Which is the most scenic route from Edinburgh to Glasgow (GLQ)

Willie Bee · 25 Jun 2026

My wife and I shall be travelling from Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen's Street soon, a trip we have done a few times before.

We usually take the faster route, via Linlithgow and Polmont, but I see there is a slower service (about 30 minutes more) which goes via Uphall, Bathgate and Airdrie.

Which has the better scenery please ?

Funnily enough, we travelled from Glasgow Central to Edinburgh in January with TPE, which may have taken yet another route, but this isn't available normally.

thank you

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pokemonsuper9 · 25 Jun 2026

Willie Bee said:
Funnily enough, we travelled from Glasgow Central to Edinburgh in January with TPE, which may have taken yet another route, but this isn't available normally.

That will have been via Carstairs, which sees a ScotRail train every other hour, and a few CrossCountry services each day.

Bletchleyite · 25 Jun 2026

pokemonsuper9 said:
That will have been via Carstairs, which sees a ScotRail train every other hour, and a few CrossCountry services each day.

That way might well be the most scenic though the fastest route via Falkirk isn't terrible. Via Carstairs is to Central though, not Queen St.

I can't remember which of the other routes it was I did but I recall it being a bit boring.

VT 390 · 25 Jun 2026

Between the 2 Queen Street routes I prefer the scenery via Falkirk High, especially sitting on the right side in the Edinburgh to Glasgow direction.

If it is an option I find the scenery on the Edinburgh to Glasgow Central via Shotts to be nicer than the Queen Street via Bathgate route, there are some faster services limited stop services most hours via Shotts as well.

Although defining the better scenery is difficult as it will be subjective.

jfollows · 25 Jun 2026

There’s a route via Shotts and a route via Airdrie.
Personally, I found the Airdrie route interesting last time I used it, but that may have been in part because it was a reopened line.

Kite159 · 25 Jun 2026

If you want to head towards Glasgow Central via Shotts, then it is a lot better on a semi-fast service, as a stopper drags on and on. Similar with the route via Airdrie, it's a nice enough route but is slow.

Peter0124 · 25 Jun 2026

Kite159 said:
If you want to head towards Glasgow Central via Shotts, then it is a lot better on a semi-fast service, as a stopper drags on and on. Similar with the route via Airdrie, it's a nice enough route but is slow.

The semi fast can certainly be made faster at the Glasgow end, it usually crawls between Uddingston and Cambuslang behind an Argyle Line service.

Mcr Warrior · 25 Jun 2026

Travelling out of Glasgow Queen Street, on a journey towards Edinburgh Waverley, but on the alternative route via Stepps and Cumbernauld, will require an intermediate change of trains at Camelon (not much there!) or preferably Falkirk Grahamston. No longer operates as a through service. After Falkirk Grahamston, the second train will be routed via Polmont and Linlithgow. It's scenically o.k. and trains don't seem to shift at quite the break-neck speed that they seem to do on the route via Falkirk High.

Willie Bee · 25 Jun 2026

OP here ... thank you for all the replies.

I think we shall just stick to our normal route, via Falkirk High

Taunton · 25 Jun 2026

If you are on the main Falkirk route, then on the north side around Polmont there's just a far-distant view eastwards of the topmost elements of the Forth Rail Bridge, just three isolated structures sticking up above the fields. From the same point you used to be able to see just the top part of the chimney of Longannet power station, across in Fife, but that's gone now.

reb0118 · 25 Jun 2026

Mind, if you have a return, you can go one way and back another.

Willie Bee said:
I think we shall just stick to our normal route, via Falkirk High.

Willie Bee · 25 Jun 2026

Taunton said:
From the same point you used to be able to see just the top part of the chimney of Longannet power station, across in Fife, but that's gone now.

As above .. I used to be able to see the 4 chimneys at Blyth Power Station from my house, but they have gone now too

Russel · 25 Jun 2026

I've done them all but the via Carstairs route and can't say any of them are overly scenic, so I'd just go for the quickest.

The Airdrie route is just tedious.

Buzby · 25 Jun 2026

Taunton said:
Forth Rail Bridge

Aargh! No such thing. The rail bridge was there first so needed no qualifier. The other one was called the Forth Road Bridge but most traffic takes the Queensferry Crossing (unless you’re a pedestrian or cyclist!).

AlterEgo · 25 Jun 2026

All the routes are unremarkable, so only take a new route if it's a novelty for you.

gazthomas · 25 Jun 2026

Inverness and Aberdeen

Bletchleyite · 25 Jun 2026

AlterEgo said:
All the routes are unremarkable, so only take a new route if it's a novelty for you.

