Getting There

By Plane

Carriers that fly directly to Edinburgh and Glasgow from the U.S. have changed over the past few years. For example, in 2006, American Airlines unexpectedly announced it would terminate its summer service from Chicago to Glasgow. Most long-haul flights arrive and depart from Glasgow's airport.

But London accepts flights from all corners of the globe, of course. Internally, British Airways (tel. 800/247-9297, or 0870/850-9850 in the U.K.; www.ba.com) offers frequent nonstop flights daily from London's Heathrow Airport to both Edinburgh and Glasgow. BMI (formerly British Midland; tel. 0870/607-0555; www.flybmi.com) also flies from Heathrow to both Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is a member of the international "Star Alliance" which includes carriers such as Air Canada, Air New Zealand, United, and US Airways. Ryanair (tel. 0871/246-0000; www.ryanair.com) is a budget airline that flies from Stansted outside London to Prestwick south of Glasgow.

By Car

If you're driving north to Scotland from England, it's fastest to take the M1 motorway north from London. You can reach M1 by driving to the ring road from any point in the British capital. Southeast of Leeds, you'll need to connect with A1 (not a motorway), which you take north to Scotch Corner. Here M1 resumes, ending south of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Then you can take A696, which becomes A68, for its final run north into Edinburgh.

If you're in the west of England, go north along M5, which begins at Exeter (Devon). Eventually this will merge with M6. Continue north on M6 until you reach a point north of Carlisle. From Carlisle, cross into Scotland near Gretna Green. Continue north along A74 via Moffat. The A74 soon becomes the M74 heading toward Glasgow. If your goal is Edinburgh, not Glasgow, various roads will take you east to the Scottish capital, including M8, which goes part of the way, as do A702, A70, and A71 (all these routes are well signposted).

By Train or Bus

From England, two main rail lines link London to Scotland. The most popular and fastest route is King's Cross Station in London to Edinburgh, going by way of Newcastle. Trains cross from England into Scotland at Berwick-upon-Tweed. If you're going via the west coast, trains leave Euston Station in London for Glasgow, by way of Carlisle. Most of these trains take at least 5 hours to reach Glasgow.

The journey from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh by bus can take up to 12 hours although direct buses can make the trip in less than 10 hours. Nevertheless, it'll get you there for about £45 ($83) standard round-trip fare. National Express (tel. 0870/580-8080; www.nationalexpress.com) runs buses daily (typically 9:30am, noon, and 11pm for direct service) from London's Victoria Coach Station to Edinburgh's Bus Station near St. Andrew Square; while direct buses for Glasgow's Buchanan Street Bus Station, about 2 blocks north of the Queen Street Station on North Hanover Street (tel. 0870-608-2608), leave London's Victoria Coach Station at 9am and 11:30pm. Scottish CityLink (tel. 0870/550-5050 or www.citylink.co.uk) also has frequent bus service to and from Edinburgh, with a standard one-way ticket costing £5 ($9.25).