Edinburgh from south west England fly or train - experiences please

[mizu]

All those who have made the journey from somewhere down south up to Scotland, please help!

Planning to go up to Edinburgh in Feb half term, 2 of us. Have only driven up there once to take DD to uni at the beginning of September. I did think about driving up but with the short days and lack of parking, i have decided to fly or take the train.

DD2 and i will travel up there for 3 days. Have been looking at both flights and trains. Flights from Bristol probs as 45 mins - ish drive (have considered Birmingham but we know Bristol and DH can probably take and pick up) look to be around £100 return for both of us which seems ridiculously cheap. We would of course have to drive to the airport and then wait for 2 hours to get the 1 hour 15 mins flight.

Then the airport is about 36 mins away from the city centre.

Train would be more convenient - and 8 minutes walk from the city centre - but looks way more expensive, with ticket prices going up and down all the time - who has time to keep an eye on that!?

Looking at around £250 with a railcard that i haven't got yet!

Can you tell i am not a seasoned traveller these days?

I am looking for the cheapest option which is the flights but I a bit of a faff to get there.

What do others do? Do i keep checking the trainline website everyday, is it worth doing? Thank you for any replies that might help my current very indecisive mind :)

Bus! I dare you 😜

@Curlewwoohoo yes, agree totally which is why I was wavering so much. Just crazy that it's cheaper.

@Timeandtune looks lovely.

@ohthatstoohot now that would be cheaper.

Takes me back to the days of uni - always took the bus up to Leeds, 6 hours of joy.

There probably are coaches from Cheltenham 😉

I would defo fly.
I live in City centre of Edinburgh and regularly visit my brother who is in Portsmouth.
Flying has always been cheaper than the train and just easier.
Tram from airport to city centre is about £8 and takes you right into the Princess Street.
Also some decent priced airbnb in the Leith area where I live. Tram also goes all the way to leith.

As someone who travels south cost to Edinburgh regularly I would say fly. I drive sometimes but it’s tiring when it’s only you and you need to be careful with timings to avoid the M6 rush hour at Birmingham or Liverpool - Blackpool area. The train, sadly, is the preferred option for my employer (they just won’t recognise budget flights) and I have had more horrors than pleasant journeys. Southbound is generally fuss free but Northbound is often fraught.

I’ve found Bristol a nice enough airport but a pain to get to. Train links are awful from south coast, but driving there and parking for a few days was a good experience. Edinburgh airport is a breeze to get to.

I live way down in the west of Cornwall. We go to Edinburgh every year. The choice is 12 hours on the train or less than a 90 minute flight from Newquay. I'm afraid flying wins every single time.

I've done it the opposite way, Edin to Bristol return. Was way cheaper than the train and that was booking it the week we travelled. We flew with easy jet and there was absolutely no problems.
To get into the centre of Edin there is a tram or you can get the bus, both easy and take you right into the centre

I live near Edinburgh and when I go to anywhere in the south of England I fly. It's nearly always much cheaper than the train and usually faster food to door.

Fly - all day long
I go frequently with my two children both under 12 and tried the train once and never again! Such a long journey and flights are cheaper