Pulteney Bridge and the weir on the River Avon in Bath
All trip lengths

14 days

Two weeks: 3 route options

Two weeks covers England, Scotland and Wales at a pace that leaves room for rain. Legs without a published time reserve half a day.

Bath to Edinburgh by rail

Bath, Oxford, London, York and Edinburgh: the main stops of a first long trip by train.

Route
Bath (2) → Oxford (2) → London (3) → York (3) → Edinburgh (4)
Pace
Steady. Five bases; rail legs take part of several days.
Best season
April to September
Suits
First-time visitors, Rail travelers, History lovers

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

  • Step-free access reported at 7 of 40 stops
  • 6 of 40 stops marked family-friendly in our guides

  1. Days 1 to 2 · Bath

    Bath: 2 days

    Base: Bath

  2. Days 3 to 4 · 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.

  3. Days 5 to 7 · London

    London: 3 days

    Base: London

    Getting from Oxford to London. By train about 45 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 Oxford by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

  4. Days 8 to 10 · 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.

  5. Days 11 to 14 · 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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Glasgow to the Lake District

Glasgow and Edinburgh, then York, Manchester and Liverpool, ending in the Windermere area. The Lake District leg has no published time in our data and is easier with a car.

Route
Glasgow (3) → Edinburgh (3) → York (2) → Manchester (2) → Liverpool (2) → The Lake District (2)
Pace
Steady. Six bases; plan for the Lake District leg using National Rail.
Best season
May to September
Suits
Rail travelers, Walkers, Music lovers

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

  • No step-free information for these 42 stops
  • No stops marked family-friendly in our guides

  1. Days 1 to 3 · Glasgow

    Glasgow: 3 days

    Base: Glasgow

  2. Days 4 to 6 · Edinburgh

    Edinburgh: 3 days

    Base: Edinburgh

    Getting from Glasgow to Edinburgh. By train about 45 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 Edinburgh by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

  3. Days 7 to 8 · York

    York: 2 days

    Base: York

    Getting from Edinburgh to York. 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.

  4. Days 9 to 10 · Manchester

    Manchester: 2 days

    Base: Manchester

    Getting from York to Manchester. 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.

  5. Days 11 to 12 · Liverpool

    Liverpool: 2 days

    Base: Liverpool

    Getting from Manchester to Liverpool. 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.

  6. Days 13 to 14 · The Lake District

    The Lake District: 2 days

    Base: Windermere

    Getting from Liverpool to the Lake District. We hold no published train time for this journey (73 miles (117 km) in a straight line). Allow half a day and check National Rail. National Rail (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

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London, Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Cornwall

London, then west through Bath, Bristol and Cardiff to Penzance and St Ives. Cornwall has no published rail time in our data and is easier with a car.

Route
London (3) → Bath (3) → Bristol (2) → Wales (3) → Cornwall (3)
Pace
Steady. Five bases; the Cornwall leg is reserved as half a day.
Best season
May to September
Suits
Coast lovers, Drivers, Second-time visitors

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

  • Step-free access reported at 8 of 42 stops
  • 3 of 42 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 8 · Bristol

    Bristol: 2 days

    Base: Bristol

    Getting from Bath to Bristol. By train about 12 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 Bristol by train (opens in new tab). All journeys between regions.

  4. Days 9 to 11 · Wales

    Wales: 3 days

    Base: Cardiff

    Getting from Bristol to Wales. By train about 47 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.

  5. Days 12 to 14 · Cornwall

    Cornwall: 3 days

    Base: Penzance and St Ives

    Getting from Wales to Cornwall. We hold no published train time for this journey (152 miles (244 km) in a straight line). Allow half a day and check National Rail. National Rail (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.