We're planning a trip to the Scottish Highlands in August to see the heather. We'll fly into Edinburgh and then take the train to Inverness. I prefer not to book train tickets in advance due to potential flight delays. Can anyone advise if it's safe to buy tickets on-the-fly on a weekday in August from EDI to INV? Do tickets sell out quickly? Thanks for your help! My ScotRail app is ready to go.
Posted by
Lake District, England
11104 posts
The trains cannot sell out, if there are too many people for the seats on a train you stand until a seat becomes available.
What I would do is to take the long distance bus (coach). Scottish Citylink run every hour from Central Edinburgh and are just as fast as the train.
The easiest way from the airport is to take the 747 bus from the airport to Halbeath Park and Ride then pick up the Citylink bus there.
Ember Bus also run every 2 hours or so from Edinburgh with every other journey picking up at Edinburgh Airport on request- you can request up to 10 minutes before the scheduled time. Currently they call at the airport at 0745, 0852, 1305, 1756, 2139, 2331 and 0030.
The best train of the day (as in the one with the most room) is the London Kings Cross to Inverness LNER train at 1633 from Edinburgh Waverley or 1638 from Haymarket.
Posted by
Chicagoland
1647 posts
Are you flying nonstop into Edinburgh. If not, consider flying into Inverness.
Posted by
Freedonia
18410 posts
Be aware-August in Edinburgh means the Fringe Festival and the Military Tatoo. Wall to wall people. Local public transit is packed. Give yourself extra time to get around.
I spent one day in Edinburgh this past August and I couldn't believe how crowded it was--the streets, the station, the works.
The previous suggestion to fly into Inverness isn't a bad one.
Posted by
OP
62 posts
A GREAT BIG THANKS to everyone for your suggestions. I forgot about how crowded Edinburgh will be in August. Since we have been there before, looks better to adjust flights to go to INV. Yes, more money and a connection thru AMS but probably worth the extra effort.
Posted by
Atlanta
2661 posts
That’s what my friends and I are doing - flying direct into Amsterdam and then flying on KLM into Inverness.