Plan the spine of the week on rails first, then the hotel within walking distance of the arrival station. Flying still wins for Belfast and can win for Inverness or a tight long-haul connection. It rarely wins for Manchester–Liverpool or Edinburgh–Glasgow.
Tickets and timing
Advance tickets reward fixed plans. Off-peak and Railcards reward flexible ones. Price journeys and Railcards together on Trip.com UK trains. Route guides on this site explain stations and hotel logic without quoting fares that move by the hour.
Station advice that changes the hotel
King's Cross for York and Edinburgh · Paddington for Bath · Euston for Manchester · York station outside the walls · Bath Spa walk-in · Edinburgh Waverley between Old and New Town · Glasgow Queen Street for the Edinburgh hop · Lime Street near Liverpool's waterfront.
Route directory
England: London–York · London–Bath · London–Manchester · Manchester–Liverpool. Scotland: London–Edinburgh · Edinburgh–Glasgow. Full cluster: UK Rail Travel on the hub.