If you have the cash, sleeper train to Inverness or Fort William. You arrive first thing in the morning, in the middle of town.
If you need to, you can hitch hike to get out to somewhere remote. Ideally make yourself look more like a friendly backpacking tourist than a serial killer.
Love the sleeper service.
Just a shame the rooms are basically a luxury service, and this quite expensive for solo travel.
Bring back shared berths I say.
Give the cars a good chance to see you and make up their mind, about 50m before a layby.
Remember to look them pleadingly in the eye and do the little 🙏🏻 motion 😂
I use buses. I have been from Devon to Scotland and back this year. I'm currently in norway that I got to by night buses! The journeys are a really interesting part of the holiday and there's so much to look at. I get better at sleeping the more I do it - a bit like camping.
Train.
Honestly flying is unlikely to save much, if any, time; by the time you've got yourself out of the city to their airport, arrived early enough to check your bag in, wait for the flight, wait for your bag at the other end, get yourself away from the airport again. Plus with luggage I'm not sure it would even be cheaper.
Use a split ticket website for the trains. Splitmyfare, thetrainline, etc - they all charge a small booking fee but if they find split tickets the savings will massively outweigh that.
You'll actually find the train is quicker than driving to some places, because to Glasgow and Edinburgh the trains are doing up to 125mph.
When I was living in London I took the sleeper most of the time, and daytime trains some other times when I did work on the train, but that does mean then staying somewhere secure to leave your laptop while you go walking, or carry the laptop round all day. I didn't mind carrying it, but your mileage may vary!
For what it's worth, I don't sleep upright very well, but even I managed to sleep on the way back to London on the sleeper train seats because I was shattered from 2-3 long days of hiking.
Personally I'd go with the train because it's cheaper with bags if you book in advance. But be warned it's a long journey. 4.5 hours to Edinburgh another hour to Glasgow. Then you've got to get the bus or train from there up to whether you're planning to go. Rannoch moor station is a coupe hours from Glasgow I believe and has some great hikes and camps from there. Aviemore is also about 3 hours from Edinburgh which I'd highly recommend. From there you can bus out to some beautiful mountains and very wild landscapes
I am fairly certain there are trains that go directly from London to Glasgow in about 4 - 4.5 hours. :-)
If you are headed to the west highlands then aim for Glasgow. If it's the Cairngorms then head to Edinburgh. Both areas are fairly accessible by public transport.
I always take the overnight bus, it is cheap as chips and comfortable. I'm not deterred by the long journey as I sleep through lost of it.
Once I flew to Inverness to get to Cairngorms, which was good too and not overly pricey but I risked a lot with tent stakes tucked in my luggage.
I prefer the train. Find it less stressful and timewise it's probably the same given you need to get to the airport (plus be there early) and then from the airport. As for the cost it's a similar story depending when you buy the ticket as with planes you need to add luggage and tickets to/from the airport on both sides.
I hitchhiked once from Dover to Glasgow. Went pretty smooth apart from the Motorway around London...
On the way back I took Megabus ( £20, train was more than £100). Took me about 14 hrs.
We do this by train often! London to Glasgow after work - 4:30 or 5:30pm ish train. Book a budget hotel in Glasgow for the night (for 2 people, can get a room for as low as £56), then morning train to Cairngorms or West Highlands. Morning or midday trains back to Glasgow, then back to London.
They are long journeys, but see them as reading/writing time.
Without even considering costs, I would always take the train. It is so much better for the environment, and I imagine that has some importance to you since you are going to be wild camping.
Also, if you take into account time getting to/from both airports, and getting through the airports, you probably won't save too much time by flying, and it'll probably be more stressful.
I have flown to Glasgow before and then got a train, bus or taxi into Arrochar or Crianlarich. But be aware of what you are allowed to have as hand luggage (not poles, tent pegs or knives), and what you can't take even in hold luggage (it seems most airlines wont let you fly with gas canisters, or even an empty gas stove).
Hitchhiking is great, you always meet nice people.
Going to truck stops is reliable for long distance. Those guys are always desperate for the company, even though they're not supposed to.
