Need to plan a route : Edinburgh , Scotland to Sittingbourne , Kent.

July 25, 2004 3:47 PM

Need to plan a route : Edinburgh , Scotland to Sittingbourne , Kent .

Up until yesterday i didnt even know where kent was, so i'm needing some help here , i dread going by coach , it will take days.
I have no clue whatsoever how to get around the area at all so i'd really like some help.

posted by sgt.serenity to travel & transportation (5 answers total)

You might find the (accessible) rail enquiries and UK Public Transport Information sites useful. Looks like it's about a 6½ hour journey by train. You can also fly from Edinburgh to London quite cheaply (no matter what type of transport you use it will be hard to avoid going via London.)
posted by cbrody at 6:03 PM on July 25, 2004

Take either the plane or the train from Edinburgh to London - but note that the plane will be quicker and probably more reliable and possibly cheaper than the train; here's a page on Fodor's showing all the plane carriers. Your cheapest air carriers will likely be easyJet and RyanAir.

I believe you need to get to London Victoria station to travel on to Sittingbourne. Assuming you've flown to London Gatwick airport, you can then take either the Gatwick Express fast train to Victoria or a cheaper, slower Connex suburban train. Here's Transport for London's list of airport connections.
posted by skylar at 11:29 PM on July 25, 2004

By train, it would be: Edinburgh to London King's Cross (about 4 hours); then on the London Underground, King's Cross to Victoria (allow 30+ mins in case of delays); then London Victoria to Sittingbourne (about 1 hour). In other words, it'll take most of the day. If that's inconvenient, the only quicker alternative is to fly.

If you take the train, you'll need to book at least two weeks in advance to get the cheaper fares -- otherwise it'll cost you a fortune.

One thing to be said in favour of the train is that it's a very scenic route. On the way down from Edinburgh, try and grab a window seat on the left-hand side of the train, and you'll get an excellent view of Lindisfarne, and of Durham Cathedral. If you want a cheap fare you'll have to reserve a seat on a particular train, and they probably won't let you break the journey -- but if you're getting off at Durham, let me know and I'll buy you a drink.
posted by verstegan at 12:12 AM on July 26, 2004

Easy Jet from Edinburgh to Gatwick (I've flown the route a few times for £15) then bus from Gatwick to Gillingham, and change buses there for Sittingbourne.
posted by gravelshoes at 3:03 AM on July 26, 2004

The advice about booking ahead for the train is spot-on (but applies somewhat to the planes as well.)

Note that whereas easyJet will give you a discount for booking online, the train companies will in effect penalise you. You'll find that if you phone the train company's telephone booking line and keep pressing the sales agent, cheaper prices will miraculously start appearing.

Don't give up until you've asked them at least twice "Is that really the cheapest price you have" and they've said "really, that is the cheapest".

But I'd take the plane. Train is too unreliable.
posted by skylar at 7:55 AM on July 26, 2004