The Tower of London on the Thames
All trip lengths

10 days

Ten days: 4 route options

Ten days lets you cross the country by rail or build around one theme. Longer legs reserve part of a day.

London, Bath, Oxford and Cambridge

The capital, then Bath’s Roman Baths, Oxford’s colleges and Cambridge’s riverside colleges.

Route
London (3) → Bath (2) → Oxford (2) → Cambridge (3)
Pace
Steady. Four bases; the legs take up part of three days.
Best season
April to September
Suits
First-time visitors, History lovers, Rail travellers

Months scoring 3 or more of 4 for comfort (temperature, rain days, sunshine) across London, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, weighted by days. Met Office 1991-2020 averages, not a forecast.

  • Step-free access reported at 5 of 30 stops
  • 5 of 30 stops marked family-friendly in our guides

  1. Days 1 to 3 · London

    London: 3 days

    Base: London

  2. Days 4 to 5 · Bath

    Bath: 2 days

    Base: Bath

    Getting from London to Bath. By train about 1 h 14 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. It fits around a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit Bath by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

  3. Days 6 to 7 · Oxford

    Oxford: 2 days

    Base: Oxford

    Getting from Bath to Oxford. By train about 1 h 9 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. It fits around a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit Bath by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

  4. Days 8 to 10 · Cambridge

    Cambridge: 3 days

    Base: Cambridge

    Getting from Oxford to Cambridge. By train about 2 h 27 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. Allow half a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit Cambridge by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

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London to Edinburgh by rail

London, York and Edinburgh by train, with more days in each.

Route
London (3) → York (3) → Edinburgh (4)
Pace
Relaxed. Three bases and a day or two in each.
Best season
April to September
Suits
First-time visitors, Rail travellers

Months scoring 3 or more of 4 for comfort (temperature, rain days, sunshine) across London, York, Edinburgh, weighted by days. Met Office 1991-2020 averages, not a forecast.

  • Step-free access reported at 6 of 28 stops
  • 4 of 28 stops marked family-friendly in our guides

  1. Days 1 to 3 · London

    London: 3 days

    Base: London

  2. Days 4 to 6 · York

    York: 3 days

    Base: York

    Getting from London to York. By train about 1 h 46 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. It fits around a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit York by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

  3. Days 7 to 10 · Edinburgh

    Edinburgh: 4 days

    Base: Edinburgh

    Getting from York to Edinburgh. By train about 2 h 23 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. Allow half a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit York by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

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London, Bath and Cardiff

London, Bath’s Georgian streets, then Cardiff’s castle, St Fagans and the bay. The time we hold is to Cardiff, not the rest of Wales.

Route
London (3) → Bath (3) → Wales (4)
Pace
Steady. Three bases; the Cardiff leg takes part of a day.
Best season
April to September
Suits
Castle and history lovers, Rail travellers

Months scoring 3 or more of 4 for comfort (temperature, rain days, sunshine) across London, Bath, Wales, weighted by days. Met Office 1991-2020 averages, not a forecast.

  • Step-free access reported at 7 of 28 stops
  • 3 of 28 stops marked family-friendly in our guides

  1. Days 1 to 3 · London

    London: 3 days

    Base: London

  2. Days 4 to 6 · Bath

    Bath: 3 days

    Base: Bath

    Getting from London to Bath. By train about 1 h 14 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. It fits around a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit Bath by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

  3. Days 7 to 10 · Wales

    Wales: 4 days

    Base: Cardiff

    Getting from Bath to Wales. By train about 1 h 5 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. It fits around a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit Cardiff by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

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Liverpool, Manchester, York and Edinburgh

Four northern cities by rail, from Liverpool’s waterfront to Edinburgh’s castle.

Route
Liverpool (2) → Manchester (3) → York (2) → Edinburgh (3)
Pace
Steady. Four bases; two longer train legs.
Best season
May to September
Suits
Music lovers, Rail travellers, Museum lovers

Months scoring 3 or more of 4 for comfort (temperature, rain days, sunshine) across Liverpool, Manchester, York, Edinburgh, weighted by days. Met Office 1991-2020 averages, not a forecast.

  • No step-free information for these 30 stops
  • No stops marked family-friendly in our guides

  1. Days 1 to 2 · Liverpool

    Liverpool: 2 days

    Base: Liverpool

  2. Days 3 to 5 · Manchester

    Manchester: 3 days

    Base: Manchester

    Getting from Liverpool to Manchester. By train about 38 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. It fits around a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit Liverpool by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

  3. Days 6 to 7 · York

    York: 2 days

    Base: York

    Getting from Manchester to York. By train about 1 h 31 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. It fits around a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit York by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

  4. Days 8 to 10 · Edinburgh

    Edinburgh: 3 days

    Base: Edinburgh

    Getting from York to Edinburgh. By train about 2 h 23 min at the fastest, as published by National Rail. Allow half a day. Check times and changes before you go. Source: National Rail: Visit York by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

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Other trip lengths

Journey times are National Rail fastest times where we hold them (retrieved 2026-10-25); real journeys vary, so check times and changes. Up to 2 hours is treated as fitting around a day, up to 4 hours as half a day. Best season uses Met Office 1991-2020 averages, not a forecast. Opening hours, prices and tickets change: check each official site. Independent and unofficial.