Train to Scotland
 

My husband and I arriving in London the end of Nov. and will spend a few days there. We then want to take the rail into Scotland. What's the best rail and the best city to stay in Scotland that's centralized.

I am flying into London and then to Edinburgh at the end of Nov. I will be staying at Saint Andrews, if your husband likes golf, he may find that to be a good idea. I was able to find a lot of info in this site below. You may want to check it out. Hope it helps!<BR>http://www.gner.co.uk/<BR>-mp

<BR>You've a choice of route via York or via Carlisle. By day the fastest and most beautiful route is via York. Trains leave London Kings Cross at 0700 and hourly on the hour and take about 4 1/2 hours to Edinburgh, with views of York Minster, York station roof, Durham Cathedral, Newcastle Bridge, and the fishing port of Berwick upon Tweed. From Monday to Friday they have restaurant cars, and at weekends buffet cars.<BR><BR>If time is short you might like a 2-berth second class sleeper from London Euston to Edinburgh. Board Monday to Friday (only) at 2300 and go to bed. The train leaves at 2340 and reaches Edinburgh at 0656 or 0717. To have a full night's sleep you refuse all offers of morning tea or coffee, and ask for a wake up call at 0730 only. You must leave the train by 0800. The view of Edinburgh as you go up from the station into the city is one of the great railway views of Europe.<BR><BR>Geographically, Stirling is a more central city than Edinburgh, but Edinburgh is so handsome that I'd choose that. In fact, you'll find trains run in an hour or so from there to Glasgow, Stirling, Perth and Dundee. St Andrews is awkward, as it's not on the railway.<BR><BR>Please write if I can help further. Welcome to Britain.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR>

Book your trainfare before you get to the UK, you will be able to get a substantial discount on your rail tickets. They're like airline tickets here in the U.S., if you just walk up to the window on the day you want to travel, you'll pay a lot more than if you get an advance purchase fare (unless you're using the railpass). The only disadvantage to the cheap seats is that they are good for a specific train--if you miss it or want to change your itinerary, you are out of luck. So, you need to take a look at all the fare options and their terms and conditions before you commit. Try www.thetrainline.com for route & fare information on all train lines, also try Great Northeastern Railway (GNER) (www.gner.co.uk) for specific train info on the London-York-Edinburgh line. Also, check Virgin Trains, last time I looked (in September) they were running better fares from London to Scotland than GNER (but they are slower because they run up the west side of the country). It is very easy to purchase tickets over the phone from GNER, they will either mail them to you at your USA address (if you're leaving within 2 weeks, this may not be a good option), they will mail them to a UK address, or you can pick them up on the day you travel at Kings Cross Station. FYI, in September, GNER was running a 36GBP return fare London-Edinburgh.

Hi,<BR><BR>I'd also go for staying in Edinburgh (I live there, so I guess I'm biased!) There's a lot to see and do, and you've also get good transport links to other places. At the moment, GNER are doing ?20 return between London / Edinburgh, valid until 14th December.<BR><BR>Let me know if you want any further Edinburgh info., and I'll see what I can rack my brians for!<BR><BR>Jenny

I liked Edinburgh. Perhaps it is my pet biases coming into play, but the population to me was a friendly bunch.<BR>I enjoyed my visit there.<BR>But to see the real Scotland, get out on the little roads in the highlands.<BR>It may look like a farm road, but if it is paved, it goes somewhere. <BR>

Hello all,<BR><BR>I wanted to ask Jenny a question. I will also visit Edinburgh in December for one day. I was wondering what was them most central location for accomodation to see the sights and be close to the train station ....since I will not hire a car. Are they reasonable in the center of the city? Thanks for the info.<BR>Regards,

We stayed at the Old Waverly last year when we went for the Tattoo. Its right on Princes Street a short walk from the train station with a view of the castle. And very walkable to the Royal Mile, et al.

I also stayed at the Old Waverly Hotel earlier this year and was very pleased with the location. It's located just across the street from the train station and very central to the National Gallery, the Castle and Royal Mile.

If you are looking for a B & B in Edinbourgh you may want to look into the Elmview B & B. Great location, rooms, service etc.etc.<BR><BR>My wife and I stayed there two weeks ago and thought it was great - our first trip to Scotland.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

Thank-You everyone for all of the information and help. I also wanted to say thanks to Fodors for having such a great board to allow people to exchange great information.<BR><BR>Regards<BR>

Hi Eric,<BR><BR>There's loads of centrally located hotels in Edinburgh that would allow you to see the city centre really well. Edinburgh has a really compact city centre, and you should be able to walk to most places. Although it sounds cliched and mega-touristy, the open-top bus is actually a pretty good way to get around if you only have one day, as it is hop-on hop-off all day, and you can see the main parts of the city. Main thing to remember is that the old town is on 2 levels, and this confuses loads of people (my mother included, when she visits, and she only lives 25 miles away!) The old town is a mixture of bridges over streets, and winding vennels and stairs. Take time exploring these, and wandering down the Royal Mile, etc. there's loads to see and do. <BR><BR>Take a look at http://www.edinburgholdtown.org.uk/cafe.htm for ideas on accomodation - there's so many I'd find it difficult to recommend one without having an idea of price bracket, etc., so if there's anything else you want to know, just drop me an email.<BR><BR>Have fun,<BR>Jenny

Duh, put in wrong URL - scratch the one in the post above, and try http://www.edinburgh.org/accommodation/<BR><BR>Sorry.....

topping for Eric....