We are flying into London and out of Edinburgh, traveling with children 5 & 6 years old. We will stay in the South Kensington area of London for three nights but then want to travel north by car. We have received recommendations to rent the car in London (on our way out of town), and conversely to avoid doing, taking a train somewhere (we are thinking Cambridge) and then renting a car from there. FYI, we are novices at driving on the left. Any thoughts on this topic?
Posted by
Laurel, MD, USA
75 posts
If you just are planning to do London/Edinburgh, I agree with the others, take a train. You will not need/want a car in either city. If you want to take a couple of days or so and explore the countryside between the two cities, rent a car.
The advice I would have about renting is to rent at one of the airports, the rental centers there would have the biggest selection. If this is your first time rent an automatic, Easier to do at airports. Rent the smallest car you can get away with. (Automatics usually come in compact, i.e. Ford Focus and up)
Driving on the left is not as hard as you might think, we have been going to the UK since 2003 and have rented a car every time. You just follow the cars in front of you.
Good Luck!
Tom
Posted by
The Hill Country of Texas
39 posts
Don't do it! You can just take a train from London to Edinburgh. Seriously, not only do they drive on the left, the lorries take up 3/4 of the road. There is no need to rent a car. You can be in Edinburgh faster by train anyway!
The trains are great. You'll regret attempting to drive. If you want to enjoy your vacation, and not scare yourselves to death, seriously, take the train.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
You can be in Edinburgh with no stops from Kings Cross in London in 4 hours 26 minutes! One train (there are others) leaves at noon and you'll be in Edinburgh at 4:26pm and it costs 54 pounds a person if you purchase it in advance through the site (although if you wait until a few days before, there's often special cheap fares). There's probably a discount for children too. It would take you two to three times that amount of time to drive that, at least 8 hours in the car.
And you won't have to worry about getting in an accident, or losing your way.
And if you want to travel by train over a period of days, a rail pass is the way to go, britrail.com sells them, one adult (one child travels free with an adult pass) costs $259 for a 4 day pass for unlimited rail travel.
Posted by
dallas, tx, usa
1358 posts
I have driven in England several times. I won't do it again. Trains are much better as you read here from other travelers.
Much depends on how well you handle driving on the left, high speeds on unfamiliar roads, negotiating roundabouts and difficult in reading some signs. Take the train and enjoy the trip.
Having a car is more convenient, but more expensive. It is no longer the cheapest way to travel that it was 10 years ago.
And there is the question of what type of insurance to buy. Parking is costly and often impossible in city centers.
Posted by
Sydney
275 posts
I am Australian and drive on the left, and I once lived in London, and I still would not hire the car from London. Hire it from Cambridge. I did something similar three years ago when I hired a car from Oxford.
When I lived there I only drove in Outer South London and Surrey. It took about a month to get used to driving conditions especially the narrow roads and the one way systems around suburban shopping centres. If you are only in London briefly it is not worth trying to drive there.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I agree with Tom. If you plan to do some exploring between London and Edinburgh, then renting a car makes sense. Otherwise take the train.
I disagree with Tonya about train fares. Walk-up adult fares for longer routes are very expensive (over £100 for London-Edinburgh). To get cheap discount fares (as low as £12), book in advance at www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com. Discount fares usually are posted 30-60 days in advance. If you book much farther in advance than that, you'll pay the same high fare that you would if you were traveling tomorrow. Start checking the Web site about 70 days in advance and check several different dates within the 70-day range. The allotted number of discount seats sell out quickly so book ASAP when the fares drop for your date.