Birmingham England. to Edinburgh, plane or train ?

Here is The Man in Seat 61 on that route. I trust his advice 100 per cent for any rail travel:

https://www.seat61.com/london-to-edinburgh-by-train.htm#How_much_does_it_cost

With the rules and restrictions on air flight these days, you will spend more time on the ground than in the air. Plus the train lets you see the countryside up-close.

When is your trip? I was looking at fares for next week and they are as low as 58 GBP.

Time wise, train and flight will be the same. For the train, you go from city center to city center. You only have to show up a few minutes before the train leaves.

With the fllight, you need to travel to the airport, get there two hours ahead of time, fly, then travel into the city center. You might save 15 minutes flying.

I'd take the train. Less hassles. No security.

Use http://www.nationalrail.co.uk for your searches.

The trainline on that route is Avanti West Coast.

It's 4 hours by train, you'll struggle to beat that travel time by flying. And I see tickets for £46.80 next week.

Take the train. It’s cheaper travelling off peak (after 9.30 usually).

If you fly, you have to consider the time and cost of travel to and from the airports in addition to the flight price. Birmingham airport is 16 miles from the city centre.

The $186 fare for the train will be an Anytime ticket - no one in their right mind buys those.

Look for Advance tickets. Tell us when you're travelling and we can advise further.

The $186 fare for the train will be an Anytime ticket - no one in their right mind buys those.

Not always true. I have learned that if I am on a TPE train and have to transfer to another line to get to my destination, I had better buy an anytime ticket for the second train because TPE is never on time--if their trains run at all.

On a couple of occassions, TPE was so late I received a refund. That helped to cover the extra expense of the anytime ticket.

However......for a simple run from Birmingham to Edinburgh, an advanced ticket would be a smart move. (And it's not on TPE).

Not always true. I have learned that if I am on a TPE train and have
to transfer to another line to get to my destination, I had better buy
an anytime ticket for the second train because TPE is never on
time--if their trains run at all.

You shouldn't have had to do that. If you missed your second train because the first train was late you could take a later train at no extra cost. That is EU law, but I don't know what the rules are in the UK post brexit.

Yes, you don't need to buy another ticket if the first train is late.

From the T&Cs "If delays occur while travelling, you will be allowed to take the next available train(s) to complete your journey." Find and tell the guard though so they know what you're doing.

and then there's "Delay-Repay".

I suspect you are looking for rail tickets somewhere like raileurope, which is a third-party reseller. It charges more than the train companies do, and it adds fees. I wouldn't trust its pounds-to-dollars conversion rate without verifying that, either.

Start at nationalrail.co.uk to see all your options. When you decide on which ticket you want, NationalRail will transfer you to the appropriate rail-company website, where you can complete your purchase at the same fare locals get.

Thanks so much everyone, I was hoping I was wrong about price and that I must be looking in the wrong place for train tickets.