There’s nothing quite like settling in for a long train journey with a tonne of snacks, books and unlimited window views. So, if you’ve got the patience, then you’ll be wanting to tick the UK’s longest train journey off your travel bucket list, featuring ‘breathtaking countryside’ views from Scotland right down to the Cornish coast.
![[UK, England, Northumberland, Bamburgh Castle on hill near beach]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-200563774-001.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Spanning 13 hours and 20 minutes and 36 stops, the Aberdeen to Penzance route covers a whopping 785 miles of terrain – and, first introduced in 1921, has been running for more than 100 years. You’ll definitely want a window seat for this one, as the train zooms past the likes of Edinburgh Castle, Bamburgh Castle, the Fife coastline, the Royal Albert Bridge and, eventually, the Dawlish seawall down in Devon.
![[Edinburgh, Scotland, UK]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-590865610.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Naturally, it ticks off many of the major cities in the north, including Edinburgh, Newcastle, Durham, York, Leeds and Sheffield, and as such, spends around two hours in total waiting for passengers to get on and off the train at each stop. Leaving Aberdeen at 8.20am once a day, the service only runs directly one way – so if you’re wanting to get back to Aberdeen afterwards, you’ll need to be prepared to either change in London for the simplest route, or make a maximum of five stops between the likes of Bristol, Newport, Crewe, and Edinburgh.
![[Aberdeen to Penzance train route]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235938579-6756.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
