Aaron,

I hope this isn't too late for you.

The bast way to Scotland is to take the GNER train from Kings Cross station to Edinburgh. GNER is the train company. There is a train every half hour. Their trains are midnight blue with a fine red stripe, really cool looking. It takes 4 and 1/2 hours and is very civilised. If you can stretch, go first class and get yourself in the restaurant car, it is well worth it (an Executive Ticket includes two free meals--one in each direction). If not, you can normally get a table in the restaurant on a standard class ticket on the non-peak trains.

But please... get out of the train at Durham or Newcastle for 24 hours. It is a wonderful city, very friendly (seriously, us Geordies are regarded as being almost madly friendly), and it is a party town with a bit of culture and architecture thrown in. If you do nothing else, look out of the window on the right hand side (East) as you go through Durham (15mins before Newcastle): what you'll see is breathtaking.

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JJ Rodger
2013 G350 Bluetec
1999 SL 500
1993 E300 diesel T
1990 190