Best and cheapest rail pass for England, Scotland and Wales?

I'm confused as well, this is basically the question you asked 2 days ago.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/which-rail-pass-is-best-for-10-days-in-scotland-and-england

Thanks so much to the team.
We might be miserable, but only have 9 days to travel.
We will go from Edinburgh to Inverness, Inverness to Penrith (near Castlerig standing stones,) from Penrith to Salisbury, Salisbury to Glastonbury. Then, we might go from Glastonbury to Shrewsbury and then back to Edinburgh. I know the last trip will be very long. We have thought about going from Penrith to Oxford and then on to Salisbury the next day, in order to make the rides shorter. That would mean we would not spend the night in Salisbury but just go to Stonehenge and then on to Glastonbury. I've checked out prices and some of these trips are $100.00 or more so it seems that a rail pass will be best. They issue them for 8 days which would work since we will be in Inverness for 2 nights.
What are your thoughts about this?

The rail pass that I priced for you on the last thread is the plainly named BritRail Pass, which covers the whole island. If there will be "many trips," then the version for 8 consecutive days (in the shopping cart, that's 8 days over 8 days) is probably the best fit at $290 senior rate.

ScotRail is only for Scotland but that web site will show schedules and prices. www.nationalrail.co.uk is the web site that show schedules and sells individual tickets for the whole island, including Scotland, if that's what you choose.

If you're leaning toward the BritRail Pass, you don't have to buy it immediately, but do order at least a week before you go to allow time for home delivery.

I just can’t understand Americans who shoot about from one end of the country to the other and miss loads of interesting places in between. Glastonbury is a waste of time. When you input on www.nationalrail.co.uk for your journeys, are you also inputting your chosen date(s)? Doing so, should enable you to find cheaper advance fares for specific trains that you can pre-book now. You can pre-book with the train company concerned (click DETAILS) or perhaps with www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk for all the trains that you pre-book. (Don’t bother to pre-book shorter journeys if low prices are available for pay on the day).

I would consider going to Chester and maybe Conwy in north Wales. (You may find it cheaper to get to Salisbury by going from Chester to Bath (with 1 change at Newport) than going via Birmingham; stay 2 nights in Bath and take a day return to Salisbury (for Stonehenge). Then, return north from Bath - or even fly from Bristol Airport back to Scotland.

It sounds to me like this is a pilgrimage to standing stones and stone circles. If so, that would account for all the running around and missing all the stuff in between. Different people travel for different reasons - to visit stone circles and standing stones is a perfectly reasonable reason. After all Ed from Pensacola - remember him? - did it lots. Not with so much running around though (unless he was running through airports wearing his Speedo with wimins and childrens screaming at his passage).

Travel has a cost, and if you are going to run from one end of the country to the other - and back - there will be both a money cost and a very significant time (and boredom) cost.

I still think that planning each trip carefully and using "Advance" train tickets will be the cheapest, but if you don't mind the extra cost having the convenience of a Britrail pass may trump the high cost. Just be prepared that all train trips may not run smoothly.

Yes. this trip is focused on standing stones. We will be in Edinburgh for two nights and Inverness for two nights as well. Have decided to rent a car in Inverness and explore the area for an entire day.
We do enjoy seeing the countryside from trains. I once rode on Amtrack from Chicago to California, a three day, two night journey and it was not miserable.
I appreciate all the information and will think twice about Glastonbury.

The UK is a country where rail passes can still make financial sense if the travel is intense, over long distances, first class, at peak times and especially a combination of two or more of these factors. As September is not that long away, the cheapest Advances may have gone anyway depending on time of travel.