Challiman

Previously I asked for some advice about the train ride from London to Edinburgh and was advised to buy first class tickets and sit on the East(right) side of the train because there was some good scenery. We have a travel agent who was helping us with a few parts of our trip, including these train tickets. Today I picked up all the information for a trip next month and she, despite being told repeatedly since about December what our preferences were, booked us on the West (left) side of the train, if I am reading the seating charts correctly.
She has us on Coach K, seats 31 & 33, departing King's Cross at 10:30, arrive Edinburgh at 3:09 pm, Sunday, May 12.
I didn't know that until I got home and checked the train seating diagrams.

So what I need to know is, is the scenery on the East side, going north, worth throwing a fit over? Is it possible I am looking at the wrong chart? We told her we would book the tickets but she insisted she could do it for a better price, so we let her book them.

Thanks for any advice on this.

Havana128

The thing is at that time of day there will be unreserved seats and plenty of reserved seats that nobody sits in because they find a seat they like and sit there. For example I go to London twice a week rush hour and the office always books me a reserved seat. I have never bothered to find it. If 5 mins after leaving KX a seat reserved from KX isn't occupied it never is going to be so you can take it.

Challiman

That's good to know! Thanks! This TA has been a pain, forgetful, not calling back as promised. I was trying to reduce my stress level on this trip (going with a cousin, my DH died last year, her dad died last year) and thought a TA would make it easier. It has not.

historytraveler

The good scenery bits are minimal. Honestly it's not really worth worrying about.

Rastaguytoday

Something we're not really used to in the U.S., count the number of nuclear power plants on the east side.

flanneruk

If you're easily stressed, fuggedabout it.

It's an American myth - and God knows how it grew up - that there's a "better" side on a European train.

Apart from the fact that on the East Coast line, there's little on either side to distract most people from the books on their Kindle or last night's TV programmes on their laptop, windows on modern British trains, and the way passengers sit, mean what there is, is just as visible from the "other" side.

In fact, most people on the line I use most often do most of their looking by staring across the aisle to what's on the "other" side. You simply see more that way.

Elderly aunts used to make a fuss about this kind of thing. They remembered how, up to the 1950s, all longer distance trains used "compartments": benches seating 3 or 4 people, where those next to the window could see out, while everyone else couldn't, or could only see - through the internal window next to them, them across a corridor - a glimpse of what lay on the other side.

People whose only experience of Europe is watching reruns of The Lady Vanishes" (like the average American travel agent) may believe that's how things still are.

Except on a handful of superpremium "heritage" runs, charging ten times the price for a steam engine and a glass of warm champagne, the rolling stock concerned was phased out on longer routes around 40 years ago. Even elderly aunts have forgotten them these days

Versions remained on some shorter routes for another 20 years or so, and there's a 1990 Inspector Morse episode set in such a commuter train still popping up on late night TV. This may be the basis for the survival in train-deprived countries of this medieval obsession.

PatrickLondon

Here's a tediously exhaustive video record of the journey - skip through it and you'll see how it all works and what the interiors and windows look like. If you find your view obscured to the right when you get near Durham, Newcastle or Berwick, you can always get up and move around. If need be, you can use the windows in the doors at the end of the carriage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COxtBgLT1sc

And at 1.11 and 1.46 in this you can see exactly what it's like to look across to the opposite side - and that's sitting down - if you stand up you can get as clear a view:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRW-N0WBcVI

PatrickLondon

One other thought: you don't have to stick to your reserved seat if there's a better one without a reserved label on it (but be careful, seats on these trains are often reserved for parts of journeys only, e.g., York to Newcastle, or Newcastle to Edinburgh, so be prepared to move back to your reserved seat if you have to).

Ackislander

Excuse me, but what might be boring to a UK resident (visiting a Sainsbury's, for example) might well be interesting for a visitor. Ditto the trains, since we do not ordinarily go up or down to London twice a week.

