Need advice on family trip to London and Scotland?
Jan 1st, 2005, 10:05 PM
#1
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Need advice on family trip to London and Scotland?
Just starting to plan a trip for this summer with kids (7 &9).Would like to fly into Scotland and leave from London. What is the best way to get from Scotland to London? and how long will it take us? sights to see on the way? We plan on renting a car in Scotland. Also any advice on family friendly lodging and sites would be appreciated.
Jan 2nd, 2005, 01:18 AM
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I have on disc notes on what Fodors forum parents say their children liked in London: please e mail me if you would like a copy.
If you go to www.firstscotrail.com, then Caledonian Sleeper you will find that if you book well ahead on line with a credit or debit card you can pay low fares to go to bed on a sleeper in the heart of Edinburgh at eleven, and leave it at London Euston at eight. No hotel bill, and no long car journey with bored children asking Are we nearly there yet ?
Hotels are heavily booked in Edinburgh in August, and you should book them, or a university hall of residence in Pollock Halls, now.
[email protected]
Jan 2nd, 2005, 06:51 AM
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We did a London/Scotland trip a few years ago, and after looking at all the options, cost and timewise it was best to fly from Edinburgh to London. We took a cheap EasyJet flight from Edinburgh to London Luton airport - then the Thameslink train into London's Kings Cross station.
The train was much more expensive and we looked into buses, too. But the trip was something like 12 hours (on a bus, no thanks!)
The train was much more expensive and we looked into buses, too. But the trip was something like 12 hours (on a bus, no thanks!)
Jan 2nd, 2005, 08:01 AM
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depending on what you nwant to see i would recommend a car hire. they are reasonably inexpensive, except for gas. you will see much more although any advice you get from ben haines is worth its weight in gold. we did the opposite, london to scotland and had a blast. on the road we stayed at the travelodge. you can get very cheap rooms and they are always near a large city. have fun.
Jan 2nd, 2005, 12:48 PM
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Before anyone can give you reasonable advice we need to know how long your trip will be. The "best" way to travel between Scotland and London mainly depends on how long the total trip is and what if anything you want to see in between.
If the trip is two weeks or less then 7 or 8 days in Scotland, then fly or take the train to London for 5 to 7 days there is about all you could manage.
If it is closer to 3 weeks, than a week+ in Scotland and 4+ day drive down through the Lake District, maybe a bit of N Wales, the Cotswolds/Warwick, maybe Bath and then into London for the final week.
If the trip is two weeks or less then 7 or 8 days in Scotland, then fly or take the train to London for 5 to 7 days there is about all you could manage.
If it is closer to 3 weeks, than a week+ in Scotland and 4+ day drive down through the Lake District, maybe a bit of N Wales, the Cotswolds/Warwick, maybe Bath and then into London for the final week.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 06:21 PM
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Last September, we flew into Edinburgh for four days, and then flew down to London for four more days. We flew British Midland Airways (www.flybmi.com), which had reserved seating and was very reasonable (3 adults for about $110). We decided to fly due to time constraints. If you drive, from what I heard, plan on a full day of driving.
Safe journeys.
Safe journeys.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 08:02 PM
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I'll second the recommendation to take the overnight Caledonian Sleeper between London and Edinburgh. It's not an experience most kids have. We did it in May 2003 with our then 9 and 10 year olds, and had a great time.
We flew in and out of London, but took the train up to Inverness, hired a car, and spent a week driving back down to London -- it was a great way to experience something different (the train) and see the countryside (driving back to London) within the same trip.
Cheers!
Annette
We flew in and out of London, but took the train up to Inverness, hired a car, and spent a week driving back down to London -- it was a great way to experience something different (the train) and see the countryside (driving back to London) within the same trip.
Cheers!
Annette
