Three Day Trip To Scotland ?

Hi , I'm going to be in England this summer for a summer camp and I was thinking about visiting Scotland but I'll only have a weekend to do this trip. I was planning to take a train from London to Edinburgh on Friday and come back on Sunday. But I'd also like to see Highlands as well, so is it possible for me to take another train to Inverness from Edinburgh after a day in Edinburgh ?

To sum up I'm planning :

-London-Edinburgh [ Thursday afternoon via train (It's 4.5 hours I guess ? ) ]

Friday : Edinburgh

• Edinburgh-Inverness [ Friday night via train ( 3.5 - 4 hours ? )

Saturday : Inverness ( Loch Ness? , Cawdor Castle? , Highland Wildlife Park?, Eilean Donan Castle ? )

• Inverness-London [ Sunday morning via train ]

So what do you think ? Is it possible ? Any suggestions ?

( by the way I'm 16 years old and going to get a BritRailYouthPass )

What do you want to see in the way of highlands? Inverness is just this fairly big town on some flat land too far from any high hills to see them. Loch Ness is one of the most boring lochs in Scotland, just this big monster shtick. Eilean Donan is a loooong way from Inverness. Inverness is the gateway to some wonderful bits of the highlands, but only if you have the transport and the time. Stirling (or even Glasgow) sits just as close to nice highland scenery, with denser transport links to get there. Consider visiting Loch Lomond/ Trossachs area if is actually scenery you want to see. Or taking a train on the highland line out of Glasgow to somewhere like Tyndrum or Crianlarich, in daylight to be able to look out of the window. Or get off the Edi-Inver train somewhere actually highlandish like Blair Atholl. Remember it may well be raining or grey and glowering.

You are going to spend far more time seeing the inside of a train than you will seeing Scotland so if that's your plan you're doing well. If you actually want to see a bit of Scotland, and if you've only got Friday - Sunday, then make Edinburgh (or somewhere nearby) your base and have a trip out on Saturday (perhaps across the Forth Bridge - St Andrews?, Perth and Dundee? or perhaps as Iviehoff suggests via Glasgow) and make you way back to London on Sunday afternoon.

Yeah , I think you are right. I just have this very limited time and I also don't know where to go and what to see. I just wanted to see Hinghlands as well :P

Butn after reading some comments on other travelling forums to the same question, I think I have to research more.Thanks for warning me :) I realise now it is nearly impossible to go Edinburgh and Inverness , I have to choose one of them. And after reading Iviehoff's comment , I think it wouldn't be logical for me to go to Inverness. I think best to do will be spending my time in Edinburgh.

Thanks again Mike9 and Iviehoff , I really appreciate your comments :)

There are other ways of getting to Scotland other than train. Air flights can be just as cheap depending upon when you book. Also may depend upon which part of London you are starting out from. There is also the bus - overnight will give you extra time in Scotland but can be tiring the next day.

If you climb Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, you can see the Highlands, albeit in the distance.

For scenery from a train, I'd suggest Glasgow to Oban or Fort William. Edinburgh to Glasgow is about 1 hr by train, with at least 2 or 3 trains per hour. Glasgow to Oban or Fort William takes about 3 hours, with only 2 or 3 trains per day.

It might be cheaper to buy invidual tickets, ideally 12 weeks ahead of time, when advance purchase tickets go on sale. Also, consider Caledonian Sleeper Bargain Berths, as cheap ats £19 each way London / Edinburgh or Glasgow for ticket, which includes berth in a cabin with 2 bunks, so yopu may have to share with a stranger of the same sex, plus a sbnack breakfast with hot drink just before you reach Glasgow or Edinburgh. I'm pretty sure you can't use a Britrail Pas for this, but as you're getting a night's bed & breakfast for £19, that doesn't really matter.

A day trip to Stirling might be something to think about. Its only an hour from Edinburgh so less travelling time. It has a castle you can visit and if you go on an organised tour instead of the train they might take you to the countryside as well. There are a few companies that organise backpacker day trips. Rabbie's is the one I remember but there are others.

What is it you want to see? Nature?

See also http://www.britrail.com for trains.

Consider going to Glasgow instead of Edinburgh - it's less touristy.