretically, fly from Gatwick to Edinburgh for &pound;69 ($100) with all taxes etc for a return (round trip) ticket. Book ahead for the best details. <BR><BR>So, fly for convenience and speed. <BR><BR>Try also www.iflybm.com. British Midland is another, full-service airline that is good. <BR><BR>If you do go by train, then please allow up to 7 or 8 hours to get from Gatwick to Edinburgh. A saver ticket, ie. one that would allow you to stop off on the way back and that would have fewer restrictions, will be about &pound;60 at least, so fly, my pretties, fly.

Lara

Thank you everyone for your wonderful replies. We have never been to Edinburgh and are really looking forward to the trip.

Lara

Just as a quick follow-up. We are going by air to Edinburgh. Roundtrip on British airways is still cheaper than the train and quicker! We probably could go even cheaper on another airline, but felt more comfortable with BA and the departure time worked better.

Kathy

First, let me state that I swore that if I ever had Scotland again as my end destination (which was an awesome vacation), I would NEVER fly into London, take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station, then onto, I believe, St. Pancras station, haul two large suitcases, various carry-ons, and a set of golf clubs up a steep, narrow set of stairs (would have been happy to leave the golf clubs behind, but my husband - well, that's another posting...), cross the street to King's Cross Station, and hop the train to Edinburgh (no problems finding space for the luggage or clubs on a Thurs. morning in the cheap seats - and without reservations). From that station, we took a cab to the airport to get our rental car (cabbie couldn't find Hertz, but he was a hoot and very friendly), then hopped in our little manual transmission vehicle, trying to remember to stay on the proper side of the road to get to Callander. This all immediately after a direct flight from Atlanta (yes, that 7AM deal) - waaaayyy too much time sitting on my butt and I got crabby because I didn't sleep at all on the flight over. I hope this post isn't too late, but at all costs FLY TO EDINBURGH. <BR><BR>The idea was to fly into London and see some of the country on the train to Scotland - I would have enjoyed it more if we'd flown directly from Atlanta to Edinburgh - which is what we'll do next time.<BR><BR>The expression on my husband's face as he walked up the 18th fairway at St. Andrew's on a hallmark birthday though, was worth every crabby minute on that train. <BR><BR>We'll be landing in Gatwick again next week - same flight, but this time London is the terminus. Yahoo!!!<BR><BR>Have a great time in Scotland - after meeting so many wonderful people there, I brag about that bit of Scots blood in me.