Best way to move daughter into Edinburgh halls from West London

[Pigeonpair1]

Hello all, my daughter is starting at Edinburgh in a couple of weeks and I’m just debating the best way to get up there with all the kit (from West London). I am mostly tempted to drive as I like the idea of just putting everything in the car and going door to door but of course I know it’s a very long drive and probably sensible to stop overnight. Then there’s flying but that will likely involve paying for extra bags etc and I just find it all a bit of a hassle! Lastly, there is the train option but I’m sure they will be limits on how much you can take.She is in Halls so no need for kitchen stuff, but I expect they will still be a lot! In terms of manpower it will be me, my daughter and my son who is coming to help (sadly my husband died a few years ago) I’d love some advice on what current and former Edinburgh parents did and what fresher are planning to do!! many thanks

Thank you all so much – this is all being really useful – especially which roads to use!!

On a transport-related note, make sure your DD applies for a young Scot card as soon as she gets there - that will give her free bus travel in Scotland until she is 22.

There is a Facebook group called Parents of Students at the University of Edinburgh which is really helpful especially in 1st year. The unikitout service mentioned above got a pasting on there the other day

Dd is in Aberdeen we are in Plymouth, for first year we drove (had 2 of us driving), 3 day trip 1 day up, 1 day moving in settling, 1 day home. Her stuff has stayed you there for yr 2 and dd and I are flying up to settle her into her new room. For holidays she has I posted boxes back to home (2 boxes for the month at Christmas) which was much cheaper than hold luggage!

Oh yes! The young Scot card is brilliant. DD turns 22 in October and will miss it!

I settled my daughter into Lancaster last year (driving a small van load!). They needed kitchen stuff, not sure if Edinburgh different. But there’s always more stuff they want to take than you realise. I’d drive and stay over but get your accommodation booked soon as a lot of people do the same. She goes to Madrid next year for last 2 years and I’m already planning a lovely road trip lol with her stuff.

I would hate to drive that distance within a couple of days so would have already booked train tickets and arranged to send her belongings via Shiply.

I think that would be reasonable for future trips. But there is something nice about taking that road trip to see your child off to university and see their halls and new city (even if only briefly). It is quite a step into the next stage of life and sharing a day driving there can be quite special. The return trip
may be a bit melancholic, though sharing it with the younger sibling is itself an opportunity to develop the new family dynamics.

Though that isn’t a particularly practical consideration!

You’ll have to drive, surely? Even without kitchen equipment and an old school stereo these days, there’s still too much to carry. You will need to stop overnight, yes. I would say do most of the drive on day 1 then stop north of Newcastle, and a couple of hours to add the next morning. Then drive home a less direct way and have a couple of nights away to reduce the pain of leaving your tiny baby x

Oh yes this.

DS went to a uni that was very close so we had a v short drive, and it was in late-Covid times so I had very little time in the room with him; but it was still special as the end of one era and the start of a new one.

@Pigeonpair1 I meant to add that obvs you will need to stay over so yy book somewhere soon. If you have the car you can book somewhere out of town which may be cheaper. A friend of mine had DC at two very far-flung unis and she was well versed in their local Premier Inns after three years each,

I ordered bedding and stuff to click and collect at the destination and took the rest by train (2 people carrying). Taxi to accommodation

We used UniKitOut once but in different circumstances; DS on placement for eight weeks and Airbnb uni halls was best price but no stuff. We factored the cost of a basic box (with 20% discount) into the stay and it was still the cheapest option by quite a lot. For us it was worth the convenience. DS had very little time for shopping. But the duvet and pillows weren’t great so unless you are arriving late better to get those elsewhere. And as those are the main things you need immediately the box probably isn’t worth it in most circumstances. The rest of the contents were mostly ok quality but you could manage without nearly all the rest until you had time to get to the shops or order online. We didn’t order it in freshers week so no idea how they manage in more rushed times of year.

Friend did this from farther away, she drove each time. A very long drive, stopped for a decent lunch break then cracked on, stayed in Edinburgh for a couple of nights then drove back.

^^ was in reply to this

Personally I'd get the train, but also just buy anything she needs in Edinburgh. You could do a big order on asda George (or preferred shop) and set it to collect in Edinburgh.

We’ve found that the drive over the years becomes part of the fun. We all look forward to coffee and a mooch in the farm shop at Teebay and it has made us reevaluate driving distances. Driving to Yorkshire etc from ours in SE is nothing now.

I think driving is the easiest if you like it. I took my DD up to Glasgow University from London- I don't drive, so we went by train with a couple of massive suitcases and ordered everything to be collected up there and did some shopping too. But she also knew someone else coming up so she got them to bring up some of her stuff in their car too - they did it in one go iirc.

My daughter went to Edinburgh. For family reasons we couldn’t take her, and she’d done a gap year so was quite independent. She flew alone from Gatwick with a case in the hold, and kind parents of another student from her school took a bag of stuff in their car. We did a Tesco grocery shop to arrive that afternoon (which went to another flat in the Uni accommodation but she got it back) we bought the uni bedding and she had money to go John Lewis for nicer stuff later, and a few weeks later we couriered her bicycle as she was missing it. You can make it work.

What I do recommend is a visit when she’s half way through this term - we went up early to mid-November and there were a lot of parents in the hotel by The Meadows. It is a LONG first term.

You misunderstand. Of course I would be going with her on the first trip! Just not driving it, it's something like 7 hours or more and then you have to drive back.

When my DD moved to Glasgow from London after University she (and my dh) assumed we would be driving her up. At that point I said no, we'll pay for your belongings to be moved - it was something like £100 whereas the alternative would have been at least two tanks of petrol and an Air BnB for the night for me and DH and 14 hours of driving. But we'd done all the University to-ing and fro-ing before then.

I take your point that going by train would also be a joint trip. But if you can afford it (time as well as petrol/accommodation) then I still think driving is nicer and potentially a lot
less stressful with a large load of luggage, especially across London. But maybe my recent train journeys has distorted my view. Also for more than two people I don’t actually find the train much cheaper, even with an extra overnight stay driving.

You STILL misunderstand me. The belongings are going separately. I did say all this in my post, don't know how I could have made it any clearer. Child and parent go on the train together.

My London friends who had a son going to Glasgow and no car went up with him on the train and did a quick trip to Ikea or Argos or somewhere on the day. His clothes and everything else he needed had to go in a couple of suitcases with them.

100% drive. 3 x train fares plus taxis will be £££ and not convenient. Plus she is limited to what will fit in a car.

Some of the big nationwide car rental companies do one way rentals where you can pick up from the city and drop off in another.

If your budget allows you can do that, saves wear and tear on your own car, leave early in the morning, and you can fly back the same evening.

Get it over and done with in a day.

This. I took one suitcase on the national express bus. That was in the dark ages though