to think it shouldn't cost a thousand just to visit family

[number5namechange]

a few hrs away on the train?

So both me and dh don't drive due to medical issues/lack of confidence.So use public transport.

We are going to visit his family in a few weeks ( monday to Wednesday) with a grand cost of one thousand pounds!!!
That includes train fare for 2 adults and 3 kids. Premier inn with breakfast. We also have to pay for our own food when there. Some spending money ( 200)

Fair enough...lunch and dinner is still going to cost though, unless they're getting fed at relatives' homes (and this doesn't always happen!)

I travel to Aberdeen with the kids all the time (admittedly you could be a lot more north!). I don't even bother with Scotrail now because the price is far too high. Megabus always does me fine, eldest is at school so he gets a free bus card and 2yo is free. If you choose the shortest journey it's the megabus gold which is fairly comfortable. It takes about the same time as the train.

There's a lot beyond Edinburgh, most of Scotland in fact!

£30 per person per night is very good value.
£80 per person travel is expensive but not crazily so.

I think you just have to reset your expectations. If it were fewer people, and you drove, and you stayed with family, it would be a lot less. But it isn’t and that seems like a fair price for what you’re getting. £200 per person for food, travel and accommodation for 2 nights isn’t bad.

Just to clarify, single there and single back is only cheaper if they are Advance tickets, and there are limited numbers of those available per train/journey.

The single to a stop and single to the destination won't always be cheaper, but can be, it's called split ticketing and there are various websites where you can put in your journey and it will work out whether getting separate tickets for smaller parts of the trip works out cheaper overall.

no, it isn’t in the north.

Edinburgh is in the Central Lowlands.

Megabus is less than 100 Pounds for 4 of you Edinburgh to Aberdeen eg. To Inverness it is about 50 - 80 depending on time of day.

5 people would involve 2 rooms at a Premier Inn and so you would probably be better off with an AirBnb or cottages.com. Also family railcard that you can get for free if you have Tesco points

This is why I put up my family. I know on MN everyone has lots of money and would rather stay in hotels. But it makes visiting family expensive.

I've voted YABU since you're moaning about travel and hotel costs (fair enough), then bundling a (sizeable) eating out budget and spending money (discretionary). on top. If you think you shouldn't have to pay to visit distant family, just who do you think should subsidise you?

Lastly, agree public transport paid by individual ticket seems expensive compared to a tank of fuel to carry five (even with latest prices rises). But the true cost to car owners is much more than that - cost to buy the car in the first place, perhaps interest on a loan, depreciation, insurance/servicing, mot, repairs, then regular consumables such as tyres, brake pads, wipers. All that before even putting in the fuel - which may well be the only cost you're using to compare to rail tickets.

I hope you have a good trip BTW... might be less financially gutting to reframe the expenditure as a holiday....just with the bonus of seeing family while you're there.

Not read the full thread but, @number5namechange have you used the Train Split app??
It finds the cheapest way of getting you to your destination by splitting you tickets down.

No wonder a lot of Scottish people want to leave the Union when any thread about geography results in twattish, "NORTH NORTH WHAT NORTH" bollocks. Crack an atlas. There's a great deal of direction above Edinburgh.

I have to agree, we're 90 minutes north of Edinburgh, and could still drive another 4.5hr north and still be on the mainland.

I do actually feel your pain OP, but you seem to be doing things an expensive way, why not megabus then travel lodge? Can you ask family for a lift from the bus station to your hotel? And if you can use their kitchen to cook food bought at a supermarket instead of eating out all the time?

Do you have railcards? A disabled railcard gives you 1/3 off your fare and someone travelling with you.

Well said.

Who do you think SHOULD pay, OP?

£100 for less than 72 hours food?! How many people are you feeding - the entire extended family? Ditto the spending money.

Could you buy food that are meals that don't require cooking so haven't got eating out expense.or are your fam not providing any meals?
Don't suppose any air bnd is any cheaper.or even one of those upmarket hostels they have dotted around now?we camped when we did this once too.

Can you not eat at your relatives house, even if it means splitting the cost or do take-away?

5 people is a lot to put up but my family generally would put relatives up for a couple of nights, keeps the costs down enabling more visits.

A chunk of the cost is your rail travel. That is insanely expensive. But make sure you have got the cheapest possible tickets.

Take a big already cooked pasta bake/dish for the first night.one that can be eaten nicely cold.we did this cooking it in throway dish.

My family of 4 go by train to vfrom Mid Wales to Ediburgh for less than that.

Have you purchased a rail card and are you booking well ahead. It’s also way cheaper to get a train at a particular time instead of the ‘anytime’ ticket.

You’ve selected one of the most expensive train tickets though. A saver return with a specific train would be far cheaper.

I don’t know why you’re complaining. We have to stay in a hotel/B&B when we visit rellies too but I would never think to complain about it. It’s your choice to go and no one else’s. Travel costs money, same with hotels. Shock.