Expert: Willie Wallace - 6/3/2010

Question
hello willie,my party of 3 will be arriving at gatwick on 9/9/2010 and will be travelling to edinburgh by train.my questions are 1.which trains do i take from gatwick to edinburgh.2can i purchase my tickets online-i live in the caribbean or 3.can i purchase tickets on the same day 4.if i purchase tickets online and my chartered flight is delayed, will i be able to use  my tickets the next day-10/9/2010.thank you

Answer
Hello Suraj,

Trains from Edinburgh leave from London Kings Cross.  Take a train into either Waterloo or Victoria and the underground (tube) to Kings Cross.  There is an express train in from Gatwick, but that is is usually more expensive than a normal (slower) train.  You should check out

http://www.thetrainline.com

Normally I would say buy the tickets in advance, as they tend to rise in price as they sell out.  Flights are the same these days.

I checked for your dates and the single ticket from Gatwick to Edinburgh was GBP117 which seems an awful lot to me.  I also checked a train for week after next and it was much cheaper,  Very odd.  

You would be cheaper flying.  http://www.easyjet.com have flights including one bag in the hold (up to 20Kg)and one carry on bag, for less than GBP50 single.  Less than 1 hour and 30 minutes flight, too,instead of all day with the train.

I am normally the first to advise scenic train journeys and the advantage to the environment of taking trains, but when the flight is going to cost you GBP150 and the train is going to cost you GBP350 )and it is not an especially scenic journey apart from the clifftop ride before and after berwick), both for three people, you could offset your carbon emissions on the flight for GBP15-20 and still save a fortune.

You can purchase on the day, assuming there are available seats, but as there are trains very 30-60 minutes.  I think if you purchase online, unless it is an Open Ticket which costs more, then you have to use it on the day it is purchased for.

I hope that helps.  If you need to rent a car when you reach Scotland -

http://www.celticlegend.co.uk/car

All the best,

Willie Wallace