UK Airport Advice
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Strange, once my reply got to a certain length the text window would jump up and down every time I typed a character!
By the time you add in the time to get to the airport (especially in London- it can take over 2 hours from the centre), plus check-in (min 2 hours before departure) it is often quicker to take the train from London to Edinburgh and you have the tremendous advantage of departing and arriving right in the centre of both cities and knowing that if the worst happens and you miss your train another will be along in an hour and you can often use the same ticket (though of course you'd lose your reserved seat). The only real advantage to flying is that if you end up sitting next to an idiot you only have to endure them for 1.5 hours instead of 5 hours/eternity on the train! For God's sake if you do take the train go to Marks & Spencers (other supermarkets are available) beforehand and stock up on sandwiches, salads and drinks as the stuff they sell on the trains is a) garbage and b) extortionate. Trust me, realising you forgot to bring supplies with you and then having to pay 16 CAD for a soggy sandwich and murky cup of coffee isn't going to make those 5 hours go by any faster! LOL
I've only been on the sleeper twice (I was 10 years old), but I did look into it a few years ago and thought it sounded rather expensive for what may well be a bad night's sleep (I'm a very light sleeper). I suppose as a visitor to the UK you weigh it up against paying for accomodation for 2 nights anyway so it becomes much more priceworthy. Could well be a good option, especially to wake up the next morning right in the city centre.
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Hi Susan,
Regarding getting from London to Edinburgh or vice versa I would recommend taking the regular train (or sleeper) over flying. The train takes about 5 hours and if the truth be told it's hit and miss regarding comfort- almost entirely down to how busy the train is (and its occupants!). If it's outside rush hour and on a weekday you may well have a quiet comfortable journey watching most England and southern Scotland pass by and maybe even have a nap for an hour or so.... or if you have to travel on a Friday and/or rush hour you may end up sharing your packed carriage with frustrated commuters, drunken stag parties (bachelor parties) and screaming kids.
The thing with getting around Britain is that trains are very expensive when you buy tickets at short notice (even more than flying), but if you book them over a month ahead you can often get very good deals- up to 70% cheaper, much cheaper than flying: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tocs_maps/tocs/gr/details.html.
My internet browser is acting weird, need to start another reply...
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Oh I should also say that when buying train tickets in the UK, even at short notice for day trips, always always always buy a return ticket if you are travelling both ways. Whereas in some countries (Sweden for example) two single tickets, there and back, will cost exactly the same as a return ticket, in Britain many train companies sell a return ticket for a little more than a single, maybe just 10 or 20% more. Presumably the "logic" is that this will encourage more people to take day trips for fun, but the reality is that its just a damn pain for tourists who end up paying almost double the price by buying single tickets before each journey.
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@jackson said:
Strange, once my reply got to a certain length the text window would jump up and down every time I typed a character!
I have the same problem. After some lines I can no longer see what I write cause the text window jumps up.
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Yes, I have the same problem as well. I had to cut my original post short.
With respect to the underground from Heathrow, is it really all that easy with luggage?
I would not have flown to Edinburgh from within the UK , I was thinking of flying in from Canada to Edinburugh and then flying home from either Heathrow or Gatwick. But the options are too limited and sadly, since I will likley only have a single day in Edinburgh, a jet lag day is probably not the best one.
I think the sleeper is a good idea Jackson, as you said, because I would have had to pay for a hotel night anyway.any further advice on anything, MUST SEE, Stay away from, good inexpensive accomodation, all that. Keep it coming. Thanks so much.
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with the underground and luggage, it depends on what time your taking it. but a trick I learnt growing up in London was, avoid the middle of the train. everyone goes to the middle. take the time to walk to the end of the platform and the carriages there have less people in / empty.
but going from London to Heathrow the tube is your best bet anyway. the traffic is murder.
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@sorgesu said:
With respect to the underground from Heathrow, is it really all that easy with luggage?
Sue - it depends on the time of day.
I would NOT recommend using the underground in rush hour with luggage!
It is a pretty shabby journey too - 45 mins to central London on uncomfortable, often overcrowded, and sometimes dirty trains.
Heathrow Express would be better - 15 mins journey on comfortable, clean, modern trains, but expensive. Notoriously the most expensive per mile cost of any mode of public transport in the world!
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@jackson said:
Oh I should also say that when buying train tickets in the UK, even at short notice for day trips, always always always buy a return ticket if you are travelling both ways.
Absolutely NOT for longer journeys such as London/Edinburgh though! IF you can book your tickets in advance it is almost always cheaper to buy two singles now. This is because the best discounts are applied on advance purchase tickets for single journeys. On very long journeys it can even be cheaper to buy separate tickets for different sections of the journey as at certain times premium fares apply to journeys that start or finish at London stations.
In any case, it will always be cheaper to book in advance - a minimum of 7 days, though the further the better. I think that advance purchase tickets are released about 2 months before the journey.
http://www.nationalexpress.com/trainslanding.aspx is the main line service provider from London to Edinburgh.
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One should noted that it is cheaper to fly to Edingborough from Luton (one of the London Airports) than to go by train.
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There's a bewildering choice of London hotels. It all depends on your priorities/travel arrangements/budget. Obviously, you know more or less what you are going to get with the big chains like Best Western or Holiday Inn. You also need to balance cost against location. There's a decent website here that allows you to search according to date and proximity to central London, along with a rough guide as to standard.
http://www.laterooms.com/en/k16295585_london-hotels.aspx
Obviously, if you see one you fancy then you can double check its ratings and reviews elsewhere. You can search in Canadian Dollars too.
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