The last time we were in Scotland was in 2011, when the eldest was only 8 months old. Back then I had to attend classes at Leicester and we decided to take a trip to Edinburgh. This trip to Scotland would be a trip back in time for us. We planned the itinerary in Scotland based on our last trip. We wanted to see what has changed. The hotel (more like B&B) that we stayed 15 years ago is now permanently closed. Our kids always say we never tell them much about our lives before there were born. This is a good chance to show them our experience instead.

King’s Cross Station

Kings Cross station is one of London’s busiest and most iconic railway terminals. It opened in 1852 and serves trains heading north across the UK. The station underwent a massive renovation, completed in 2012, which revealed the original Victorian brick facade. A stunning new concourse now fans out in front of the old building, covered by a sweeping lattice roof. Architects designed the roof with no internal supports, making it one of the largest single-span structures in Europe. Most people know Kings Cross from the Harry Potter films. Platform 9¾ sits inside the station, and fans queue daily to take photos with a trolley disappearing into the wall.

This place is very clean for a train station that serves a lot of destination. There’s a food court on the mezzanine floor, where we found a bench to sit waiting for our train. There’s free toilets and everything seems calm and orderly. We saw Platform 9 3/4, people queuing up to take photos of the platform made famous in Harry Potter series. I can see the staff there trying to hold the scarf and guide the people to get the best picture. One tip: it’s less crowded to enter the train platforms from the food court mezzanine floor especially if you are in the front coaches.

Edinburgh Waverly

Edinburgh Waverley sits in a valley, physically straddling the divide between Old Edinburgh and New Edinburgh. It occupies the ground between two very different worlds. On one side, the Old Town climbs steeply upward. Narrow medieval closes and wynds run off the Royal Mile. Edinburgh Castle sits at the top, watching over everything. Buildings here date back centuries and the streets follow no logical plan. On the other side, the New Town spreads out in elegant Georgian order. Architects laid it out in the 18th century as a deliberate escape from the overcrowded Old Town. Wide streets, symmetrical terraces, and garden squares define the area. Princes Street runs along the northern edge of the valley, connecting both worlds.

Waverley takes its name from Walter Scott’s Waverley novels, making it the only station in the world named after a work of fiction. Scott himself belongs to this city deeply — his monument stands tall on Princes Street, visible from the platforms below. Trains run north to Inverness and Aberdeen, and south to London Kings Cross. The station feels compact from street level but opens up dramatically once you descend to the platforms. Step outside the main entrance and the contrast hits you immediately — medieval skyline on one side, Georgian elegance on the other. Few railway stations in the world place you so squarely between two distinct chapters of a city’s history.

More than a train station

We use this station as our “base” in our trip to Edinburgh. It has few food shop to get our lunch and snacks. The shops close pretty late in the day. We also sometimes use the free toilet here when we are in a pinch. Waverly Market is connected to the station, there are some fast food joints like Mcdonalds and KFC. It’s a good place to drop by and get some some food before heading back to the hotel after a long day’s walk.

Getting there

We took the LNER (London North Eastern Railway) train from King’s Cross to Waverly station. Booked our seats where we share a table. We brought our own lunch and ate on the train. The train offer food service where you order from a QR code. The food will be brought to your seat. The our express service takes 4 hours and only 4 stops along the way. Tickets for 4 of us comes up to about 100 GBP. I would recommend travelling by train as it is less hassle than going through the airport. The airport experience in London is made worse as travelling to the airport is long and expensive.

Explore my London and Scotland itinerary for this trip.