Edinburgh to Nottingham June 9-11, route options?

[nitten_travell]

I need to travel from Edinburgh to Nottingham, leaving Thursday 9th June after lunch and returning Saturday 11th June, after lunch and would appreciate some advice and thoughts on the routes.

For the outward journey I can see two reasonably priced options:

1 - via Crewe, leave Edinburgh 12:52 arrive Crewe 15:57, then leave at 16:10 arrive Nottingham 17:47. £35.20 Short change at Crewe but hopefully OK.
2 - via Preston and Manchester leave Edinburgh 12:52 arrive Preston 15:15 then leave 15:23 arrive Manchester 16:11, then 16:38 arrive Nottingham 18:34. Really short change at Preston but with trainsplit the fare is a bargain £26.70

1 is a bit safer (it's an advance through ticket) but I do love a bargain. Any thoughts on one over the other? Or can anyone suggest any other reasonable options?


For the return journey most of the options are via Newark Castle/Northgate. I don't mind walking between the two (assume it's signed!) but if it's raining I don't want to be soaking wet for the journey from Northgate to Edinburgh. Are there any other reasonable change points? The only caveat is I don't like CrossCountry and will actively avoid using those trains.

 

[hexagon789]

I need to travel from Edinburgh to Nottingham, leaving Thursday 9th June after lunch and returning Saturday 11th June, after lunch and would appreciate some advice and thoughts on the routes.

For the outward journey I can see two reasonably priced options:

1 - via Crewe, leave Edinburgh 12:52 arrive Crewe 15:57, then leave at 16:10 arrive Nottingham 17:47. £35.20 Short change at Crewe but hopefully OK.
2 - via Preston and Manchester leave Edinburgh 12:52 arrive Preston 15:15 then leave 15:23 arrive Manchester 16:11, then 16:38 arrive Nottingham 18:34. Really short change at Preston but with trainsplit the fare is a bargain £26.70

1 is a bit safer (it's an advance through ticket) but I do love a bargain. Any thoughts on one over the other? Or can anyone suggest any other reasonable options?


For the return journey most of the options are via Newark Castle/Northgate. I don't mind walking between the two (assume it's signed!) but if it's raining I don't want to be soaking wet for the journey from Northgate to Edinburgh. Are there any other reasonable change points? The only caveat is I don't like CrossCountry and will actively avoid using those trains.

2. Is completely valid, the minimum connection time at Preston is 8 mins.

 

[Nottingham59]

For the return journey most of the options are via Newark Castle/Northgate. I don't mind walking between the two (assume it's signed!) but if it's raining I don't want to be soaking wet for the journey from Northgate to Edinburgh. Are there any other reasonable change points? The only caveat is I don't like CrossCountry and will actively avoid using those trains.

On the West Coast route, you sometimes get good change points at Warrington (walking from Bank Quay to Central with hourly direct trains to Nottingham). Otherwise Crewe or Preston/Manchester as you have found.

On the East Coast route, you could investigate going via Leeds. I've had really good value advances from Northern on Nottingham-Leeds service. Don't know about TPE beyond that. Northern to Carlise can be very cheap too: scenic, but takes ages.

 

[Haywain]

On the East Coast route, you could investigate going via Leeds. I've had really good value advances from Northern on Nottingham-Leeds service. Don't know about TPE beyond that. Northern to Carlise can be very cheap too: scenic, but takes ages.

Going via Sheffield and Doncaster is another option.

 

[nitten_travell]

2. Is completely valid, the minimum connection time at Preston is 8 mins.

Thanks, exactly on the limit! Hopefully the train from Edinburgh won't be delayed though.

you could investigate going via Leeds.

Didn't think of this, thank you.

Sheffield and Doncaster is another option

Risk with Sheffield is ending up on a Voyager but I'll try to make trainsplit avoid CrossCountry!

 

[hexagon789]

Thanks, exactly on the limit! Hopefully the train from Edinburgh won't be delayed though.

Platform 4 to Platform 2 (assuming no platform alterations), just up over the bridge a little. Easily done in 2-3 mins.

 

[_toommm_]

Thanks, exactly on the limit! Hopefully the train from Edinburgh won't be delayed though.



Didn't think of this, thank you.



Risk with Sheffield is ending up on a Voyager but I'll try to make trainsplit avoid CrossCountry!

via Doncaster and Sheffield, most of the trains Doncaster to Sheffield are Northern and TPE, there’s not many XC via Donny these days.

 

[Failed Unit]

For the return journey most of the options are via Newark Castle/Northgate. I don't mind walking between the two (assume it's signed!) but if it's raining I don't want to be soaking wet for the journey from Northgate to Edinburgh. Are there any other reasonable change points? The only caveat is I don't like CrossCountry and will actively avoid using those trains.

The walk is fairly logical to do if you follow the road. But appreciate that the rain can present a problem and a taxi adds up the overall fare.

If you don't mind the double change then it may be worth changing at Grantham?

 

[Nottingham59]

If you don't mind the double change then it may be worth changing at Grantham?

I've never been able to get good value advances going via Grantham to head North. Probably because the Edinburgh trains stop only at Newark.

 

[92002]

I need to travel from Edinburgh to Nottingham, leaving Thursday 9th June after lunch and returning Saturday 11th June, after lunch and would appreciate some advice and thoughts on the routes.

For the outward journey I can see two reasonably priced options:

1 - via Crewe, leave Edinburgh 12:52 arrive Crewe 15:57, then leave at 16:10 arrive Nottingham 17:47. £35.20 Short change at Crewe but hopefully OK.
2 - via Preston and Manchester leave Edinburgh 12:52 arrive Preston 15:15 then leave 15:23 arrive Manchester 16:11, then 16:38 arrive Nottingham 18:34. Really short change at Preston but with trainsplit the fare is a bargain £26.70

1 is a bit safer (it's an advance through ticket) but I do love a bargain. Any thoughts on one over the other? Or can anyone suggest any other reasonable options?


For the return journey most of the options are via Newark Castle/Northgate. I don't mind walking between the two (assume it's signed!) but if it's raining I don't want to be soaking wet for the journey from Northgate to Edinburgh. Are there any other reasonable change points? The only caveat is I don't like CrossCountry and will actively avoid using those trains.

Think your problem with the return journey is the WCML is busses from Carlisle to Edinburgh. So the recommended route is via the East Coast.