We are 2 women who will be traveling from London to Edinburgh the last week of April. What train do we book? Also how far in advance should we book our tickets? One of us will have a medium size suitcase and the other a US size carry one plus we will have backpacks.
Am I correct that there is luggage storage at the end of the cars for the larger bags. I’ve traveled in Spain, Italy and France on trains with luggage bus this is first time in the UK.
Appreciate any assistance.
The most direct train from London to Edinburgh is run by LNER, and you can book tickets here: https://www.lner.co.uk/
There are also trains run by Lumo but you should be able to get those tickets at the same address above. Just select based on the time/price you want and don't worry too much about the operator.
The trains to Edinburgh depart from Kings Cross station in London. Tickets normally go on sale three months in advance. Normally the sooner you book the better the price tho you will be tied to a specific service. Open tickets are much more expensive.
You are correct- there is room on the racks overhead for smaller items like backpacks and larger bags go in the storage areas at the end of the train.
If you have the option of choosing seats, book ones on the right side of the train traveling north.
Better views, especially when you get to the coast after Newcastle.
Thank you very much for the information. Very helpful.
You will see guide prices listed on the LNER site but go too far in advance and these disappear. This is because the cheaper Advance specific train tickets have not yet been released.
Also consider maybe 2 nights in York as that is en-route to Edinburgh. (LUMO don't stop at York).https://visityork.org
Always check what "The Man in Seat 61" has to say: https://www.seat61.com/london-to-edinburgh-by-train.htm and https://www.seat61.com/sleeper-to-scotland.htm.
We tried the Sleeper to Fort William a few years ago and enjoyed it. The ensuite shower was not the best we have ever tried, but it was nice arriving bright eyed and bushy tailed. (Sorry; I just love that expression).
The upside is that you don't spend the day in the train, but have a whole day after the trip
The downside is that you need to find somewhere to put your bagage for the day. Most hotels will keep them until you check in - sometime for a fee. Appartments are usually less easy.
You can use one of the many luggage holders. I use the "Radical Storage" app, but there are others.
The Advance train tickets are currently available on LNER 24 weeks ahead of time, on weekdays- many weekends are blocked out until 12 weeks before due to the potential for engineering work.
It is a known issue that at around 12 weeks the cheaper fares vanish off the calendar, but click on the date and they are there.
The lowest you will find on LNER seems to be £66.60. But buy a Two Together Railcard for £35 and you will save 1/3 off those fares after 9.30am on a weekday, any time on a weekend.
The Friday to Sunday are not currently available due to it being a public holiday weekend, so maybe engineering work.
But if the East Coast Main Line is part closed for engineering, with bus replacements, then the West Coast (from Euston) will be open, and is only around 45 minutes slower.
As a lancastrian, I use the west coast route, slightly longer but worth looking at as a comparison. Trains are operated by Avanti and start at London euston station.
Avanti's site and app are very good allowing you to reserve specific seats from a carriage layout where you could pick seats in view of the luggage storage racks.
Railcards will save you money, as will booking Advance tickets 12 weeks or so out. Also look at split ticketing.
I've read the Man in Seat 61 and his tips for getting the best fare plus everyones comments. I am still a bit confused about when to buy the tickets for Advance sales.
We are looking for tickets on Thur. April 23rd - prefer the 9:30 am train from Kings Cross to Edinburgh.
I see that there are "Advance" tickets for sale now but this is more than 12 weeks out.
In reading the Man in Seat 61 - he explains not to fall into the 8-12 week trap of buying tickets too soon. Twelve weeks out for us is around Jan 29th.
Do we wait until then to buy the tickets. I am seeing tickets now for about 94 each for direct train (no change) for the 9:30 time and with no railcode discount. There are tickets a bit cheaper at 10:30 but we prefer to go around 9:30.
FYI- I am traveling with a partially blind person from Australia and from what I've read we both (me as companion) qualify for Disabled Person discount of 34%. She has Australian documentation stating that she is blind as well as a medical letter that I am her traveling companion for assistance. That brings the cost to about 62 a person.
So question is- do we purchase now - or wait until the 12 week date.
Thanks again
The Man in Seat 61 is giving bad advice about the East Coast Main Line- on that line and some others it is 24 weeks out, the tickets won't get any cheaper on 29 January.
On the 0930 the best fare is £66.60.
Both before railcard discount.
Yes your travelling colleague qualifies for a Disabled Railcard.
Do not be afraid to book assistance at Kings Cross, Edinburgh and York (if you change there)- https://www.lner.co.uk/our-trains/assisted-travel/
Note also that railcard discount also applies to 1st class- which makes it an affordable splurge- more room, lounge access before and after, and an included meal (breakfast in that case, but you may also get an early lunch with alcohol north of Newcastle).
On the west coast main line into Euston (a bit different from the East Coast) I have a lot of evidence that around 4 weeks out is the actual sweet spot, that is when I generally book.
Today I travelled on a bargain basement Advance Fare which I booked late yesterday evening. It was as cheap as it would have been 12 weeks ago. That is quite normal on my local line.
Equally there are almost always cheap (but not that cheap) advance tickets until 2 minutes before train departure on the ECML.
Thank you so very much for clarifying that ai do have a good price now and shouldn’t wait until Jan 29. This has been driving me crazy- I am so used to booking trains in Italy and other parts of Europe where you want to book as far out as possible to get the best price.
I’ll check into the first class price and see if it is a reasonable splurge with the disabled card access. For a 4 plus hour train ride it might be worth it.
One more question we are also going from Paddington Station to Bath and returning back to London for a few days. Should I go ahead and just book those tickets now or is there any big advantage to waiting a bit closer. We are going on a Thursday and returning on a Sunday. I did notice that the Sunday return ticket is a bit more expensive than a Thursday- which makes sense
GWR are open until 24 April for weekdays, 18 April on weekends, so you are probably just a week or two ear!y yet. I might expect Sunday to be a little bit cheaper than a weekday because that is mainly a commuter route, not a leisure route.
The first weekend in May, possibly just after your dates, there is Sunday engineering work at Bath, so replacement buses between Bath and Chippenham (or maybe Swindon) can be expected. No intimation as of yet that is expected the previous Sunday, touching wood.
