Travelers typically think of the United Kingdoms as being conveniently located within a short distance of one another. However, there is definitely some distance involved in getting from the capitol of Britain to Edinburgh, much less Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Therefore, a further study is needed to determine the best way to get from London to Scotland. Plane tickets are hypothetically the fastest way to get to across the island but both the bus and train have some good points to recommend them. So here’s a quick rundown on the ways travelers can use to get across the British Isles if they don’t plan on renting a car.
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Train: Although it is certainly an attractive choice and probably the most popular one, train travel can be quite expensive, particularly at the last moment when fares could be double or triple what the going rate is for airfare between London and destinations in Scotland. However, the train companies do sell reserved seats for overnight journeys that so that travelers can make the long journey while they’re asleep. Once again, the tickets are fairly affordable when booked in advance. Even so, the most affordable overnight train fares are not exactly a cheap choice and they sell out very quickly for certain dates.
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Bus: Both National Express and Megabus run fairly reasonably priced overnight services from London to all points further north. Purchasing tickets in advance, especially with Megabus, can certainly garner attractive deals of only £1 for certain routes. Despite the fact that neither company has a particularly wonderful online reputation, these two options are great for people on a budget, particularly those that have the ability to sleep upright. Megabus additionally runs a slightly more expensive “gold” level service where travelers can book a berth for the entire 10 to 12 hour ride to Scotland, which generally has good reviews. However, the caveat to this is that people who don’t book far enough in advance could end up sharing a cramped berth with strangers and sometimes larger people find these bunks to be a bit cramped.
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Flying: If one purchases these far enough in advance, comparatively cheap fares can be found from London to places like Inverness and Edinburgh. However, some airlines such as Easy Jet have very strict luggage requirements that can end up costing travelers with a lot of bags just as much as some of the more expensive modes of transportation. People that plan on flying from one end of the UK to the other should additionally take into account the cost of getting from the city center to the airports, most of which are located some distance outside of London, and amount of time they will need to arrive prior to their flights. However, the plane rides themselves usually last about one hour and are great for travelers that don’t mind taking an 8 am or 10 pm flight.
As always, happy travels!
Sources: Megabus; National Express; Skyscanner; The Train Line; The Man in Seat 61; Easy Jet
