Journey Search
By Train from Edinburgh (United Kingdom) to Plymouth (United Kingdom)
Journey Summary
Depart Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
Edinburgh Waverley
Arrive Plymouth (United Kingdom)
Plymouth
Journey information
Train
A mix of 125 and Voyager trains are used on this route, but there is no means of working out which of these trains will be used on the departure you will be travelling by.
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Final Destination: Plymouth or Penzance
All train also call at: Newton Abbot and Totnes
Type of Scenery: Coast
Senic Rating: ****
The senic highlights of this journey are at both ends of the trip.
The sea views kick in before the train has even left Edinburgh behind - and they intially continue until south of Dunbar.
To the north of Berwick-upon-Tweed the train will travel across the clifftops as it crosses the border into England - these are the most dramatic coastal views on the first part of the journey (though they are tricky to photograph).
Minutes after the train has passed through Berwick-upon-Tweed, the next highlight is the view from the majestic Royal Border Bridge.
Between there and Alnmouth there are views on the left over the dramatic Northumberland coast.
Between Alnmouth and Darlington the railway snakes its way through the towns and cities of north-east England, and just before Newcastle station on the left there are views of the city's iconic Tyne Bridge
The next highlight of the journey is the passage over the River Tyne, as the train departs from Newcastle Central station and heads over the King Edward VII Bridge.
Looking to the left, five other bridges that span the river can be seen.
Around 15 mins after leaving Newcastle comes the stunning views over the city of Durham.
Over on the left before and after the station, the town's stunning castle and cathedral can be clearly seen in all their glory.
On the middle part of the journey between Durham and Exeter the train will pass through a series of cities and large towns, which are seperated by farm land - though north of Derby the railway travels through the foothills of the Peak District.
A highlight of this journey is the 20ish minutes that the train spends travelling between Exeter and Newton Abbot – it’s probably the most fantastic 20 mins that can be enjoyed when looking out of the window on a British express train.
For on this part of the journey the railway is on shore line of the South Devon coast, so when heading west, the sea views are on the left-hand side of the train.
Whenever a train travelling by the sea is shown on British television the footage will show a train travelling through Dawlish and Teignmouth, two stations that are right beside the beach.
Though when looking out of the train windows, the views over the river estuaries which can be seen between Exeter and Dawlish, and then between Teignmouth and Newton Abbot are even more magical.
The railway turns inland between Newton Abbot and Plymouth, but this area of South Devon is very hilly, so the necessary twists and turns slow the train down, but the views of the countryside are rather lovely.
If when you board, you discover that your assigned seat(s) are on the right-hand side of the train, when facing the direction of travel, see if you can find available seats on the left of the train.
If you move to a different seat(s) it won't affect the validity of your ticket.
The sea views on this journey are on the left.
If your ticket(s) don't include reserved seats, then try to choose seats on the left - when facing the direction of travel.
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More general information about travelling by train in England, Scotland and Wales is available on this guide to British train travel.
Look out on the left for the view of the Bass Rock near Dunbar
By the coast to the south of Dunbar
Heading south from Berwick
Passing by Alnmouth
Arriving in Newcastle
Looking down on the River Tyne as the train departs Newcastle
The stunning view over the city of Durham
Heading west from Taunton
Travelling by the shore between Dawlish and Teignmouth
Between Teignmouth and Newton Abbot
Ticket information
Book Early and Save: Yes
Online Bookings Usually Open: From 12 weeks ahead of travel
Booking Advance Tickets
If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance tickets', though the three key things worth knowing about booking and using 'Advance' tickets are:
(1) Your ticket(s) will only be valid on the departure you selected when making a booking
(2) A fee will be payable if you want to transfer your ticket(s) to a different departure ahead of your travel date.
(3) This type of ticket can't be refunded if you subsequently change your travel plans, or miss the train in circumstances not to do with a connecting train.
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Reservations
When you book an Advance ticket for this train journey, you will be automatically assigned a seat(s), but if you book the other types of ticket ahead, you can request a complimentary reservation
However, if you buy Off Peak or Anytime tickets just prior to boarding at the station, a seat reservation WON'T be automatically included with your booking.
However, CrossCountry now offers a service buy which holders of Anytime and Off-Peak tickets can book reservations up to 10 minutes prior to departure time.
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Travelling on Monday - Friday
Tickets are usually available 12 weeks ahead of the travel date.
However, when you look up a journey you may see dates further ahead on the calendar, but you'll be informed that tickets aren't yet available for those dates.
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Travelling on Saturday-Sunday
Tickets are usually available 12 weeks ahead of the travel date, but maintenance work on the route is periodically undertaken at weekends and if it is scheduled on your travel date, it can affect when tickets will be released for sale.
If you're looking up a journey less than 12 weeks ahead and tickets aren't available, it can be a good indication that works will be impacting on your travel date - a fairly common occurence on a journey as long as this.
It can be worth checking this on the National Rail website
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Finding a late deal
CrossCountry atypically offers the ability to book Advance tickets until up to 15 minutes before departure.
However, because of the length of this route, you may be able to save money by splitting the tickets across separate sections of the journey.
Look up the departure you want to take on RailEurope (formerly known as Loco 2) - to see if it has a 'price-hack' available and also check your journey on Splitticketing.com.
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More general information is available on this guide to buying train tickets for train journeys in Great Britain.
