London-Edinburgh-London

You can find some nice advance sale bargains at http://nationalrail.co.uk. They may have conditions on them, so check before purchasing. You can book up to 12 weeks in advance. Weekday travel will be cheaper than weekend.

Day routes are operated by National Express East Coast. Book at www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com.

The Caledonian Sleeper night train is operated by ScotRail. Go here: http://tinyurl.com/g9ehd. Click on "Bargain berths."

Greetings

I would buy ahead of time. The cheaper tickets are on quota, and walk up fares can be MUCH MUCH more expensive. You should start by checking times and approximate available fares at www.networkrail.com, and then buy the tickets from whichever company is convenient (best deals from the company operating the service you are taking).

Both National Express (who just took over for GNER) and Virgin run London to Edinburgh trains, but the former run the vast majority.

For the sleeper, you need to book well ahead for bargain berths because they are very limited, and you have to book with First Scotrail.

Kate

I will be making this same trip in June.

My friends in Scotland informed me that I should take the National Express East Coast route because the West Coast route operated by Virgin has a lot of problems with track maintenence, and the trains are often delayed as a result.

They also told me that it is often times cheaper to book two one-way tickets as opposed to a return or roundtrip ticket.

As far as pricing, buying tickets in the UK is like buying airplane tickets here. The farther ahead you buy, the better the price, and walk-up fares are the usually the most expensive.

Yes, it's worth looking at the one way prices because two singles can be cheaper than a return. I've never figured out why, but if it's cheaper, take it!

I've never taken Virgin straight to London - only to Crewe and from Crewe to London Euston. I've never encountered any big delays - the worst delays and train issues, in fact, have been with GNER on the East Coast. But, since the repairs are scheduled and done by Network Rail (not the train companies), I think you have an equal chance of delays either way. West coast has had delays recently, but that work should be done this month.

That said, I've always taken the East coast line when going to directly to London and only once have had major isues. Just try to avoid holidays, and days before/of/after major sporting events. Drunk footy fans do not improve the atmosphere of a train carriage. And avoid scheduled railworks - www.networkrail.co.uk lists upcoming railworks.

Kate

Thanks to all of you for your ideas. Since I'm very inexperienced with UK rail system, I really appreciate the help and advice. It seems like buying in advance on the internet is the way to go.