The best Glasgow-London rail route via Edinburgh is... ?

Simon Calder answers your questions on cancelled flights and where to get some sun in March

The pricing structure on Anglo-Scottish journeys allows for an Edinburgh stopover (Getty/iStock)

Q I live in Glasgow. Next Monday I have a meeting in Edinburgh. I will then travel from Edinburgh to London. If I get a Glasgow-London return but go via Edinburgh and stop for a couple of hours, would that be OK? Or do I need to book as two journeys?

Andrew S

A The odd pricing structure on Anglo-Scottish journeys means you can enjoy flexibility in abundance on the trip you propose. As with a lot of places that happen to be quite a long way from London, the rules on travel from Scotland’s two busiest cities are helpfully vague. Baked in to the fares structure is the arcane principle known as “Any Permitted Route” – the notion that a journey from A to B and back can be routed via C, D, E and all stations to Z.

The concept has merit: from Glasgow to Leeds, for example, passengers can travel on the East Coast Main Line via York, the West Coast Main Line via Manchester or the pretty way via Carlisle and the Settle line across the Pennines. In your case, this freedom is very valuable. No need to book in advance. Just turn up at Glasgow Queen Street and buy an off-peak return to London, price £151 (or £99 if you are lucky enough to hold a railcard). Don’t worry about the off-peak tag; on really long journeys like this, it covers just about every train.

While there are no trains from Glasgow Queen Street to the English capital, there are plenty to Edinburgh. And your ticket allows you to travel to the Scottish capital (normal fare £15.30), pause there, and continue to London on one of the fast and frequent LNER trains to King’s Cross. Coming home, the obvious thing to do is to catch one of the Avanti direct trains from London Euston to Glasgow Central.

But if you have always harboured an urge to visit Slough, Oxford, Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham or Sheffield, now is your chance. All of these stops are legal under the Any Permitted Route principle. Some old railway hands whisper that it is even possible to bring Southampton, Bristol and south Wales into the mix on a London-Glasgow journey.

Make the most of this current flexibility because the government is promising to reform fares. The price you pay will, very sensibly, reflect the series of one-way journeys you wish to make. In your case: Glasgow-Edinburgh; Edinburgh-London; London-Glasgow. So, while you can, enjoy the freedom.

Surely a cruise cancellation is ‘an event beyond our control’? (Getty)

Q My wife and I were booked on a cruise with Regent from Bangkok to Abu Dhabi, starting on 27 March. Unfortunately the cruise has just been cancelled. Regent says it will refund the cost. However, we booked flights to travel from UK to Bangkok and return from Abu Dhabi.

The airline says in its conditions of carriage that it allow changes if travellers “are prevented from travelling due to an event beyond the passenger’s control”. But it is refusing to change our flights free of charge stating that the only “events” they are prepared to recognise at present are flights to/from China or Hong Kong. We believe the cancellation of our cruise is an event clearly beyond our control. Can you advise on my rights?

Gordon N

A Dozens of cruises in Asia have been abruptly cancelled as a result of the coronavirus outbreak known as Covid-19. Many of the cruise passengers whose voyages have been cancelled bought their trips as package holidays, with flights and the ship bundled together in a single transaction.

For them, the position is straightforward thanks to the Package Travel Regulations 2018. As there has been a significant change to their trip, they qualify for a full refund within two weeks. (Their travel firm can offer an alternative trip but it is entirely the customer’s choice to insist on their money back.)

But because you chose to arrange flights separately, the law is entirely different. I am afraid you, like thousands of other travellers, are in the unenviable position of having booked flights for a trip that is no longer going ahead.

Your contract is to fly you to Bangkok and back from the UAE. The airline will be able to perform this contract. the key word is “prevented”. There is nothing to stop you going to Thailand and returning from the UAE.

