14 day England Tour. Possible to detour to Scotland?

How much of Scotland do you think you could see in a day? You could of course take the train from York to Edinburgh and try to see a couple of the major tourist attractions , but you wouldn't have time for anything else. Why not save Scotland for another time, when you can give it the time and attention it deserves? Or leave the tour at York, understanding that you forfeit the cost of the unused days, and spend all those days, plus a few more, in Scotland.

The train journey to Edinburgh is 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Even planning to stay overnight it would be a rushed visit. The tour arrives in York the 1st night later in the afternoon and basically have a walking tour & dinner. The next day is your one day in York which is a marvelous city with so much to see in addition to the Minster and you would miss out on that. Early the next day after breakfast the tour goes to the train station to catch the train to London. I wouldn't personally attempt your plan, but I think you really need to talk to the R.S. business office to get their ok and confirm the logistics.

I would not recommend attempting this, either. Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities, but needs a lot more time than what you would have. I certainly wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing any part of York, either, and it seems that’s what you would have to do to accomplish this. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to speak. Stick with the tour, and if you the chance, go get lost in the Shambles.

"Is it bad form to veer off for another destination?"

I'll just comment on this statement not whether it is wise to spend the time going to Edinburgh.

It's your tour. You've paid $5,000 or so for the 14 nights and can choose to participate or not participate in any aspect. The only time this is difficult is when it's a transit day and then that makes things more difficult.

A couple of years ago a friend did the Best of the Adriatic. She decided she didn't want to do the long bus ride to Mostar and back over 2 days so opted out of that night and instead made her own plans to get from Split to Korcula on her own with the overnight on a different island ( I think it might have been a different island). She very much enjoyed her time on her own and did not miss all the bus time. She informed the guide early on and then again the day before she broke from the group. She also told her RS "buddy".

So...it's doable from the standpoint of it's your tour and you can shape some things the way you want.

Whether it's worthwhile is a different matter!

It's your tour, and as long as you are responsible for your own actions and are not impacting others, you're free to go off course. But, you need to let your guide know before hand. Early communication is the key. People get sick; they meet up with old friends who live nearby and sometimes just don't want to participate in something. As long as the guide knows and your buddy knows that you are temporarily out, you're fine.

If you want to do this, it seems like you should leave the tour completely when they leave Bath. You could then take the train to Edinburgh and hopefully fly home from Edinburgh.

If you don’t want to do the London tour activities, why not just end and leave the tour after York? Otherwise what I think you’re trying to do, doesn’t really seem logical. York to Edinburgh is 3 1/2 hours by train. I believe we left York for London by train in the morning so you would either have to be back by that morning or make your way to London on your own. It all sounds very complicated for a glimpse of Scotland and missing out on York.