'I flew from Edinburgh to London and back for the first time and never again'

Flying from Edinburgh to London seemed the cheapest way to travel - but I soon discovered the true cost - my sanity.

I'd like to call myself an avid flyer. With regular trips to Ireland to visit family, airports and plane journeys never bothered me. In my head, it's quick and easy. However, I know now that my next trip down south will only be by train.

The flight from Edinburgh to London and vice versa can be up to around an hour and 20 minutes, and it can be done in around an hour. But door-to-door, from my friend's flat back to my home near Edinburgh - took eight hours.

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My adventure of regret started from Edinburgh to London on Friday when our flight was delayed by an hour with two gate changes. I flew into Stansted Airport and there is a convenient train right outside the terminal that takes you to Liverpool Street - the city centre. Of course, this being my first time in London, I thought my friend was dramatic when she said it was an hour to get to her flat but off we went and took an underground and a train before we made it to the final destination.

Did I mention that my journey started at 7.30am on Friday morning and I didn't get into London city centre until around 1pm.

Safe to say I was knackered but the buzz of a weekend away took over. While I had a great time and was happy to make it there in one piece, it felt like the journey was hard work and I kept thinking I should have taken the train.

But as the day of returning home came closer, I thought, 'surely it will be smoother on the way back' - I lied to myself.

On Tuesday, at 11.30am, I packed my bags and left my friend's flat. After a short walk to the train station, a change to the Elizabeth underground line and another train to Stansted Airport, I discovered the flight once again was delayed. We were meant to take off at 3.15pm, and I'd arrive back in Edinburgh at a respectable 4.30pm. However, after two notifications from Ryanair apologising for the delay, we took off at around 4.40pm and landed 5.40pm.

By this time, I was exhausted from a busy weekend. I was hot and sweaty after being in an oven-like airport and stressed that my bag was too big. Why did I think this was a good idea?

I didn't return to the comfort of my own home until around 7.30pm where I crashed out on the couch and regretted my choices.

For my return ticket, I paid around £65 and the Stansted Express open return ticket came to £29 with my railcard. If you book a train from Edinburgh to Kings Cross, in advance, I could have got a ticket -that takes me into the centre of London for £90 in total with just a four-hour journey.

I wouldn't have had to worry about security, the size of my rucksack, or wait in a stuffy airport for three hours. It certainly didn't spoil my weekend away, but next time I'm taking the train.