Indeed, if nothing else changes then I urge you to consider that. It is a terrific time to visit Thailand because so many tourists are needlessly staying away. You could enjoy a couple of weeks exploring the country and then travel onwards via India to Dubai; fares are around £150 one way, and you could even build in a stop in Mumbai (though this would require an Indian visa).

If this does not appeal, then try asking Regent for a contribution to the air fare. It may also be worth consulting your travel insurer, but unless you have extraordinarily good cover I imagine they will decline a claim.

Pedestrians wearing face masks in Shibuya district of Tokyo (EPA)

Q I booked a flight from London to Tokyo with British Airways in order to take part in the Tokyo marathon. It has just been cancelled due to coronavirus. I was able to cancel the hotel, which I had booked separately, without penalty. Where do I stand with BA?

Dave R

A Your question shines a light on some important issues connected with the coronavirus – and the way that people organise their trips. Had you bought a Tokyo marathon package (including flights and accommodation) through a specialist sports tour operator, then it would be straightforward: the travel firm would not be able to provide the experience you booked, and you would be due a full refund within two weeks.

This would not have applied had you bought an “ordinary” city break package through a company such as Expedia or British Airways Holidays. The firm would still be able to deliver the trip you booked. Because it was not a marathon-specific trip, you would have no right to cancel. As it is, you chose to book flights and accommodation separately. The hotel has responded well in allowing you to cancel without loss, which leaves your flights.

I presume you chose the lowest-possible fare with little or no room for changes, let alone cancellations. Legally speaking, the airline has no obligation to allow you to cancel and get a refund. However, I suggest you call the airline.

British Airways has a generous option in its conditions of carriage that allows passengers to claim a credit note for the cost of the ticket when they are “prevented from travelling by events beyond your control”. The credit note, if you get it, will be time-limited (probably for a year) but you can offer it to others if you can’t use it yourself.

To qualify, you must have a completely unused ticket (which you do); have told BA promptly about the events beyond your control (which you can); and provided evidence of these events (eg an email showing your confirmed entry to the Tokyo Marathon, and another saying it is cancelled).

The big question, though: have you been “prevented from travelling”? Arguably no, even though the purpose of your trip has evaporated. So while I hope British Airways will respond positively, there are no guarantees. If your refund request fails, though, you can try to seek recompense from travel insurance. Or decide to go ahead anyway with a trip to one of the world’s great cities.

Escape to the sun: Bugibba bay on the beautiful island of Malta (Getty/iStock)

Q I would like some advice on travel destinations for my daughter, please. She is looking for a relaxing beach holiday for about two weeks at the beginning of March. She does not want a package – she’s a bit more of an independent traveller, so flights and separate accommodation. She is stuck for ideas that do not cost too much. She has a budget of about £600-£700 for two. Can you help?

Karen J

A Early March is a good time to get away – it avoids all the half-term crowds, and the Easter crush. But £350 per person for two weeks is ambitious, especially if she wants to find somewhere comfortable to stay and insists on avoiding package holidays; it amounts to just £50 for two per night, not counting the air fare. So I suggest she relaxes the red line on packages to get a great deal.

The best package I can find that might suit departs from Gatwick on Saturday 29 February – a day early, but if she is working Monday to Friday that may suit. It is a TUI holiday to Bugibba in Malta – a cheap and cheerful property on a beautiful island where there’s a high chance of good weather. At £305 each, it will leave them with a bit of spending money; accommodation is in a self-catering studio, so they can economise on eating out. And, of course, the package price includes transfers from the airport to the resort.

But if she is determined to be independent, then Malaga is probably the best location. It has a vast array of flights from across the UK. The cheapest deal out on 1 March, back two weeks later, is £131 return from Southend; she would need to fly out on easyJet and back on Ryanair to get this price. There are some good, cheap places to stay in Malaga itself, and it has a reasonable city beach.

While air fares are likely only to get more expensive in the next week, it is possible that package holidays may get cheaper; so if she has an appetite for some unpredictability, she could wait and see if there are more deals available a few days before departure.

Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder