Train or Car (Edinburgh to Inverness)?

Thanks Kent, that's very helpful. I've never done the car thing when traveling before. The original intent actually was to go wandering around between Edinburgh and Inverness but because our time is so limited it seems like it will be a better idea to just go straight to Inverness and explore the area around there and make sure I get back to explore the rest of Scotland someday.
Thanks again.

The train!!!!! Scottish roads are small and then some! Plus driving on the opposite side of the road, majorly expensive gas (petrol is over $10.00 a gallon now) parking that is expensive and hard to find or scarce. The train ride is nice, comfortable and gets you there quickly! If you don't want to go all the way in one trip, Aviemore is a great village for a day or two stop-over!

I agree with the above...take the train. There are some wonderful sites and experiences in what you might call the "lower" Highlands between Edinburgh and Inverness. But the drive between the two will likely take you several hours, since the highway narrows to two lanes only just past Perth...and since it's the major direct link to Inverness, the road is always busy with truck traffic. Rent a car in Inverness to do day trips out and about, and save the lower part of the country for your next trip, when you can base yourself out of Edinburgh or, even better, one of the great little towns in Fife.

Simone - if you want to do some touring in the Inverness area, get an early train up north. When you exit the train station, walk straight ahead to the "T" in the road. Turn left. Go to the intersection and on your right will be the Tourism Office. (There are also signs guiding your way!) They offer trips out to the Loch and Drumnadrochit (home to the Loch Ness Visitor Center). Its a nice way to get to know the area a bit.
Depending on the time of year, there are day trips from right at the train station on the green and cream buses. (I've never made it - arrive too late!)
Enjoy your trip!

I know that I am in the minority, but I support the drive between the two 100%. I made the drive (for the first time) last month and had a wonderful time doing it. I toured a small distillery and a castle along the way and even stopped to do a little laundry. The trip between the two took me 8 hours and it was one of the best days of my vacation. The ability to stop where you want, when you want is fantastic.

Simone. Have just recently done the train trip from Edinburgh to Inverness. Highly recommend it. We had 3 days in Inverness without a car. We took the train to Skye one day. Did the Loch Ness trip one day. Third day spent checking out Inverness

Thanks everyone, this has all been very helpful. I knew gas was expensive there but thinking about $10.00 a gallon almost makes me thankful to be paying $4.00!

Rob, the reasons you listed are the reasons why we were going to go by car originally; I'm sure it would be very enjoyable. It's just that there's so much to see around Inverness and we have such a short time that it started to seem like too much to try and do, especially with having to drive back too (the rental price seems to go up quite a bit when returning to a different location that rented from).

Again, thanks everyone.

~Sim

I took that very trip! And I went via train. The views are absolutely stunning. In my experience, the conductors were wonderfully helpful.

Simone, I don't want you to misread what I wrote. The eight hour trip was by design. You can make the trip from Inverness to Edinburgh in less than 2. As a matter of fact on my last day, I left Ullapool (which is northwest of Inverness) after breakfast, and was at Rosslyn Chapel (Edinburgh) by lunch. Either way, you'll have a great time, I just found that having a car actually saved time and trouble. Instead of train schedules, bus schedules, etc. I had a GPS; just plug in the address and off we go. If you saw something that you just couldn't pass up, you pull off the road, see it, then off we go again. The thought of being on a train and not being about to stop when I want would terrify me. Realize that I am a police officer and kind of a control freak! Have a great time!

Hi there..

We are from the states and living in Edinburgh for the last year. The roads are not bad to Inverness from Edinburgh....just keep in mind that they are not laid out in grids as most cities have the roads from the 1800's, as the reason in cities they are narrow (for horse & cart and foot traffic).. Most of the drive is on the A8/M8 which are similar to any interstate in the USA.

We have had no problem driving on the opposite side of the road at all...but petrol right now is 1.18pounds per liter (x 4 per gallon) but if you have a economy car that gets great mileage it is worth it to have the freedom to stop where you want to .. many castles and ruins along the route to Inverness.......

Just read up on merging in roundabouts if you are not used to them....

Inverness is 150 miles from Edinburgh and a beautiful drive - you can stop at the sign at the "official" entry into the Highlands if wanted and there are some great views from there.

We have driven up there in the in 3 out of the 4 seasons and haven't had a problem.

..Have a great trip..

We have also driven from Edinburgh to Inverness and have never had any problems. The main roads are equivalent to a major state road in the USA, not equivalent to interstates such as I-5 or I-80. In fact, we have driven in many places in Scotland, such as Skye, Plockton, back roads around Inverness, with no problems. We use the AA atlases to navigate. While we occasionally get "lost" for five minutes or so, we always come to a more important road and can relocate ourselves on the map. While gas is more expensive than the US, cars also seem to get better mileage. The Renault we just used in France (malibu or montego model or something like that) averaged about 50 miles to the gallon. Stops between Edinburgh and Inverness include Stirling Castle and Pitlochery.

An interesting coach tour you can take from Inverness (we did this in 2005, assume it is still available) is a day trip to the Orkneys. Skara Brae is fascinating.