Travel To Edinburgh from London- Road Trip

[Metaphor]

Hello All,

We’re planning a road trip from London to Edinburgh this weekend and would love some advice. Is driving a good idea, or would taking the train be a safer or more convenient option? If anyone has done this drive before, I’d really appreciate hearing about your driving experience on any safety measures to be aware of.

The weather forecast looks a bit wet, and I’ll be taking some relatives who have never visited Edinburgh before. We plan to stay for three nights and are thinking of visiting a museum and a whisky distillery while we’re there.

If you’ve been to Edinburgh or done a similar trip, I’d love to hear your recommendations. Is visiting a whisky distillery worth it, and how much does it usually cost?

Also, if you know of any must-see places or hidden gems in Edinburgh, please share!

Thanks in advance for your tips and suggestions!🙂

I live near Edinburgh and we have driven to London and back many times. We like to break the journey half way as it is a long and tedious drive. Parking is tricky in Edinburgh. I would look at getting the train or flying. You can visit a distillery in Edinburgh. A quick google will tell you where they are and prices. There are also a number of good museums and galleries which are free to visit. Again you can use google to look at things to do. It's not a cheap city but it is beautiful and there is a lot to see and do. The festival and fringe is on over August so it will be very busy and more expensive then. I would come out of season if you can. Once you firm up your plans plenty of posters will be able to help you with an itinerary.

It’s a long car journey - but an expensive train ride! It can be cheaper to fly depending on dates/ times and if booking far enough in advance. If you go by train then you can get better price by getting TwoTogether card or if going as a group then there might be better prices again. Book seats!

Recommend the castle tours with a guide

When we costed this out it was cheaper to fly than train for us . In the end after looking at the added cost of parking in central Edinburgh flying came out cheapest and obviously far quicker , although we have booked a few months in advance , so don’t know about last minute availability prices.

I would fly. The train is expensive and the drive is very long . Stop halfway is my advice.

Mainly motorway but probably a lot cheaper than train or flying. More convenient to get around outside the city.

I far prefer the train.

There is also the issue of not being able to park anywhere . Edinburgh parking is very expensive and an absolute nightmare.

It’s a long drive for only 3 nights stay! I’d train or fly for such a short trip

It’s a lovely train ride. LNER trains tend to be clean and punctual, unlike Avanti West Coast!!! Gorgeous coastal views as you progress beyond Newcastle.

Ryanair from Stansted can be very cheap indeed.

I would take train but it's short notice at this point so might be very expensive. We've never managed the drive in less than about 8 hours, once you stop for fuel/food/toilet. We try to stop in a nice town instead of services, takes longer but breaks up the tedious drive.

If you live on the North side of London, look at getting the train from Stevenage - tickets can be a lot cheaper than from Kings Cross.

In addition to LNER there is also a service called Lumo which goes direct to Edinburgh and is cheaper (but also a more basic train, eg no buffet car).

I would much prefer to get the train than drive. You've probably left it too late to get the cheapest Advance tickets though.

If there's 3 to 9 of you and you travel offpeak, you should qualify for groupsave which gets you a third off.

Train is the quickest, and most relaxing. City centre to city centre in around 4hr30min. Flying takes longer with check-in/security and travel to airports etc. The drive is long. I love train travel though.
Shame you've just missed 2 months of solid sunshine and zero rain. We're back to our usual 4 seasons in a day summer weather, bring a raincoat! Too windy for umbrellas usually.

In terms of things to do I recommend mooching along the Royal Mile from the castle to Holyrood or vice versa. Loads of shops and cafes to take shelter from the rain if needed. Take in Cockburn Street, Victoria Street, the Grassmarket, Candle maker Row with Greyfriar's Bobby and Kirk. That brings you out by the Museum. These things are all close together, very walkable, quirky shops and cafes everywhere.

Mary King's Close is a pretty unique Edinburgh thing, tour under the streets, there are other underground tours. There are several museums/historic attractions on the Royal Mile, many free. Scroll around on Google maps.

Expect changeable weather, regardless of forecast.

Train is less stressful, book the quiet carriage. You don’t need a car in Edinburgh and there is a Ulez restriction in the city centre. The National Museum of Scotland is free and varied(go to roof for great view of the castle) . Holyrood Palace worth a visit and .Royal Yacht at Leith even if you are not that interested in the Royal family. Climb Arthurs’ seat or Calton Hill for a view. The castle is overpriced and crowded but you may get concessions with English Heritage or NT membership but book in advance.

Hm, it's too last minute to buy train tickets unless you don't mind paying alot of money for last min train fare. The drive is long but at least you can leave early and some can snooze if they get bored. Either take turns driving to avoid sleepiness or stop halfway. If you can afford it the train would be the best way as its comfortable, the scenery is stunning once you get past Durham - coast line just beautiful (sit on the right hand side)

Edinburgh has distillery but you can also just enjoy flights of whisky tasting at many of the picturesque pubs, will be charged a premium but when in Rome!

National museum is great and free, or the art galleries. You've not got long there to see it if two days are taken up by driving though!

The Scottish storytelling Centre on the Royal Mile is a gem, see if they have something on as they often have free ceilidh band playing on a weekend in their cafe.

It depends, we have bought tickets just a week ahead and not overly expensive if you are flexible on times. Also consider a railcard like Two Together to reduce cost as it pays for itself on the one trip.

The prettiest distilleries are in the north of Scotland. I would leave that for another time. There are some fun whiskey tours inside the city, though. It’s going to rain this weekend, maybe head to the Jonnie Walker experience on Princes Street and you will be warm and dry.

And, yes, train every time. If you can stretch to first class then you get wined and dined all the way. Upgrade is not too steep with a senior rail card if anyone is over 55.

Senior railcard eligibility is over 60

At this short notice, train is expensive and it is a long drive. However, if you do need to drive, it is doable … Take the A1 and stop at Newark, York, Durham or Newcastle and then its not too bad from there to Edi.

Sorry, was thinking of Club 55 which does offer discounts but maybe just in Scotland.

I'm surprised by this. I used to go for work and found Edinburgh surprisingly small, quiet and easy to drive round for capital city. I used to park between Holyrood House and Arthur's seat for a few quid and walk around from there.

But I agree it's a long way to drive for the weekend as it will take pretty much a day each way, so I'd either fly or take the train, both of which are quicker.

What time exactly do you have available? What do you mean by 'safety measures'? Obviously you need to make sure the car and drivers are up to long drives and be aware there's long stretches in the borders without fuel stops.

But if you want to make a road trip of it, I would set off early Friday morning, see York on the way up, also the east coast in the borders area but on the way back you can go cross the A720 to the M74 and down the west side before back over the A66 through the Pennines to the A1 or M1, which often can be quicker and a much nicer drive as spectacular scenery.

But if you can't leave London until Friday pm, I'd train or fly, otherwise you'll be doing hardly anything except driving.

Just don't!! It's at least 8 hours of non-stop driving and Edinburgh is seriously restricted for parking.
3 nights only gives you 2 days in Edinburgh and 2 days on the road.
Have you checked you can even get any accommodation?