We are arriving in London on July 23 and are leaving from Edinburgh on August 3rd. My wife and I and our two sons ages 13 and 19 will be on this trip. We will be using a train at least 4 days on our trip.
Day 1--Heathrow Express or Connect to Paddington Station--do not want to take the tube.
Day 4--travel to Salisbury and Stonehenge and then back to London in one day.
Day 7--travel from London to Durham.
Day 8--travel from Durham to Edinburgh.
Might take the train to Windsor and back to London one day too.
We are also going to purchase the Family and Friends railcard.
First question do I need to purchase the Family and Friends Railcard prior to purchasing our train tickets?--I have not proceeded far enough into the purchase process to determine this.
Second question-I believe purchasing advance individual tickets probably will save money vs. the Britrail pass. Our schedule is pretty set would you recommend purchasing the tickets online before we leave or wait until we arrive in London. I am more inclined to at least purchase the longer legs to Durham and Edinburgh before we leave the US?
Third question--what is the difference between 1st and 2nd class in the British rail system? Is there a reason to upgrade besides larger seats and maybe less noise? I know it comes down to preference.