Travelling from Edinburgh to London - easiest options?

Vixen

Vixen

Vixen

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Joined
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Location
Edinburgh
I'm planning a trip to London in the next couple of months and can't decide the best way to get there. It's much easier for me to get to Edinburgh airport than Haymarket or Waverly train stations, but I'll be going to central London (Wapping I think) which I believe is easier to get to via train.

So far I've found flights for £80 with BA flying in to Gatwick and home via Heathrow, and £92 for London City (at antisocial hours). Trains are around the same price - £85 to Kings Cross or £82 with a 16-25 rail card including the cost of the card. I doubt I'd use the rail card again as I almost never use public transport, so I don't see it as having any real benefit.

Does anyone have any advice about what would be the easiest thing for me to do?

Thanks,

Siobhan
 
Depends on what you like doing really. Planes are generally less comfortable but get there faster. Trains are more comfortable and have less time wasted checking in, but get there in more time. Driving is more fun but costs a bit in fuel and is probably the slowest.
 
Hallo pet, not sure if this will really help - but if you do choose the train then decide and book in advance. You'll get a hefty discount that way.
 
fly, you will only spend around an hour flying and you will get a free sandwich and drinks
 
I'll always just take the train now unless i find a really cheap ticket into london city airport. Train takes 5 hours from waverly to kings cross but when you consider a flight is going to be around an hour and a half with probably an hour spent at edin airport before hand then upwards of an hour traveling to central london from gatwick then it's six and half a dozen. For this raosn i find the train far easier. Show up at the station...sit on train....be in central london. No faffing around with airports/trains/security
 
Clum said:
I'll always just take the train now unless i find a really cheap ticket into london city airport. Train takes 5 hours from waverly to kings cross but when you consider a flight is going to be around an hour and a half with probably an hour spent at edin airport before hand then upwards of an hour traveling to central london from gatwick then it's six and half a dozen. For this raosn i find the train far easier. Show up at the station...sit on train....be in central london. No faffing around with airports/trains/security
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Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I'm going to Paris next week and chose the train option even though it's about 2 hours longer door to door. Far far nicer experience. Flying's just rubbish these days.
 
Depends on your tolerance for boredom and patience threshold. But my choice would easily be plane. Quick journey, varied because of check in / lounge / being able to move about etc. City airport will get you to Wapping very quickly. Don't bother with Heathrow - other side of London. Train must be at least 6 hours and no scope for moving around, which personally would drive me crazy. Ultimately its going on your preference for sitting still for 6 hours, or not sitting still for 6 hours!
 
Flying is awful these days. Train gets my vote as a much more [the word escapes me] way.

Argh! I hate when that happens. There's a specific word I want to use and there is no other word that means the same. The closest I can think of is civilised, but that's not it.

Edit : Urbane.
 
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MarkDavis said:
...varied because of check in / lounge / being able to move about etc.
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Wow, you consider that a good thing? Flying is just a load of annoying short bits where you waste time - getting to airport, checking in, security, boarding, flying, customs, finding bag, getting from airport... It's just a pain.

Going Bristol to Paris on Eurostar gives you 1hr30 of useful time on the UK train, then 2hr20 of very comfy, quiet, useful (with power point etc.) on the Eurostar. I can get good work done when taking the train. Can't rely on getting anything done when flying.
 
The Halk said:
Flying is awful these days.
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What is awful about it?

clv101 said:
Wow, you consider that a good thing? Flying is just a load of annoying short bits where you waste time - getting to airport, checking in, security, boarding, flying, customs, finding bag, getting from airport... It's just a pain.

Going Bristol to Paris on Eurostar gives you 1hr30 of useful time on the UK train, then 2hr20 of very comfy, quiet, useful (with power point etc.) on the Eurostar. I can get good work done when taking the train. Can't rely on getting anything done when flying.
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too right, sitting on a train from Edinburgh all the way to London would be so boring

Train: 5 1/2 hrs travel in a relatively confined area

or

fly: check-in (online saves you time), 45mins at the bar or cafe, 15mins boarding , 1 1/2 hrs flying
 
-TNT- said:
lol @ people saying flying is bad; its the cheapest, best and most convienient its ever been IMO
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I've been regularly flying around Europe with work for around 8 years now, and in the last couple of years its been rubbish. Most convenient its ever been? Not in my experience, not even close.

I now take Eurostar whenever I can. Cheapest? Not for flights that are at decent times, EasyJet's £50 Bristol-Paris is mid afternoon?! Air France fly early morning and early evening... far more convenient but considerably more expensive than Eurostar.
 
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