Family of 4 trip to England & Scotland - Transportation and Accommodation Choices to Make

Airbnb is what I use to book apartment stays. Never been disappointed in my choices.

We rented an apartment on the royal mile in Edinburgh and it was wonderful. Edinburgh is such a wonderful, walkable city. Also, the Blair Atholl area in the Highlands is a beautiful setting with easy access to wonderful day trips or just to stay in the area and hike, bike and fish. There is a hotel there called Atholl Arms that is cozy right next to the train station with a great breakfast. Enjoy!!

I have raised six children and sat in the passenger seat while each of them took their first drive in an automobile. But none of that terror compared to taking the wheel for the first time in London. But seriously, if you are planning to stay primarily in the city centers of the places you mention, a car would likely not be much help. You might enjoy driving from Manchester to Scotland, though. Driving on the left side is kind of a rush if you've never done it! Just not in London for a first timer!

Transportation---trains for sure. But not with a Railpass; get a Family and Friends Railcard and buy your tickets ahead to get the excellent Advance fares.

Here is the math:

According to this website, a 3-day Railpass for Great Britain will be $502 for the four of you in Second Class. That means each day you use the pass, you are spending $167. You can get tickets for much less.

A Family and Friends Railcard covering the four of you costs £30 and is good for a full year ( maybe you will return in that time?)

http://www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/

It will give you 30% off the adult fare and 60% off the child fares, evennoff the discounted Advance fares. You cannot buy the Railcard online without a UK address, but you can buy it as soon as you arrive in London. And you can purchase tickets online ahead of time claiming the discount without having the Railcard in hand.

Then purchase your tickets 10-12 weeks ahead to get the excellent Advance fares. Examples: for a single ticket from London to Manchester, the regular Off-Peak fare is £81, the Anytime fare is £166, and the Advance fare is £32.

For the four of you with the Friends and FamilybRailcard, the Advance fare for this journey is £54.40.

Manchester to Edinburgh will offer similar savings withnAdvance fare plus Railcard.

Edinburgh to Glasgow is a commuter train and does not offer Advance fares. But you can get Off-Peak tickets for all four with your Railcard for £21.30. It would be a shame to waste a day on a Britrail pass ($167) on that!

I was just in Glasgow and Manchester (and Liverpool). Here's my trip report: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/uk-trip-report-glasgow-manchester-liverpool-in-september-2016

For your family's lodging, I HIGHLY recommend the Roomzzz in Manchester (details in my report), since it has the advantages of both an apartment and a hotel, as well as a great location. The Argyll Hotel or Argyll Guest House (where I stayed in Glasgow) may also work for you, since two nights in an apartment can be more trouble than a longer stay.

" I have never understood the logic of basing the location of accomodation in the city on the one journey into town and one journey out of town."

Me either. So Emma, we may not agree on light levels in London in December, but we do agree on this!

As long as you are in a central hotel, a taxi to the train station won't be too expensive, particularly for 4 people with luggage. With a taxi, you get door to door service - much easier than other methods. Of course, depending on time of day, how heavy and cumbersome my bags are, how far I am from the station, etc., I may walk or take a bus or metro/subway/tube.

My daughter and I stayed at Kew House in Edinburgh...found it to be very nice. We used the train and public transportation all over London and Edinburgh. I was not brave enough to drive. Have a great trip.

Thank you everyone for your advice. This site, and the help that everyone shares is awesome!