1 Day in Scotland

Loch Ness, absolutely not. It ranks about 31000 of the 31460 lochs in Scotland in terms of attractiveness or interest. There is not, and I cannnot stress this enough, a monster.

There is plenty to see in Edinburgh.

Also I cannot imagine how flying would be quicker than a train Edinburgh to London.

There is not, and I cannnot stress this enough, a monster.

That is opinion, not scientific fact. The case is at best unproven either way. From a strictly scientific view it is theoretically possible. Loch Ness is in fact not the only Loch believed to have a monster in it, just the best known.

Irrespective of that your chances of seeing it are as close to NIL as you can get, the Loch is so deep and so large.

The number one thing would be impossible to pin down. To get the best value out of the day I would strongly suggest a guided tour from someone like Rabbies (other such tour companies exist).

Strictly personally I would prefer 'West Highlands, Lochs and Castles' over 'Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands'. Either way they will give you way more than you could do with a car or by train. With a car one of you has to be concentrating on the road all day.

As regards train vs plane to London the time getting to and from the airport at either end, the time at the airport and flight time brings it out to evens. The train should be a trace faster, but if both are on time there is absolutely nothing in it, time wise. There are a number of train vs plane races on You Tube, Train is also way more environmentally sensitive than plane.

With only one day, stick to Edinburgh - there's more than enough to keep you occupied from The Royal Yacht Britannia to the Castle... Throw in a walk down the Royal Mile, Holyrood house, The Parliament Building, St Giles Cathedral, Arthur's Seat, assorted museums....

Forget Loch Ness. The drive alone is going to take four hours and that is one way...

I read an article a few years ago where some reporter did a round trip central Edinburgh to central London. He did train one way, plane the other. The time difference was about 30 minutes. We have done both.

The train ride is more relaxing but the only bit that is scenic is the portion shortly after leaving Edinburgh. The rest is "pleasant" scenery but nothing special. The price difference for first class is usually not large and worth it for the extra leg room. I think there is also some food service but not sure about that.

The plane ride was OK but Edinburgh airport security was the worst mess we have encountered at any airport. And the plane was two hours delayed.

You're not going to save much time taking the plane over the train.

Take a morning train and you'll be in London for lunch.

I agree with Wasleys, stick to Edinburgh. It's a fantastic city and Wasleys has given you some great suggestions of things to see and do.

Loch Ness is dull, dull, dull when compared to other parts of the highlands. You will spend most of your precious day on a mini bus or in a car. I agree with isn31c when he advises you that there are better day tours than Loch Ness.

I would then take the train to London, it's basically quicker in that you arrive in central London rather than giving yourself a journey in from whichever airport you choose to (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton etc). You'll have a view of the countryside as you speed south.

We drove from Inverness to Oban and were underwhelmed with the day; the most disappointing of our 16 day trip to Scotland. By far, our favourite day was at Stirling Castle.

It is about 3 hours one way from Edinburgh to Loch Ness / Inverness. You will spend more time traveling to see a body of water than it is worth. Definitely stick to Edinburgh and take the train to London.

Another Loch Ness skeptic, even in summer
Its March too ,the weather can be pretty grim.Least the days are getting longer
Its about an hour to Glasgow,I think,a very different City and can be done on a whim.
But a few days in Edinburgh is likely best use of time and money

Seconding isn31c’s suggestion for a day tour if you’d like to get out of the city. Last year, I took two day tours while in Edinburgh, both with Rabbies: 1) Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands and 2) West Highlands, Lochs, and castles. You can click on the links below to see the itineraries.

https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours/from-edinburgh/day-tours/loch-ness-glencoe-highlands-day-tour

https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours/from-edinburgh/day-tours/west-highland-lochs-castles-day-tour

Even though it was a long day on the bus (12 hours!!), I preferred the Loch Ness tour, as it got out more into the Highlands and thus was more scenic. The Lochs tour was just too many lochs for me. Probably why they call it the lochs tour. :-)

I can't imagine coming to Edinburgh and then immediately leaving it to head out into the countryside. There is so much to see and do in Edinburgh. Save the Highlands for another visit. For one thing, it would take you a good deal of time to get to the Highlands from Edinburgh, which is time that could be spent enjoying the lovely city.

If you really really want to get out of Edinburgh for a bit, then I would recommend taking the train to Stirling, exploring the castle and the history quaint town. But even that is pushing it.

And ditto everyone else on Loch Ness. Don't bother with it.

Another vote for just staying in Edinburgh, it's a great city well worth your time. The highlands is a bit far away for a day trip. And no there isn't a monster in Loch Ness. I guess you could say that it is theoretically possible from a scientific point of view, just like it is theoretically possible that there is a teapot orbiting the sun between Earth and Mars. But there is also no credible evidence pointing at the existance of a "monster".

And while a plane is faster than a train, all the airport faff and travel time to and from airports mean that you really won't save any meaningful time flying. The total travel time city centre to city centre is roughly the same, and the time on the train can be spent in a more useful way. But if you really want to save time, take the overnight train. Go to bed in Edinburgh in the evening and wake up the next day in London.