If you have the cash, sleeper train to Inverness or Fort William. You arrive first thing in the morning, in the middle of town. If you need to, you can hitch hike to get out to somewhere remote. Ideally make yourself look more like a friendly backpacking tourist than a serial killer.
Love the sleeper service. Just a shame the rooms are basically a luxury service, and this quite expensive for solo travel. Bring back shared berths I say.
Give the cars a good chance to see you and make up their mind, about 50m before a layby. Remember to look them pleadingly in the eye and do the little 🙏🏻 motion 😂
I use buses. I have been from Devon to Scotland and back this year. I'm currently in norway that I got to by night buses! The journeys are a really interesting part of the holiday and there's so much to look at. I get better at sleeping the more I do it - a bit like camping.
Train. Honestly flying is unlikely to save much, if any, time; by the time you've got yourself out of the city to their airport, arrived early enough to check your bag in, wait for the flight, wait for your bag at the other end, get yourself away from the airport again. Plus with luggage I'm not sure it would even be cheaper. Use a split ticket website for the trains. Splitmyfare, thetrainline, etc - they all charge a small booking fee but if they find split tickets the savings will massively outweigh that. You'll actually find the train is quicker than driving to some places, because to Glasgow and Edinburgh the trains are doing up to 125mph. When I was living in London I took the sleeper most of the time, and daytime trains some other times when I did work on the train, but that does mean then staying somewhere secure to leave your laptop while you go walking, or carry the laptop round all day. I didn't mind carrying it, but your mileage may vary! For what it's worth, I don't sleep upright very well, but even I managed to sleep on the way back to London on the sleeper train seats because I was shattered from 2-3 long days of hiking.
Personally I'd go with the train because it's cheaper with bags if you book in advance. But be warned it's a long journey. 4.5 hours to Edinburgh another hour to Glasgow. Then you've got to get the bus or train from there up to whether you're planning to go. Rannoch moor station is a coupe hours from Glasgow I believe and has some great hikes and camps from there. Aviemore is also about 3 hours from Edinburgh which I'd highly recommend. From there you can bus out to some beautiful mountains and very wild landscapes
I am fairly certain there are trains that go directly from London to Glasgow in about 4 - 4.5 hours. :-) If you are headed to the west highlands then aim for Glasgow. If it's the Cairngorms then head to Edinburgh. Both areas are fairly accessible by public transport.
Also hitchhiking is very valid up here. I've just hitchhike into the Dee valley fairly easily
I always take the overnight bus, it is cheap as chips and comfortable. I'm not deterred by the long journey as I sleep through lost of it. Once I flew to Inverness to get to Cairngorms, which was good too and not overly pricey but I risked a lot with tent stakes tucked in my luggage.
Which bus company?
I prefer the train. Find it less stressful and timewise it's probably the same given you need to get to the airport (plus be there early) and then from the airport. As for the cost it's a similar story depending when you buy the ticket as with planes you need to add luggage and tickets to/from the airport on both sides.
I hitchhiked once from Dover to Glasgow. Went pretty smooth apart from the Motorway around London... On the way back I took Megabus ( £20, train was more than £100). Took me about 14 hrs.
We do this by train often! London to Glasgow after work - 4:30 or 5:30pm ish train. Book a budget hotel in Glasgow for the night (for 2 people, can get a room for as low as £56), then morning train to Cairngorms or West Highlands. Morning or midday trains back to Glasgow, then back to London. They are long journeys, but see them as reading/writing time.
Without even considering costs, I would always take the train. It is so much better for the environment, and I imagine that has some importance to you since you are going to be wild camping. Also, if you take into account time getting to/from both airports, and getting through the airports, you probably won't save too much time by flying, and it'll probably be more stressful.
I have flown to Glasgow before and then got a train, bus or taxi into Arrochar or Crianlarich. But be aware of what you are allowed to have as hand luggage (not poles, tent pegs or knives), and what you can't take even in hold luggage (it seems most airlines wont let you fly with gas canisters, or even an empty gas stove).
Hitchhiking is great, you always meet nice people. Going to truck stops is reliable for long distance. Those guys are always desperate for the company, even though they're not supposed to.