My cousins and I are planning to visit our ancestral home in Scotland next summer. We are thinking of traveling by train from London's Heathrow Airport to Edinburgh, Scotland. Does anyone have any experience taking the train between those two end points. It looks like we'll have to take one train from the airport and connect with another train somewhere to Edinburgh.

Thanks.

If at all possible, it would be much simpler, and most likely quicker to fly. Without knowing your dates and arrival times you will generally have to change at London Paddington, cross London, to Kings Cross then another train to Edinburgh. There are variations. Best site to check train times and prices is thetrainline.com. Time will be in region of six hours. Hope this helps. Good luck. BTW the earlier you book trains the cheaper they are, booking on the day is always more expensive.

kenmoore,

Not sure if the train ride is part of the vacation/adventure so what follows may be irrelevant.

If you plan to arrive in London and stay a day or two before traveling to Edinburgh, you may want to consider flying. There is a regional airline called FLYBE that has routes from London City Airport(LCY),which is downtown direct to Edinburgh. The cost appears to be pretty reasonable. Just a suggestion.

Thanks for your comments. I have just heard from Rail Europe where I have previously bought train tickets for France and Germany travel. They indicated that we can take the Underground (the Tube) directly from Heathrow to Kings Cross station in London where we can then pick up the train to Edinburgh. It sounds like a fun alternative - zipping through the English & Scottish countryside in the comfort of the train. However, money and convenience are always a factor. Still, planning the trip is half the fun.

I love the planning part too.
If you haven't done London tubes before be aware that some of them mean you have to use several sets of escalators. Lifts should be available but aren't always easy to find. There is a five minute walk from Heathrow terminal 5 to the tube there and a seven minute walk on arrival at Kings Cross. No trollies are available at tube stations to help with your luggage. This might not be an issue for you, but needs to be considered for some. If you have not prepaid you will need pounds sterling. Dollars not acceptable anywhere generally speaking, though a few very touristy areas in London and Edinburgh might at a poor exchange rate. The trams are now working in Edinburgh, at last, hurrah. Have fun and I hope you find out some interesting family history.

I am just going to comment on the train part...We stayed in London first, then took the train to Edinburgh. We reserved our tickets in advance, easy peasy. You just have to avoid the crowds at Kings Cross who are taking pictures at Platform 9 3/4. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> We did first class and the quiet car. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> Loved the ride through the countryside, up the coast... Maybe it is because I am a huge Who fan, but the line "out of my brain on the train" from Quadrophenia ("5:15") kept running through MY brain...

Nutmeg � LOL

Last time I was in London, our day was a quest for two young co-workers who wanted to be photographed at King�s Cross - Track 9 �. I had no idea what they were talking about, but went along for the adventure. When we arrived, I learned this is where you catch the Hogwarts Express. Still clueless while waiting in line for the photo I got a complete Cliff�s Note version of Harry Potter.



Riding the train from Portsmouth then spending the day on the tube going place to place, and then back on the train to Portsmouth that night, I too found myself singing or humming parts of Quadrophenia. We walked out of the train station in Portsmouth, which is right on the sea, and with rain drops on our faces and the smell of the ocean in the air, I had to say to my travel companions, �I can't sleep and I lay and I think Oh God, I need a drink of cool cool rain.�



They gave me a puzzled look and I said it was a like Harry Potter thing to which I got a shrug and a look saying the old man is cracking up.

Quadrophenia IMHO is the Who at their best. To this day, I love to sit in and listen to it in its entirety - loud and non-stop. That usually means I am home alone. Can you see the real me�

Back on topic� After a day of travel and time change, I would still recommend to kenmoore (or anyone) a couple down days in London before heading to Edinburgh on the 5:15.

"Quadrophenia IMHO is the Who at their best. To this day, I love to sit in and listen to it in its entirety - loud and non-stop. That usually means I am home alone. Can you see the real me�"

Well, now I know how I'm going to spend the evening...Love, Reign O'er me...

I hope you enjoyed and if played correctly so did your neighbors <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />

albeit it was probably with a glass of red wine... ahh how times have changed <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Keith and John are gone, but this 2013 live performance is still pretty hot. Quadrophenia or what some call "the overture".