Need help with Scotland itinerary, trains, please.
 

Author: BritishMusicFan
Date: 02/08/2006, 05:27 pm
Hello,

My wife and I are going to Edinburgh next week, and as things are getting closer, a few more questions have popped into my head. Several people were extremely helpful in response to recommended day trips from Edinburgh.

Our trip itinerary is looking like this so far. We've got a couple of days we can do do day trips open.

We'd like to go to a really good car boot sale in the Edinburgh area, so any recommendations are most welcome. I've heard there is a good one about 30 minutes away, although I forgot what town it is in. I'm hoping to find LPs, and other interesting things.

Friday, 17 February/Stay in Edinburgh
Saturday, 18 February/Edinburgh/area trip
Sunday, 19 February/Edinburgh & Glasgow?
Monday, 20 February/Aberdeen????
Tuesday, 21 February/York
Wednesday, 22 February/Edinburgh-area day trip
Thursday, 23 February/home

I've been trying to work out the day trips and have thought that York might be best to do on a weekday, although I wouldn't object to going during the weekend. I was thinking about it mainly in terms of it being less crowded during the week.

The thing I'm struggling with is if we'd be better off doing day trips rather than going to Aberdeen one day, or if Aberdeen would be a good day trip. We like to shop (local shops are more interesting to us than chain stores, although chains stores unique to Scotland are different to us), soak up the scenery, maybe hit a museum, etc.

I'd really like to see the Museum of Flight and check out the Concorde display.

I'm also trying to sort out the train options and finding it's doing my head in. I'd really prefer to have an open return for York and Aberdeen rather than being locked into a particular time.

I'm also looking at getting a Scotland Rover 3-day pass, as this seems to be a great value for money. Can anyone tell me about how far it is good north or south of Edinburgh?

Thanks, everyone!
Tim

The reason you've had trouble getting an answer (I think; at least it applies to me) is that it's too hard. And, I guess there's only one question.

The Rover works on the Scotrail network, that is, all over Scotland.

Now, (and I say this to be helpful, not bossy or rude), what else would you like to know? And if you want us to help you make judgements about what is better than what, give us some idea of YOUR priorities.

You need to look at train times and fares on www.nationalrail.co.uk. The web site explains the rules behind the various types of ticket.
A rail pass for Scotland is valid within Scotland and normally extends as far as Berwick-on-Tweed. If you have one, and want to go to York, you need to look at fares from Berwick to York; you will be able to buy the ticket at Edinburgh and it does not even matter if your train stops at Berwick.

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the help.

I've thought about the questions I asked the other day and have come up with questions that are hopefully a little less vague than my previous ones.

One of our choices is whether to do a day trip to Aberdeen (which is about £70 for the two of us for an open return during the week) versus doing trips within 60-90 minutes of Edinburgh. We are doing the trip on a more-limited budget than in years past.

My initial reaction is to skip out on Aberdeen and visit some of the villages and towns near Edinburgh, as this way we'd be able to use a rover pass after 9:15 and still get in a good day of sightseeing.

Hope this helps.
Thanks again,
Tim

I still don't see a question, and I can't see the basis for us to help make your judgement.

Why did you want to go to Aberdeen in the first place? Is cost the overriding reason for not coming.

On our first trip to Scotland, we flew into Aberdeen but did not visit it. We drove on to Crathes Castle which was quite nice. Given your itinerary, however, I would be tempted to stick with sights a little closer to Edinburgh, maybe Stirling. You might also want to do another day trip to Glasgow, as there is so much to do in that city.

I can't see why you want to go all the way to Aberdeen for a day unless you have some special reason such as visiting relatives. If you want to visit a city, Glasgow is bigger and much nearer.
On my last visit to Scotland, I went from Edinburgh to Falkirk for the wheel (www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk) and Stirling on one day, and the pleasant seaside town of North Berwick for a morning. We went to Aberdeen, but only in order to get the overnight ship to Lerwick.