Two RS tours on same trip: Best of London in 7 Days and Heart of Scotland in 8 Days?

I can't answer any questions about these particular tours. However, I can confirm that the train service between London and Edinburgh is excellent. It's very frequent, and takes about four to four and a half hours depending on how many stops it makes (the fastest train only makes two stops before Edinburgh). Trains in London leave from Kings Cross station. You can also get direct trains from London to Inverness, tho these are not as frequent, but you can easily change trains in Edinburgh onwards to Inverness. For me personally I would fly to Inverness as the train is at least seven hours which is a bit long for me. Of course you also have the Caledonian Sleeper option but this train tends to be very expensive and the flights can be very inexpensive (like double digit prices each way). Good luck with your planning!

My suggestion would be to do the Scotland tour first.

Here's why....

Fly from London to Inverness. The tour then ends in Edinburgh. Then take the train from Edinburgh to London. You might want to plan a day or two in York on the way. (It's a stop on the way.)

It's basically just logistics. You'll be covering the ground between Inverness and Edinburgh, basically, during the tour so why see it from a train on your way to Inverrness. And as Cat pointed out, it's a long train ride from London.

British Airways flies from Heathrow. Easyjet flies from Gatwick and Luton airports.

While I have not done these two tours, I did take two RS tours back to back a number of years ago. I took a weekend off in between. The tours are active and can be tiring. I would suggest, if possible, a few days off in between. You don't have to stay in either London or Edinburgh. If you do Scotland first, you could spend a few days in Glasgow. There are direct trains from Glasgow to London as well.

I totally understand the appeal of tours, I have taken them myself, but there really is no need to take a multi day organised tour of London. It is an easy city to navigate with a comprehensive public transport network. With a little planning you could easy pull together trip with more flexibility, seeing a wider range of sights for less money.

Obviously it’s a locals perspective, and it’s not a criticism of the tours in general, but I don’t really see the value in this one.

Value for your money would be to do the 13 day tour of Scotland. We did this one in 2022 and it was excellent. The West side of the country is beautiful and so different than the east side and would be a shame to miss plus Glasgow was a lot of fun. I agree London is easy to do on your own. My thought would be to fly into London and spend a few days then either train or hop a flight to Glasgow. That way you get over your jet lag before the tour starts. Fly home from Edinburgh.

I think Emma and sdw have hit the nail on the head with their comments. Returning to London by train (or plane) to fly home isn't the end of the world (as long as you're flying direct from London).

In 2024 we took Heart of Scotland, then did London on our own. My suggestions are similar to others' -
- consider the longer Scotland tour - we loved the shorter one but wished we had more time there
- I agree with Frank's routing. We flew into Heathrow, spent time in Canterbury, then flew Easyjet to Inverness. After the tour we took the train from Edinburgh to London - a lovely relaxing break from tour busyness. We splurged on first class - not that much more for the ticket.
- You do not need a tour to do London. Read the RS book, plan your priorities, buy recommended tickets in advance
Have a wonderful trip!