Cheapest way from Edinburgh to London

  • Thread starter Thread starter mk1_salami
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mk1_salami

mk1_salami

I'm booked to go to london on the 2nd of May for a couple of nights and i'm exploring different ways to get there. The best way seems to be to fly and that'll be around £100 as far as I can make out, but I've had people at work saying the train can be mega cheap? Its a 4 hour journey which isnt too bad at all, but all the places I've checked seem to be ridiculously priced (around £150-200 return).

The Megabus is £7 return. Yes, SEVEN pounds! But I really don't fancy sitting on a Bus for 9 and a half hours.

Does anyone have any tips for cheaper trains or somewhere i've not checked?
 
Avensis


Honestly, I'd fly. You should be able to find some sort of deal? £100 sounds a little on the dear side
 
There are cheap train tickets out there.

Me and a couple of mates went to London for a few days in September '09. The train to London Euston from Manchester going on a Thursday was £8 and the return journey on a Sunday was £11. That was with Virgin and only took a tad over 2 hours each way.

Iirc, I think he booked the tickets with Thetrainline.com
 
If you want cheap train tickets then you need to book singles on specific trains, works out a hell of a lot cheaper than buying open returns.
 
mk1_salami said:
Its a 4 hour journey which isnt too bad at all,
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I've taken the train a couple of times and the best I've managed was about 7 hours, maybe I've just been unlucky but I certainly wouldn't count on a trip that quick.

Do you have to go to a particular airport in London? You can fly with Easyjet to London Stansted for under £50 return if you don't check in a case (i.e. have hand luggage only which isn't too bad for a couple of nights) or London Gatwick for under £50 also. That's with a couple of minutes searching, you've still got to get to and from the airports but it should be way quicker than train or Megabus.
 
I do the same journey quite often. Flying is the easiest and cheapest I have found.

Easyjet fly to LGW, LTN or STN.
BA and BMI to LHR.
 
semi-pro waster said:
I've taken the train a couple of times and the best I've managed was about 7 hours, maybe I've just been unlucky but I certainly wouldn't count on a trip that quick.

Do you have to go to a particular airport in London? You can fly with Easyjet to London Stansted for under £50 return if you don't check in a case (i.e. have hand luggage only which isn't too bad for a couple of nights) or London Gatwick for under £50 also. That's with a couple of minutes searching, you've still got to get to and from the airports but it should be way quicker than train or Megabus.
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For £7 i would be tempted to take a bus. £90 is a fair whack of money ofr the sake of a few extra hours and you can always have a kip.
 
You do not sleep on a Megabus. They run some of the oldest buses which smell, break down and are cramped. You would rest more on a pack bus in the Bolivian jungle.
 
You dont actually need any ID to fly from Edinburgh to London.

Its an hour flight, but tbh id rather catch the train as you end up hanging around in the airports for longer than the flight time.

Friends have taken that cheap bus and said never again, aparently the legroom is terrible
 
Though you don't need ID a lot of airline request you have it though when doing online check in or self checkin you rarely need to show it. There are certain trains that don't stop as often as other which means they are quicker. It is far more comfortable, you can use your phone and wifi and the catering is a lot better. Having said that I would still fly, with no luggage you can turn up 30 mins before flight (online check in) fly for 1 hour, get the LHR express or tube and be in central london within 2 hours from arriving at the airport.
 
Dude I did London to Liverpool on a megabus a few years ago. I have not been on a coach nor bus since. That's how bad it was. /thread
 
megabus is literally a park bench on a bus though isn't it?

having looked at the prices before, i concluded that flying was almost the same price as taking the train (without a railcard)
so flying is probably the best option.
unless of course you want to sit on a park bench for 9 hours
 
aproctor said:
For £7 i would be tempted to take a bus. £90 is a fair whack of money ofr the sake of a few extra hours and you can always have a kip.
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Not sure where the £90 comes from but regardless I'd be happy to pay a fair chunk extra for not being on a coach that long or even a train. I used to find travelling a fascinating thing but as I've got older it becomes less and less appealing, it's just an inconvenience I've got to put up with to get to where I want to be now. Also being relatively tall it's a choice between 1 hour cramped on the plane, 4+ hours cramped on the train or 9+ hours on a coach - I'll take the shortest possible time stuck in a seat where possible.

mjt said:
megabus is literally a park bench on a bus though isn't it?
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Have you been on a Megabus? I only ask as I've done it once for Dundee to Aberdeen and while it wasn't a particularly fun or comfortable experience the coaches themselves are no better or worse than any other coach I've ever been on for a long distance.
 
i used to travel darlington to london every week (same line/train as edinburgh) and you will never ever get the train for mega cheap

it seems at the moment you can get the train for 37 quid each way if you book 3 months in advance and pick the cheapest time slot (leaving london at 7am for example) and it takes 5 hours no changes

easiest and most cost effective way will be flying. but as a cheapskate id be tempted by the megabus and sleeping tablets
 
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