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Itinerary Critique: England, Scotland, (and/or possibly) Wales

Arriving in LHR. We have 10 days. Must end the trip near Cambridge (staying with a friend).

Definitely want to see Edinburgh and spend a few days there. Want to see the Zoo, spend time on the Royal Mile, and Roslyn Chapel.

Would like to see Culloden/Inverness, if possible.

We have the opportunity to stay at a friend's flat in Yorkshire and see the Lake District, but is not a necessity. Would rather spend more time in Scotland.

I'm trying to scale down our itinerary because we're traveling with a 2yo. I wonder if it would be better to fly or train from London to Edinburgh. And could we get around Edinburgh (including day trips) with a toddler, or should we rent a car right away?

I'm trying to be realistic, yet explore what we can. Any advice and suggestions would be most appreciated. TIA!

Posted by
2796 posts

I don't see any reason to get a car until you are ready to leave Edinburgh. It is easy to get around without one. As for day trips, that depends where you will be going. You can easily take a train to Inverness, which I do recommend. We rented a car from there because there are a lot of things to see in the area, and a car makes it much easier.

I don't know about flying from London to Edinburgh, but taking the train is fast and easy. I would compare prices and decide based on that.

Posted by
30 posts

Thank you for your reply, Carroll.

Do you have recommendations to find train info for London to Edinburgh and Edinburgh to Inverness? I found several online and became overwhelmed.

Thanks!

Posted by
1266 posts

Michelle - From an economic stand point I think it would be cheaper to take train than fly. For 2 adults the cheapest train ticket from KGX -EDB is about 48gbp. 2 children under the age of 5 can travel free with each fare paying passenger. Now I'm not sure if your toddler would travel as a lap child. Looks like travel time on the train is between 4 1/2 - 5 hrs.

Here are a couple of web sites, www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com & www.nationalrail.co.uk. Go on these sites and play around. You can book tickets up to 12 weeks out.

If you have any other questions send me a pm. I would be glad to provide any assistance possible.

Posted by
2804 posts

I think you will be missing a lot if you don't visit Yorkshire and see the Lake District. You might want to reconsider it, it is well worth the visit.

Posted by
30 posts

Thank you Joel and Robin!

We found a relatively inexpensive flight from LHR to EDI on flybmi.com and will cut our travel time in half!

I'll look into the Lake District -- it's still an option.

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions!

Posted by
11 posts

I'm also researching a trip to Scotland after a wedding near London.. not sure when you're traveling, but I found one way flights from London to Edinburgh for $33 - $50, depending on which London Airport you leave from, all on Easyjet. Check out Kayak.com for best fares.