Help w timing: land at Heathrow train same day to Edinburgh

Have you considered simply flying to Edinburgh from LHR? Unsure of your airline,
but I know the cost Isn’t that much more on British Airways.

If the train is somehow necessary, I would allow 3 hours between arrival at LHR and Kings Cross.

Flying would be simpler and probably cheaper and the train ride is not particularly scenic. If you still want to take the train, consider taking a black cab from LHR to Kings Cross. It would cost you about $30 or $40 each and is a lot easier with luggage and an elderly mom. "How much is a black cab from Heathrow to central London?
Taxi. London taxis are available outside each terminal. The cost to central London is £45–£70 and the journey time is approximately one hour."

I'm also going to suggest flying.

You have an eight hour flight to London--not including the time at the airport beforehand, then a one hour trip into London to Kings Cross station, and then another five hours plus on the train to Edinburgh.

That's exhausting.

The flight from London to Edinburgh is about 1.5 hours.

However, the flights right now are ridiculously expensive. Since train tickets don't have to be bought that far in advance, and may not even be available for July 9 yet, monitor the flights.

Have you already purchased your tickets to London? If not, look into flying open jaw into edinburgh and out of London.

But, if you insist on the train, I'd give at least 4 hours from landing at Heathrow to train departure. If you get to Kings Cross early, you could always have breakfast.

And with big bags, and three of you, a car service may be your best bet. They will meet you as you exit immigration and drop you off in front of Kings Cross.

We do already have our flight to London, my sister used her miles for them. I have convinced my family to fly Glasgow-London on our return trip and those flights are very cheap. I will plan on black cab to King’s Cross, continue to plea for only carry on suitcases, and make sure we have 3-4 hours if we end up taking the train. I’ll watch those London-Edinburgh flights for a price drop. Mom wanted at least 1 train ride.. I agree it’s going to be a grueling travel day. Thank you for all the help :)

Which airline are you using to London? When I have used frequent flyer miles it didn’t cost more to go to another location in the UK then it did to go to London. Can you rework the tickets for a connecting flight if you contact the airline?

How old is your “elderly” mom? If she is truly a bit frail, then a rest night in London might be in order on the train plan.

We are on British Airways, that’s a good tip, I will see if airline can re-work the ticket. Thank you for the suggestion :) Mom is turning 70 in July so this is her birthday trip! Main concern is stairs (bad knees) and we have to strategically use her daily mileage, lol, (no unnecessary walking which is why I was thinking no tube changes to get to King’s Cross, but I like the cab option - if we we still go by train).

I have convinced my family to fly Glasgow-London on our return trip
and those flights are very cheap.

In order to self connect on the way back? In that case, make sure have enough time and that your flight to London is to Heathrow and not any of the other London airports.

I will plan on black cab to King’s Cross, continue to plea for only
carry on suitcases, and make sure we have 3-4 hours if we end up
taking the train.

Since you arrive on a saturday you can buy an Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak ticket and just take the next train to Edinburgh once you arrive at King's Cross. They cost a bit more, but give you flexibility.

If you do decide on a car from Heathrow to Kings Cross, assuming you can't get a flight (which, I agree with the others above, is the best option - if costs are reasonable) then you should look at the various car services available. The three I see recommended are;

www.simplyairports.co.uk
www.justairports.com
www.blackberrycars.com

I have no personal experience of any of these car services (I usually get the tube from the airport), but they monitor flight arrivals and would meet you holding a sign after you have come through customs etc.

What a fun way to celebrate your mom’s birthday. I would like to share one general piece of advice. This is going to be a special trip and memory for all of you. If if costs just a bit more to get a better travel option, it will be money well spent. While I understand the need for budgets and cost saving, I also understand that sometimes there is a need to spend for certain items when traveling.

I hope you three have a trip of a lifetime.

I lived in London for 3.5 years and traveled often to the US before the pandemic started. Here is my advice if you cannot switch your plane tickets…..do NOT take a black cab from Heathrow to Kings Cross Station!!! You pay a FORTUNE!!! All black cabs charge a metered fare vs a fixed price. I only used them when I had to quickly navigate around London. We always booked our airport transfers with Addison Lee, and will be doing so again when we travel back this Summer for a visit. Never had an issue, and the drivers were always professional and knowledgeable. You should pay around £50 for the journey.

The Piccadilly line is the cheapest option however it takes over an hour with all the stops, gets very hot in the Summer, and can be crowded!!! Remember that you have all this bulky luggage with you too, and people often just shove in the Tube to get off at their stop. We did it once and never again!

The information desk at King’s Cross is fantastic for booking tickets since they know the best group deals/ getting a national rail card. Also this website is the best for understanding everything to know about rail travel in England and to Europe. https://www.seat61.com/

Keep in mind that the train ride is 5.5 hours from King’s Cross. It is already a long overnight flight to reach England, and then to navigate to Kings Cross and make a train to Scotland makes it a two day marathon. Why not stay one night in London and take the first train the next day? London is a clean amazing city with so much to do, see, and eat! Even if you just book a hotel by King’s Cross and didn’t venture far, you would still enjoy your journey more in the end.