For someone not able to schedule a visit to Berwick, Durham, and York, the views from the east side of the train will give some sense of what the fuss is about, particularly on the coastal segments where the train runs quite close to the water along what I assume is a cliff top.

Between Boston and New York, a person interested in scenery will want to sit on the left side of the train from Boston to New Haven, then change to the right side for the fabulous views of the Manhattan skyline on the approach to the city. The daily commuter, buried in her newspaper or laptop, will not notice the scenery.

Between London and York, particularly between London and Peterborough, there is certainly little enough to see.

Challiman

Thanks for the replies! I have watched a couple of the videos, thank you PatrickLondon, and while there's much that isn't dramatic, it is all somewhat interesting to me. It appears we might be able to move around some to get better views. Also, this trip is on a Sunday, would you think this would be less busy than a weekday?
I do really like the coastal scenes, and the little houses I can see in parts of, so I think we are going to be OK if we can just move around some or, failing that, if the view across the way won't be blocked by other passengers.

PatrickLondon

I honestly can't forecast how busy it might be on a Sunday. Fewer business travellers, no doubt, but equally there could be lots of people on leisure trips and family visits.

But I don't think you need worry about not seeing things - or, at least, not so much because of the view being blocked, but more because it might have flashed past! You need to keep a particular eye out from about 10-15 minutes north of Darlington (for Durham Cathedral and Castle), then 15 minutes north of that (for the Newcastle bridges), then from about 25 minutes north of there for about 15 minutes' worth of the coast (views over to Holy Island) and the run into Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Challiman

Thank you so much for those hints, PL. I surely appreciate the time you've taken to do so.

Havana128

I can't imagine it would be too busy. It's too early for weekenders to be returning from London.

IMO the view of Durham Cathedral is magnificent. Is there a finer building in the British and Irish islands?

anicecupoftea

We usually move to seats other than our reserved ones, as 2 people travelling together in 1st class are always given reservations for single seats facing each other, but we'd rather have a table of 4 so we can spread out a bit. So find a set of seats on the other side with no reservation tickets, then just pick up the reservations from your seats and move them to the empty seats you'd prefer. Don't just leave your reservations behind, or other people may think they can't sit in the seats you've vacated.

alanRow

Pick a train that stops at Durham so you'll have a couple of minutes to look at the cathedral.

Man_in_seat_61

The right hand side of the train going north features Durham Cathedral, the best views of Newcastle as you enter it, the coast, Alnmouth castle, and best views of the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick as the train curves onto it.

Simply find any unreserved seats on the RHS, and sit in them.

There, simple!

Challiman

We are planning to move, hopefully there will be some unreserved seats, and we'll be able to see all these sights. I wish we were spending a month, and even that wouldn't be enough.
Now to hope the rain stays away for the most part, so I can take lots of photos the whole time we're there. I am prepared for the worst, though

Challiman

For any who said the scenery wasn't worth worrying about I will say that is not correct. We actually found it very pretty on both sides, but particularly so on the right side. Many views of the coastline, some villages, even the sheep and lambs.
Also, the ride from Edinburgh to Inverness was very nice. Definitely worth seeing.
First class from London to Edinburgh included wifi, food, and drink. For most of the trip we were the only ones in the car. On the ride to Inverness there was no wifi, no food, but tea or coffee, but we did have a nice little table and electrical outlets. Both were first class tickets, the first was the East Coast Line and the second was Scott Rail.
We are having a wonderful time. Arrived in Skye with beautiful sunshine yesterday, sadly today doesn't look so good. I hope it improves today as I know the scenery here is spectacular.

Saraho

We're going to Scotland next month so I am enjoying reading this.

Challiman

I will post a trip report as soon as I can, but I can say the wind has been unbelievable. Extremely high in places. In fact, a huge gust blew me to the ground today, face plant into gravel. Goose eggs on my face, ruined one lens in my glasses, cracked the uv filter on my camera, and cut my face,m hand, and knee. And that wasn't the place with the strongest winds.
But, Skye is spectacular!
More later.