Scotland by train
 

Has anyone used the trains exclusively to see any part of Scotland. Every post I have read seems to be about renting a car and my husband is resistant to that prospect. We have had good luck in other countries with the trains and then local buses. When I try to enter some of the smaller towns we were thinking of visiting I get an error message - for instance, Edinburgh to Huntley. Thanks.

You should take a look at the rail map to see where trains go.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passen...ilmaplarge.pdf

As you can see, Huntly (note spelling) is on the train line between Aberdeen and Inverness, and therefore easy to get to from Edinburgh.

Generally, people rent cars because much of the highlands and western islands are not served by trains. But, depending where you want to go, trains, ferries and buses can make an enjoyable visit.

Try googling Huntly bus...suspec that you'd need to get the train to Aberdeen the a bus

Spelling Huntly correctly might help.

Trains do serve lots of areas. But driving lets you go anywhere.

Skye for instance-- you'd be limited to local buses or hiring a driver/cab.

You can have a nice trip by train --but you just have to give up going some places. Plan your itinerary based on the rail maps, not some random wish list. We get folks on here all the time who ask >><i>We need to get to 'xyz' and don't want to drive</i><< when getting there is not possible by public transport. If you start out the other way around -- transport 1st/destinations 2nd, you won't have that disappointment.

But what does your husband have against driving. As long as you stay out of the cities (where you don't need a car anyway) the driving is very easy. parts of the Highlands/northwest are VERY sparsely populated and there is next to no traffic.

hi tghunter,

I'm one who avoids driving. It makes for a different type of trip, yes, but I love my trip memories anyway.

More maps of Scotland's rails, with color coding that could be helpful: http://www.scotrail.co.uk/timetables-routes

I'm with Janis. Base your plans on the rail maps. The Scotrail one is better as the "National" rail one doesn't show all stations. Either way you'll also need another map to show where these places are since the schematic rail maps can distort distances etc.
www.travelinescotland.com has a useful journey planner that will give you an idea of journey frequencies and durations once you know what stations you're interested in. It will also give times of local bus services.
If you do decide on a train based holiday you can save a lot by booking in advance for any long trips, though your ticket may only be valid for a specified date and time.

Sometimes it's nice to have a car.

But in the Highlands, I'll say this. The very atmospheric twisting and turning single-track roads with passing places that I remember from my youth 30 years ago have now been replaced in many places by straight-line 60mph hyper-highways that blast thgrough the landscape with little respect for it. In a way, they destroy the very thing you go to the Highlands to see, that remoteness.

You can still see the Highlands as they once were, and as they ought to be seen, from the train, as the original twisting and turning train tracks go where roads don't.

The West Highland Line from Glasgow to Ft William and Mallaig has (rightly IMHO) been voted Best Railways Journey in the World several years running.

Why not mix and match?

Man_in_seat_61 . . <i>small</i> world. I used to live just across the A41 from your neck of the woods. Well - closer to Bicester than to Aylesbury but still practically neighbors.