rental car vs. train

This is just my personal opinion- but TRAINS!!! Gas (petrol over there) is prohibitive expensive, parking is scarce and expensive and you drive on the left. Also, London and Edinburgh are among the worst places in the UK to try to drive. The trains are frequesnt, easy to use and we enjoy being able to watch the scenery (rather than concentrate on driving), rest, read, draw, listen to music, etc. The trip from London to Edinburgh is about 4 1/2 -5 hours. Not sure where the Open is this year, but Scottish trains are among my favorites!!
By the way, we've been to the UK more than 40 times....

david, I agree, use the train from London to Edinburgh. I believe that route is served by East Coast Rail from King's Cross to Edinburgh. It's a very pleasant trip (travelled the reverse direction last year). I'm not familiar with the British Open, but there's information on their website regarding travel options. They suggest checking www.nationalrail.co.uk for information on using rail to the event. They also mention that traffic is going to be heavy in the vicinity, so that's a situation I'd rather not experience (especially while driving on the "correct side of the road"). I have driven in the U.K. on numerous occasions, but prefer to minimize driving in heavy traffic. Happy travels!

While I agree with London and Edinburgh as not great with a car, I had a read of the same spectator information at the Open website and if I were going I would probably drive and use the Park & Ride facility. The words didn't seem terrifically different than I have seen when I went to various PGA events in the States. At those we didn't have the option of trains. No trains at the Colonial or Byron Nelson... However you slice it the Lancashire coast is not the easiest place in the country to get to. If you have a bit of time around the golf the Filey coast is home to a reserve for some of the few remaining really cute red squirrels.

For two people, and the distances you're traveling, I think training is going to be your best option. Hopefully, you can buy early and get a decent price. The British Open is near Blackpool this year, right? That's a ways from both London and Edinburgh. Again, I think I'd train to the Blackpool area, then ask the TI for the best way to get to the Open (which may be renting a car for the day or may be special busses for the event).