Every* Scottish or Welsh council area by train in 24 hours

[A S Leib]

Following on from a post a few years ago mostly focusing on England, what's the fastest it would be possible to visit all Scottish or Welsh local authorities by train? By visited, I just mean "being on a train as it calls at a station in the local authority" rather than having to get on or off of a train in each, and excluding Orkney, Shetland and na h-Eileanan an Iar. I'd say to try only to use train services and walking (with trams, metros and boats being allowed but probably of little use), although I suspect Ceredigion with all other council areas would be very difficult in 24 hours without buses.

So far, the fastest I've got for Scotland is 18:12 for the 29 mainland councils.

05:14 Nairn – 09:38 Edinburgh (Nairn (Highland), Forres (Moray), Huntly (Aberdeenshire), Dyce (Aberdeen), Montrose (Angus), Dundee (Dundee), Leuchars (Fife), Haymarket (Edinburgh))

10:10 Edinburgh – 10:16 Musselburgh (Musselburgh (East Lothian))
For less than a mile and a half, forty minutes should be enough time to walk to

10:56 Newcraighall – 11:31 Stow (Shawfair (Midlothian), Stow (Scottish Borders))

11:34 Stow – 12:19 Edinburgh
Three minutes is less than the minimum connection time, but I'd guess that it's possible and just five minutes as a default because nobody, as far as I know, would change trains at Stow normally.

12:32 Edinburgh – 13:28 Stirling (Linlithgow (West Lothian), Polmont (Falkirk), Stirling (Stirling))

13:41 Stirling – 14:05 Gleneagles (Gleneagles (Perth and Kinross))

14:56 Gleneagles – 15:18 Stirling

15:23 Stirling – 15:32 Alloa (Alloa (Clackmannanshire))

15:46 Alloa – 16:33 Glasgow Queen Street (Croy (North Lanarkshire), Lenzie (East Dunbartonshire), Glasgow Queen Street (Glasgow))

17:00 Glasgow Queen Street – 17:34 Cardross (Dalmuir (West Dunbartonshire), Cardross (Argyll and Bute))

18:05 Cardross – 18:38 Glasgow Queen Street

18:58 Glasgow Central – 19:07 Rutherglen (Rutherglen (South Lanarkshire))

19:14 Rutherglen – 19:24 Glasgow Central
The section from Glasgow Queen Street to Rutherglen to Glasgow Central doesn't meet minimum connection times either, but I'd be confident of making each service provided the trains are on time.

19:35 Glasgow Central – 20:08 Woodhall (Paisley Gilmour Street (Renfrewshire), Woodhall (Inverclyde))

20:15 Woodhall – 20:32 Paisley Gilmour Street

20:40 Paisley Gilmour Street – 21:10 Troon (Kilwinning (North Ayrshire), Troon (South Ayrshire))

21:16 Troon – 21:56 Glasgow Central

22:14 Glasgow Central – 23:26 Kirkconnel (Barrhead (East Renfrewshire), Dunlop (East Ayrshire), Kirkconnel (Dumfries and Galloway))

 

[A S Leib]

For Wales, the best I can get is twenty in 11:25, or all twenty-two in 15:41 if lucky with delays.

06:24 Clunderwen – 08:46 Cardiff Central (Clunderwen (Pembrokeshire), Whitland (Carmarthenshire), Gowerton (Swansea), Neath (Neath Port Talbot), Pyle (Bridgend), Cardiff Central (Cardiff))

08:59 Cardiff Central – 09:06 Cogan (Cogan (Vale of Glamorgan)

09:11 Cogan – 09:21 Cardiff Central

09:30 Cardiff Central – 10:15 Quakers Yard (Taffs Well (Rhondda Cynon Taf), Quakers Yard (Merthyr Tydfil))

10:25 Quakers Yard – 11:12 Cardiff Central

11:30 Cardiff Central – 11:42 Newport (Newport... (Newport))

11:48 Newport – 12:21 Llanhilleth (Risca & Pontymister (Caerphilly), Llanhilleth (Blaenau Gwent))

12:50 Llanhilleth – 13:28 Newport

13:36 Newport – 17:49 Llanfairpwll (Cwmbran (Torfaen), Abergavenny (Monmouthshire), Chirk (Wrexham), Flint (Flintshire), Prestatyn (Denbighshire), Colwyn Bay (Conwy), Bangor (Gwynedd), Llanfairpwll (Ynys Môn)
The most luck-dependent part is probably

17:50 Llanfairpwll – 17:58 Bangor
18:34 Bangor – 21:33 Machynlleth bus
21:50 Machynlleth – 22:07 Borth (Machynlleth, Powys), Borth (Ceredigion)) or

staying on the Newport train until Holyhead (18:21)
18:31 Holyhead – 19:09 Bangor
20:30 Bangor – 23:33 Machynlleth bus
23:06 Machynlleth – 23:22 Borth, which depends on the bus being on time and the train being at least half an hour late.

My guess would be that if a realistic itinerary exists, it's likeliest to start with Powys or Ceredigion rather than ending there.

 

[A S Leib]

For completion's sake, Northern Ireland

12:38 Derry/Londonderry – 12:39 Belfast Lanyon Place (Derry/Londonderry (Derry City and Strabane), Bellarena (Causeway Coast and Glens), Cullybackey (Mid and East Antrim), Antrim (Antrim and Newtownabbey), York Street (Belfast))

12:45 Belfast Grand Central – 14:55 Holywood (Holywood (Ards and North Down))

15:03 Holywood – 15:25 Belfast Grand Central

15:30 Belfast Grand Central – 16:30 Newry (Lisburn (Lisburn and Castlereagh), Lurgan (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon), Newry (Newry, Mourne and Down)) giving 3:52 for the nine of the eleven Northern Ireland councils with railway stations.

If five minutes isn't long enough to change at Grand Central, the next-fastest itinerary I've got is 4:40 (06:12 Derry–Lanyon Place, 08:30 Lanyon Place–Holywood, 08:43 Holywood–Grand Central, 09:36 Grand Central–Portadown, 10:30 Portadown–Newry).