Hop on the Northern line to Hampstead, eat crepes at the local food truck, book a table at the Wells Tavern for the BEST sticky toffee pudding in all of UK, and have a flat white and cinnamon social at Ole & Steen. Or grab picnic items at Karma Bakery, and join all the English locals relaxing in Hampstead Heath. Enjoy your time with your mother and sister!

Just to add to your equation, before you estimate how long baggage claim and immigration will take, you have to estimate when you will actually arrive at the airport. Transcontinental flights' arrival times can vary from what is schedule. The time printed on your ticket is just an estimate of when you touch down, not arrive at the gate.—although in my experience, it is more apt to be early than late on average.

Kristie, I’m going to PM you. I fly LAX to LHR every year. Hopefully, my insight will be helpful. This year like you I’ll be traveling North to Edinburgh.

Benowitzea,

Do you have more info on Addison Lee? We are arriving via Gatwick and not looking forward to getting to our hotel via tube..

Thank you!

This is their website: https://www.addisonlee.com/. THere should be a US version of the site. We book online and give them the flight information. My husband’s company uses them as well, so they do a lot of business around London. I always saw their cars. Hope that helps. Enjoy your trip!

Sorry…just noticed that you are in Canada. Maybe contact them if you need help booking? Hope it works out.

Addison Lee is a mega minicab and other transport company which has a big presence in London.

They have a webpage about their Gatwick operations. https://www.addisonlee.com/services/airport-transfers/gatwick-airport-transfers/

They paint all their vehicles black, but they are not a "black cab" hackney company.

I've not personally used them but they come across as professional and the vehicles look in excellent shape and clean.

I would also recommend flying to Edinburgh since you are already at the airport. While the train can be fun, lugging luggage onto the Tube and onto a train is not.

Also, depending on your arrival time, you may not even get a seat on the Tube.
I have stood all the way from LHR to Kings' Cross a few times as it was so busy, after a 10 hour flight, and no one offered me a seat.
And suitcases on a busy Tube train are no fun at all.

If I were you, I would stay one night in London near King's Cross on arrival, just to get over jetlag and be fresh for your trip to Edinburgh the next day.
Plenty decent hotels right there.
If you do book the train in advance, be sure to get seats on the right hand (East) side of the train as it travels north.
Then you will see the lovely coastline in the north before crossing into Scotland.

Let us know what you decide!!

You should have little to no wait time at baggage claim…unless something new since Covid. This is our route to Europe and 95% of the time we check our carryon bags. By the time we are through immigration, the bags are starting to come onto the carousel. At worst, you will have time to go to the toilet before it arrives.

you shouldn't beat your relatives up about checking bags, because everyone does that. unless you're a backpacker staying in a hostel, it's hard to pack lightly enough to get into an overhead compartment, assuming they are even available.

Thankfully on our return Glasgow-London we have 2 nights in London before we depart for US. I wish I’d inquired sooner on the forum so we could have planned a day to rest in London before heading to Edinburgh. Now we have already booked all our hotels, bnb’s, castle (yay!), tours, and car rental as we drive the Highlands and west. We drove in Ireland in 2013 when we took mom for her belated 60th birthday celebration and enjoyed driving, but I knew we wouldn’t enjoy driving the London part hence the train (or maybe hopefully a plane instead if fares come down). I will definitely plan on a hired car rather than a black cab if we need to go by train. The tube with luggage sounds too daunting with my mom. The seat61 site is very in depth and I had just saved a couple articles to read, and thank you for pointing out off-peak, I don’t know if I would have caught that with a Sat ticket. Initially my sister was looking at RailPass options instead of driving.

I was initially feeling panicked about the checked luggage equation, but I have since calmed, lol, thank you for all the good advice & well wishes, I really appreciate all the thoughtful replies. I’ve used Rick’s books for London 2015, Paris 2013, Ireland 2013, and soon Scotland 2022, but this is my first time using the forum and it’s been amazing! Cheers!

Safe travels.

Did your sister contact the airline about changing your Frequent Flier ticket from LHR to Edinburgh? I still think that this would have a high probability of success.

Here's my thoughts, hope something helps ... maybe take Heathrow Express from LHR to Paddington (about 45 minutes) and then a cab to save some $$$ ... costs £5.50 if you purchase about 90 days in advance ... no idea on cab fare between train stations ... check the flight stats on the departure/arrival times to get an better estimate of when you would arrive, not just when they say you should arrive ... I'd give it 2 hours to pick up checked bags and get through customs (probably on the high end but I've stood in a customs line for well over an hour and, even though I don't check bags, you never know what will happen) ... add in the travel time to King's Cross and lunch at or near station and I'd look for a train leaving around noon.

I second the Man in Seat 61 website ... one of my all-time favorites just to read (and dream).