Train vs car rental in UK for three-places journey

Last month we rented a car at Heathrow, drove past Bath, through Wales, through Straford-upon-Avon, and returned the car at Heathrow. Thusly, I can't comment on Edinburgh, but recommend driving if you would like. We got a diesel and even with the back roads of Wales, got 40-45 miles to the gallon, it was great. We found the roads well marked yet still used a GPS and printed maps to verify, since I don't trust the GPS (it sometimes takes you off the highway through backroads because it's a straighter route, but not necessarily a better one). The backroads are sometimes very narrow, something we're used to here in Europe, but you may have a problem with if you're not experienced with it. We wanted to hit a couple towns in Wales that are not serviced well by train and driving wasn't a problem.

I can only tell you what we did. Took train from London to Bath and then rented car there and toured that area, including Wales and Cotswolds and Lake District, did not drive to Scotland as went there on another trip. I agree with your thinking though, to take the train to Bath, rent a car, then return car there and then train to another place and then rent another car, return that car and then train again seems like spending too much time doing this. I have no idea what gas would cost versus the train tickets but you really need to consider your time which I think would be wasted, in my opinion.

I agree with taking a train out into the countryside, and then renting a car for day trips. Have you considered flying to Edinburgh on EasyJet.com? It may be cheaper than on the U.K.'s very expensive train system. And if you can buy your seats early, you'll get the lowest fares. See: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ for the fares

Andrew , I am in partial agreement with the previous posters and as such I think that dichotomous views , particularly about travel are deadly . That said , I agree that using rail to your first starting point is a great idea. I would reconsider the idea of repeatedly picking up and dropping the car and switching to rail . Frankly it seems a time waster to me and time is valuable on a trip . Of course the only way to find the price comparison , i.e. gas vs. rail tickets , number of travelers , time spent switching , is to actually cost it all out. The car , paricularly in the UK is , for me , the way to go. Even if it costs somewhat more , the convenience and time savings are well worth it. My wife and I spent five weeks in 2010 with a car ( after London ) and the convenience it provided was great . As examples : en route to Edinburgh , you could easily stop at Rosslyn Chapel , a big time killer from Edinburgh by bus . I think your plan in paragraph two of your post is the way to go. For me , whether to use a car or rail depends on the country I'm in. On our recent trip to Italy and Switzerland , we only used a car for four days in Tuscany , the rest was all Trenitalia and SBB . In the UK and France the car was a better choice . In any event ,enjoy the UK , it is a beautiful place !

As long as your schedule is not too tight... we usually rent a car from some place outside of London (heathrow works) and drive from one sight to the next. We enjoy the sights, little villages, old bridges, etc etc along the way. Cotswolds, scotland and Lake District you will find it much easier to have a car. You can easily plan your trip to go through different scenic areas. (i avoid the large Cities). prefer taking minor roads, but Motorways can be very convenient as long as you are going against the traffic flow. So if it were me, anywhere longer than 21 days, absolutely rent a car. cars are inconvenient if you will be in London, Edinburgh for any length of time

Andrew, Could you clarify whether you're spending any time in London at the start of your trip, or heading to Bath immediately after arrival? The trip from London to Bath is very easy, whether by train or National Express Coach (depart from the London Victoria Coach Station - also stops at Heathrow). You'll arrive at Bath Spa Station, (I'd suggest a Taxi from there to your Hotel). On the day prior to departing from Bath to the Cotswolds, rent a Car in Bath. That way you won't have to pay for it while it's sitting in a car park. The Cotswolds is best explored by Car, as train access is very limited and Bus access is time consuming (depending on which places you want to visit). It appears that your next stop is the Lakes District. If you have the time and inclination, you could certainly drive. However, plan for the trip to take far longer than estimated! If you'd prefer to travel by train, one possibility would be to drop the car in Moreton-in-Marsh and travel from there to Penrith (trip will take 4-5 hours). Which option to choose will depend on how many places and where you want to tour in the Lakes District? My preference would be to drop the car in Penrith and travel by train to Edinburgh (trip will be about 2 hours, perhaps with one change - a 09:20 departure appears to be direct, arrival at 11:04). I find it quite easy to get around Edinburgh by walking and with well-planned public transit rather than a car. There are some excellent local tours offered there, for those that want to visit Loch Ness, the Highlands or other locations in that area. Some firms offer both day and multi-day tours. I'd have to check my notes for the names of the tour firms, but there are details in the Guidebook. Happy travels!

I flew into Edinburgh and out of Heathrow last year..... rented a car for the whole trip and glad I did. You'll probably have to fill up once (cost a bit over $100) and then top off before returning. Avis also added a dropoff fee for returning to a different airport (about $40). Edinburgh is a very small airport and should be no problem returning the car. The roads aren't any worse than in this country and are marked okay. The one thing you need to know ahead of time are the speed limits for the different types of highways, in a city, etc, as you can go for a couple hundred miles without seeing a speed limit sign (you Will see many road Cameras that record your speed). Also, it's smart to get the extra LDW insurance even if you think your credit card covers everything.

The centre of Bath is car-unfriendly. Parking is limited and a number of streets are restricted to pedestrians.

I would think it would be much easier to just have a car for the majority of the trip instead of spending time picking up and returning. Plus, if there are three of you splitting the cost I would think it might end up being cheaper than the train and far more flexible. I have done the drive to Edinburgh via Whitby and it was a beautiful and restful drive. I do remember Bath and York being a bit of a problem parking, but nothing I could not handle. I found the roads to be fine and once you get used to driving on the wrong/right :)) side of the road it is great. I always do get an automatic in UK even though I drive a manual at home and in Europe.. a bit of a wimp.
You will love having the car especially in the Cotswolds...just wander.