Leeds to Edinburgh via rail…best day of the week for least hassle

[TxRover]

I presume Mondays and Fridays could expect a decent bump in traffic (Monday mornings and Friday afternoons/evenings), but are the weekends significantly busier (excluding game days) or slower and is perhaps Tue-Thur the sweet spot?

[doulikefish]

31 minutes ago, TxRover said:

I presume Mondays and Fridays could expect a decent bump in traffic (Monday mornings and Friday afternoons/evenings), but are the weekends significantly busier (excluding game days) or slower and is perhaps Tue-Thur the sweet spot?

Not leeds-ediburgh but I've got london- Edinburgh on various days only time I've noticed it being quietish was after 3 on a Saturday afternoon as most already left.Every other day seems to be just as busy 

[southernrover]

2 hours ago, TxRover said:

I presume Mondays and Fridays could expect a decent bump in traffic (Monday mornings and Friday afternoons/evenings), but are the weekends significantly busier (excluding game days) or slower and is perhaps Tue-Thur the sweet spot?

Fridays and Sundays are generally the worst, I'd probably avoid those.

Saturday later in the afternoon (as above) don't tend to be too bad - as a rule of thumb Saturday nights are the quietest for long distance travel, but that depends what sport/events are on. More generally Mondays tend to be the quietest of the weekdays after the morning rush, then Tuesday/Wednesdays are much of a muchness, then Thursday is busier.

In terms of time taken/frequency etc, these days Monday-Saturday all day and Sunday afternoons tend to be all the same. Sunday morning is a late start up but as the rest from midday or so.

[Halbeath Raith Rover]

12 hours ago, southernrover said:

Fridays and Sundays are generally the worst, I'd probably avoid those.

Definitely true... cheap tickets generally go quickest on these days too.

[Michael W]

If you're buying an advanced ticket for a set train, I don't really see why it matters when you travel. But, as highlighted, the cheaper tickets will go quicker. 

If you're looking to 'turn up and go' at your leisure, then midweek late morning or early afternoon would be your best bet. 

Edited January 5 by Michael W

[newcastle broon]

Worth noting some Cross Country services double up so instead of being cramped in 4 coaches there's 8 or 9 coaches giving a bit more room.  As others have stated all depends what time of day you want to travel? 

[vikingTON]

3 hours ago, newcastle broon said:

Worth noting some Cross Country services double up so instead of being cramped in 4 coaches there's 8 or 9 coaches giving a bit more room.  

LNER are the best service in my limited experience of east coast travel. Cross Country isn't bad if it's quiet but there's nowhere near table spaces so it's cattle car when full. 

You very much get what you pay for with Lumo - if it's comfortably the cheapest option then it's fine for a reasonable distance, but it's  a cattle car. 

[newcastle broon]

2 hours ago, virginton said:

LNER are the best service in my limited experience of east coast travel. Cross Country isn't bad if it's quiet but there's nowhere near table spaces so it's cattle car when full. 

You very much get what you pay for with Lumo - if it's comfortably the cheapest option then it's fine for a reasonable distance, but it's  a cattle car. 

Unless you went 1st thing in the morning with LNER from Leeds then you would need to change trains at York. 

Lumo also only run King's Cross to Edinburgh. 

Cross country are every hour direct, like you state decent if quiet,that's why I recommend checking whether it's a single train or two joined together. That is a game changer.

Trans Pennine may well have a service direct from Leeds but would be very few if any. Otherwise again a change at York is required.