Is it possible to take a train from Edinburgh to the Lake District?

Yes. See UK national rail planner:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/default.aspx

Edinburgh [EDB] to Windermere [WDM] via Oxenholme Lake District (OXN)

Edinburgh [EDB] to Penrith (North Lakes) [PNR]

Edinburgh [EDB] to Carlisle [CAR]

Go from London (King’s Cross) to York and stay a night (or 2). Then go from York to Edinburgh - some trains stop at Durham and you will probably have to split the ticket if you intend to get off. (I have not been to Durham but I understand it is steep & maybe cobbled - so not ideal for lugging suitcases).

As you can see from the map that follows, you can go by train from Edinburgh to Penrith (north Lakes) and you could then take a bus to Keswick. (Don't bother with Carlisle). To find buses > www.traveline.info
Having stayed in Keswick, you could then go back to Penrith to catch a main line train down to London (Euston) OR, if buses permit, go by bus to Windermere and then train to Oxenholm for main line train to London.

An alternative to visiting the Lake District is:> https://www.scenicrailbritain.com/lines/settle-carlisle

For longer journeys by train, you will find cheap advance fares for specific trains loaded to the system about 11 weeks ahead.

The Lake District isn’t that well connected by public transport for a brief visit, so if you do get there, you will only get to the very touristy parts. You will take as long to get there as you would be spending there.

As an alternative to the Lake District, from York, you could visit the Yorkshire Dales for a day. A beautiful landscape, fewer crowds, but no lakes.

If you are happy to skip Durham for more time in York, you could incorporate the Settle to Carlisle line, England's most scenic route. It travels thru the upper Eden valley and then part of the Dales. Depending on how much time you have ,you could even get a local buss or taxi to have a look at Malham, a beautiful place

Thank you all very much. Regarding the Settle to Carlisle train, is it possible to do in reverse? Since we are coming from Edinburgh, can we travel to Carlisle and then take the train to Settle and then take a train to York? I am having trouble checking on this because we would be traveling at the beginning of June.

Yes you can! There is an 8:24 train arrives in Settle 10:02am, with no changes. There are other times, but must require two changes. If you get on national rail.co.uk and buy in advance it would be £9.30.
From Settle to York will require 1 change advance purchase would be £23.60, there is an 7:29am arriving 9:12, and one at 10:02am arriving at 11:43am.

There's about 6 services a day on the Settle and Carlisle .
Ignor the services that list change trains ,they wander off to an alternative railine.
To get to York you change at Leeds.

There are also area passes for either a day or for travel on 4 days out of 8.
If you look on the nationalrail site for Ranger and Rover Passes,they may or may not give you good value depending on your final plans.They can be bought on the day.
A Twotogether Pass will definitely save you money.
Never thought about it before but trains run both directions on the line but I have never hear it be called anything but the Settle to Carlisle

4 nights, then I would leave out the Lake District and stick with Durham and York.

We did three nights in York and that was perfect.

It looks to me that the way to go from Edinburgh to York via the Carlisle > Settle > Leeds route is as follows:>

Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk and select a date about 11 weeks ahead of now (not a Sunday) to get an idea of the prices for advance fares.
EDB > Leeds and from the drop down box VIA > SET.
I can see that a Virgin train leaves EDB at 8.52 bound for London (Euston). So, you would take that as far as Carlisle (arrive 10.06). Then depart on a Northern Train at 10.48 for Leeds via the scenic Settle route. Arrive Leeds at 13.38. I have not been to Leeds but I know it has some attractive Victorian arcades - so, I would take a look around Leeds. (Those who know the place might come on here & say whether or not itv is worth it). I just checked for Wed 8th March and the price for EDB>LDS via SET is £28 (if pre-booked today). However, you may be able to reduce this a bit more by splitting this ticket at CARlisle (where you change trains). Note that this can also be done later in the day, if so desired).

Anyway, trains leave Leeds roughly every 20 minutes for the short trip to York. Pay on the day for the convenience of using any train and it will cost about £15. However, you can purchase specific train advance fares for about £5. Fares quoted do not include Railcard discount. Note that some railcards on some routes are not valid before 9.30am on weekdays.

If you are going from London to Edinburgh via York, you may like to do that on your way north rather than when heading south.
https://www.visitleeds.co.uk/#

Again, I thank you for all the suggestions. Yes, the last responder was correct. We should have done York and Durham on the way to Edinburgh. Just didn't spend enough time researching before booking our lodging in Edinburgh.
However, we are now thinking of leaving the train in Durham for a couple of hours to see the famous Cathedral. Does anyone know how far it is from the train station or if there is a place to leave our luggage at the train station?

just over three quarters of a mile, 15 minute walk (not level) ... taxi?

No left luggage facility or lockers at the station - sorry

If you have pre-booked a specific train Advance ticket from London to Edinburgh - you can’t just hop off and get on a later train. You will need to buy split tickets.

Map of Durham showing the rail station towards top left:>https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.7750539,-1.5791743,1572m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1

Hi Springs Traveler -

As previously mentioned above, here's some advice from a Leeds resident. I am Leeds born and bred and while it is a thriving city with plenty of interesting places to visit, it isn't really tourist central. So I would forego its charms and hop across the platforms to get the next train out of there to York.

Leeds rewards exploration but has nothing on the scale and grandeur of, say, York Minster. Nor does it have sites quite as ancient and historic as York. Once you are done with the rest of Yorkshire, then maybe a visit to Leeds is in order. That said, I've been exploring Yorkshire for over sixty years and still have plenty to go at!

The Settle-Carlisle line is a wonderful journey as it skirts the more remote parts of the Dales. Fingers crossed for a clear and pleasant day!

Have a great trip!

Ian

As it says in the Harry Enfield Yorkshireman sketch
" Sophistication, don't talk to me about sophistication...I've been to Leeds".
To the OP, when you hit York ,make it to Walmgate Bar, there's a cute cafe.
I have stayed in 3 air bnbs I would be happy to recommend too.

A website that might be helpful to you is rome2rio.com. It will show you how to go to anywhere, from anywhere.
The only train line to go into the Lake District goes to Windermere which is the southern part of the Lake District. If you want to go to the north part - Keswick, Grasmere - then you'll take a train to Penrith and then a bus from there; it doesn't take very long.
The bus system within the Lake District is quite good and will get you just about anywhere you want to go. If you only have a night / day then you should stay in Keswick. There is a central bus hub right in front of Booths market in town that will get you just about anywhere you want to go! I stay at a little place in Keswick called https://herdwickguesthouse.co.uk/ - very nice owners and a cute little inn that is reasonably priced.
Carlisle is OK but not too much to see there - Durham and York are both well worth spending time in.