TRAVELLING IN SCOTLAND

Scotrail offers 1400 miles of railway track throughout Scotland. There are a variety of direct services from London to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Fort William, Inverness and good InterCity rail connections to the area from all main UK stations. The main operators from London to Scotland are Great North Eastern Railways (GNER) and Virgin.

The east coast service, operated by GNER, operates from London's Kings Cross via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Newcastle and onto Edinburgh. From Edinburgh there is a regular service between Glasgow, Lothian region, Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen. Both Perth and Aberdeen offer connections to Inverness and, from there, services operate to Wick, Thurso and the Kyle of Lochalsh near Skye.

Glasgow opens the door to the west coast covering Oban, Fort William and Mallaig at the southern access to Skye. If travelling either to or from Ireland, Glasgow is reached from Stranraer harbour. More details can be obtained from your British Rail station or travel agent.

All services depart daily. The journey time from Kings Cross to Edinburgh is around 4 hours and from Euston to Glasgow around 5 hours. Edinburgh to Aberdeen is about 2½ hours and Aberdeen to Inverness is a relaxing 2 hours. From Inverness to Wick and Thurso the journey is between 4 - 5 hours depending on the train taken.

Edinburgh and Glasgow
A half-hourly ScotRail shuttle service runs between Edinburgh and Glasgow in just 50 minutes and other express services link Edinburgh and Glasgow with Stirling, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Sleeper Services
ScotRail operate InterCity sleeper services, e.g. The Caledonian Sleeper, from London to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William every night from Sunday to Friday, offering air-conditioned cabins for one or two passengers. Sleeper reservations can be made at any mainline station or rail-appointed travel agents as well as at railway booking offices in Europe.

Rail Fares

There are a range of fares available on most domestic rail routes.
Saver Return Tickets are valid for journeys made the same day or within one month. No restrictions.
SuperSaver Return Tickets are valid for 1 month with certain restrictions.
Apex must be booked at least 7 days in advance. Valid only on certain trains.
SuperApex must be booked at least 14 days in advance. Subject to availability.
Children accompanied under 5 years travel free. 5-15 years inclusive travel at ½ fare.
There are also a full range of special offer fares that are available at certain times of the year; these will be advertised in the local press or with your travel agent. OLS Travel will be happy to assist you with organising tranportation.