I genuinely think the views on the Falkirk route aren't bad - you can see quite a long way at some points. I'd agree on the others bar Carstairs which is quite nice particularly at the Edinburgh end as it passes the Pentland Hills.

cadder toad · 25 Jun 2026

I feel that the Airdrie route wins scenically with the central section over bleak windswept moorland. The views over the canal to the Campsie fells on the route via Falkirk are good though. Apparently there's a 17c dragoon buried with his horse in the moss there.

WesternLancer · 3 Jul 2026

Willie Bee said:
OP here ... thank you for all the replies.

I think we shall just stick to our normal route, via Falkirk High

This thread was useful to me last Sunday as I needed to go Edinburgh to Glasgow Central with luggage and had onward travel from Central.
I wanted to avoid the walk from Queen Street to Central. The longer train journey was balanced by the absence of the walk between Glasgow stations, especially with luggage.

Earlier in the week I’d used the Queen Street to Edinburgh route.

To be honest I found both interesting and worth doing landscape wise.
I think in both cases the views to the north are better than to the south somewhat.
One route doesn’t pass the depot west of Haymarket so you don’t get to see various HST sets and power cars on shed!

I’ve not yet done the route via Carstairs which would be interesting to do.

So I’d definitely recommend doing both routes.

WesternLancer · 3 Jul 2026

Taunton said:
If you are on the main Falkirk route, then on the north side around Polmont there's just a far-distant view eastwards of the topmost elements of the Forth Rail Bridge, just three isolated structures sticking up above the fields. From the same point you used to be able to see just the top part of the chimney of Longannet power station, across in Fife, but that's gone now.

A good tip!

All 3 Forth bridges can be seen for a short period as per my very poor picture here. The rail bridge is least clear in my image admittedly.

Interesting feature pictured - I believe these are mining spoil heaps - they looked striking. Both from the Waverley to Central route.

Taunton · 3 Jul 2026

WesternLancer said:
Interesting feature pictured - I believe these are mining spoil heaps - they looked striking. Both from the Waverley to Central route.

West Lothian in the late 19th century was one of the largest oil producers in the world, extracted from oil shale mining, a sandstone containing the oil, which was extracted and the now inert stone material dumped in huge heaps, or "bings". Old photos of railways in the area commonly have simplistic tank wagons around, it was a significant freight traffic. The bings were progressively removed and recycled, like coal tips, from about 1970 onwards, but the few left have been given historic status of old industrial history, and indeed have become impromptu nature reserves. Many of the motorways in Scotland were built and surfaced in this era with the reddish material as aggregate.

WesternLancer · 3 Jul 2026

Taunton said:
West Lothian in the late 19th century was one of the largest oil producers in the world, extracted from oil shale mining, a sandstone containing the oil, which was extracted and the now inert stone material dumped in huge heaps, or "bings". Old photos of railways in the area commonly have simplistic tank wagons around, it was a significant freight traffic. The bings were progressively removed and recycled, like coal tips, from about 1970 onwards, but the few left have been given historic status of old industrial history, and indeed have become impromptu nature reserves. Many of the motorways in Scotland were built and surfaced in this era with the reddish material as aggregate.

Thanks - that is really interesting to read.

cadder toad · 6 Jul 2026

Taunton said:
If you are on the main Falkirk route, then on the north side around Polmont there's just a far-distant view eastwards of the topmost elements of the Forth Rail Bridge, just three isolated structures sticking up above the fields. From the same point you used to be able to see just the top part of the chimney of Longannet power station, across in Fife, but that's gone now.

I think it's possible to see the mountains at Callendar from near this point too. I'll double check. There's 5 routes and to me there's something interesting on all of them. 4 direct routes. The fifth currently requires a change at Falkirk

Peter0124 · 6 Jul 2026

Mcr Warrior said:
Travelling out of Glasgow Queen Street, on a journey towards Edinburgh Waverley, but on the alternative route via Stepps and Cumbernauld, will require an intermediate change of trains at Camelon (not much there!) or preferably Falkirk Grahamston. No longer operates as a through service. After Falkirk Grahamston, the second train will be routed via Polmont and Linlithgow. It's scenically o.k. and trains don't seem to shift at quite the break-neck speed that they seem to do on the route via Falkirk High.

You can do this now due to engineering work, must also be the first time stations like Stepps have direct trains to Dundee, and even as far as Arbroath.

Mcr Warrior · 6 Jul 2026

Peter0124 said:
You can do this now due to engineering work, must also be the first time stations like Stepps have direct trains to Dundee, and even as far as Arbroath.

Indeed. And some interesting direct journey opportunities just now, in various directions, radiating out from/via Cumbernauld!

GRALISTAIR · 6 Jul 2026

I will add my vote for via Carstairs too.

Which is the most scenic route from Edinburgh to Glasgow (GLQ)

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