Wife and I are 1st timers to UK & Ireland- Thinking of starting in Scotland then Ireland then to Wales then finishing in England
Trains seem to hit all major cities with the possibles of day trips to surrounding areas
Any experience would be of great help
Thanks You
If visiting major cities you use the train because you don't want the hassle of dealing with driving and parking a car in the cities. You use a car for areas that are not easily accessed by public transit.
One thing to be aware of is that fares on at least some routes can climb into the stratosphere if tickets are purchased close to the date of travel. If you have a fixed schedule for moving from city to city (at least for the longer-distance trips), you may save a great deal of money by purchasing your tickets early. The bargain tickets will usually tie you to a specific train on a specific day, however.
You can see this phenomenon in action on the National Rail website. I just looked at one-way fares from London to York. The remaining trains for today (about the next 7-1/2 hours) cost £84.70 to £122. When I looked at tickets for February 20, I found some trains as low as £16, with one super-bargain at £12.80.
One other thought: If you don't have a specific reason for the routing you cite (Scotland-Ireland-Wales-England), you might consider either beginning or ending the trip in Ireland. That would mean one, rather than two, transfers to/from Ireland. Those will require a flight or a ferry and can chew up a lot of time.
You may also find comparatively good airfares into or out of Ireland. Be sure to look for multi-city tickets so you don't have to return to your landing point at the end of your trip.
You definitely dont want to drive from Scotland to Ireland.
Trains take you from town center to town center, without the stress of driving (no vacation for the driver), especially if you've never driven on the right-hand side.
Whether you go to Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, you will have to fly or take a ferry. Currency in Northern Ireland is the £. The Republic uses the €.
Trains seem to hit all major cities
And most towns. There is always an argument over which is the largest town without a station (is it a town or a suburb of an adjoining one?), but most towns over 10-20,000 inhabitants have a station.
I agree with acraven, do not cross the Irish sea twice. Suggestion: Fly into Dublin - tour Ireland - fly Dublin or Belfast to Glasgow or Edinburgh, then slowly head south to London.
Exactly how many places you can visit depends on how many nights you have, recommended minimum 2 nights per location.
Wales may need a car.
How about, if you are time limited:
Look for the Book "Britain by Britrail" to study the routes available. There are different rail lines available. Arriva is one of the main rail line in Wales. Scotland has a few excursion trains. We drove extensively throughout Great Britain and did not find it that difficult ; my husband drove stick shift and while I navigated. Wales is definitely easier to visit with an auto with a zigg zagg seacoast and hairpin mountain roads...the only hazard was having to stop for sheep. Edinburgh to London with a stopover in York can be a time saver on rail; but I enjoyed visiting all the Great Estates such as Chatsworth in the Midlands. I don't think the train is a real money saver for 2 or more people when you give up convenience of visiting all the quaint out of the way places. You don't need a car in London. You'll only really want 2 days in Edinburgh and then it's more fun to get out in the countryside. Look at Visit Scotland Web site; Historic Scotland and Secret Scotland. For Wales and England check National Trust UK and English Heritage web sites. Driving on the left is not a problem...just follow the traffic flow. Skip Ireland for another time or fly on a bargain flight from London at the end of your trip.
