Travelling between England and Scotland – or, in this case, London and Edinburgh – is simple, and with a range of options including air, train and bus travel, it’s never been easier to move between the two.
One traveller, however, decided to deduce which mode of transport is the quickest, by pitting them against each other.
Scott Manson, who runs a YouTube account called Planes, Trains, Everything, tested out train and plane travel between the cities to find which would emerge victorious.
He shared a video on his account, captioning it: ‘With the help of a stopwatch I travel between the two capitals – one way by LNER and the other by British Airways.
‘On paper each will take five hours, but in reality?’
Scott said in the clip: ‘I’m going to be racing from Black Sheep Coffee in Princes Street in Edinburgh to Black Sheep Coffee in High Holborn, just around the corner from Oxford Street. From the retail heart of Edinburgh to the retail heart of London.’
Scott begins by taking an LNER train from Edinburgh Waverley, giving himself 10 minutes to walk there from the coffee shop.
He adds during the journey: ‘This is quite a fast train, only four hours and 17 minutes, and it only stops at Newcastle and York.
On the way out, Scott took a train from Edinburgh Waverley, the city’s main station
Scott Manson started by taking the LNER train from Edinburgh to London
‘That’s going to give the train a little bit of an advantage, because some of these trains down to London stop at about 12 different places.’
He shares scenes from his journey, including magnificent views across the landscape and English countryside.
After a short delay at Peterborough, Scott continues on his journey.
He pulls into London King’s Cross after four hours and 34 minutes, then heads to the London Underground to get the Piccadilly line train westbound to Holborn.
Upon arrival at Holborn station, he heads outside to locate Black Sheep Coffee – with his stopwatch reading four hours and 53 minutes.
After a quick coffee, Scott turns around to take the return journey back to Edinburgh.
He says: ‘This is actually the part I’m most worried about. I have to catch the Underground to Bank, and then connect onto the DLR. Every time I use that system, I get lost… this is where it could all go pear-shaped.’
Fortunately, he catches his flight at London City Airport and makes it to Edinburgh Airport.
Join the debate
What matters more to you when travelling: saving time, saving money, or reducing your carbon footprint?
On the return leg of his journey, Scott opted for a flight with British Airways
Finally, he takes the tram back into the city centre to return to the coffee shop where it all began.
The conclusion? It took four hours and 49 minutes by plane.
He adds: ‘Carbon emissions by train: 12½ kilos of CO2. By plane: 165 kilos of CO2. So it’s definitely the greener option to go by train.’
He also says going by train was far less stressful than navigating the airport.
In terms of cost, his train cost £60, while his flight was £95 – meaning train travel was also cheaper.
But train travel was marginally slower than plane travel – although, with a four-minute difference, it might still be worth it to take the train, given the price and eco-friendly advantages.
Source link
CHECK OUT: Top Travel Destinations
READ MORE: Travel News
