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Is a Rail Pass with bus

We are planning a trip to the UK starting in Inverness and working our way down the west coast of Scotland, Isle of Skye (or Mull),Dublin, Lake District and back home from London. We are trying to shy awa from renting a car. Would a rail pass be sufficient for traveling ?

Posted by
1059 posts

There are no trains on Skye and the bus service is very poor as it is based around getting kids to and from school. You would struggle to see anything of Skye without either your own transport, or taking a tour e.g. with a company such as Rabbies or a local operator like Skye Jeep Tours.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Posted by
3119 posts

Wait a sec -- how does Dublin fit into your itinerary? You don't mention how many days you have, but if you are "working our way down the west coast" you will not be anywhere near Dublin. Did you have in mind a flight from Glasgow to see Dublin for a couple of days, then return to Glasgow and continue onward to the Lake District?

In any case, the areas in Scotland and England that you've listed (except London, of course) are best visited with your own rental car.

Posted by
26840 posts

I spent 26 days in Scotland last year without a car. You can see a lot by using trains and buses. Local tours can help; I used the West Coast Motors two-island tour from Oban as a way to see Mull and Iona. The issue I ran into in western Scotland was the weather. With your own car, you can adjust your itinerary to hit outdoor sights on the least rainy days. If you're dependent on public transportation and tours--which you'll generally have to book somewhat in advance--you'll be kind of stuck if the rain comes on inconvenient days.

I have not attempted the Lake District yet, so I can't comment on its feasibility without a car.

In the UK, Advance train tickets--which often need to be purchased shortly after tickets for those dates go on sale--can be much cheaper than tickets bought closer to the travel date. In some cases the Advance tickets can be 1/4 or 1/5 the price of a full-fare ticket. A railpass will certainly cost more than Advance tickets.

When is your trip?