The little engine that should have a long time ago

For centuries, Scotland was at the crossroads of Europe. As the first port of call for marauding Vikings, it was at the forefront of an ethno-cultural interaction that would shape the identity of this island’s people forever. During the reformation, Scotland’s role—first as a bastion of Catholicism, latterly as the engineroom of radical Protestantism—gave the region a political importance greater than it had ever yet enjoyed. A generation of revolutionary thinkers brought the Enlightenment to Britain; a generation of intrepid leaders carved out the empire; a generation of labourers fuelled the Industrial Revolution.

This, of course has no bearing on the question at hand – but it does nothing to diminish the ire which trying to get in and out of Scotland causes for the modern traveller.

Edinburgh competes to be the worst connected national capital in Europe, with scant transport services to Europe and difficulties inherent even in an attempt to get to London. Edinburgh Airport, despite being the seventh busiest in the UK, is essentially a "fun-in-the-scum" waystation – amongst its top ten most-served destinations are Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Alicante, Faro and Murcia. Amsterdam’s place as the number one destination is mostly explained by the route being served by EasyJet, aviation chauffeur to soft-drugs tourists across the nation. In terms of passenger volume, London isn't even in the top ten.

One of the more powerful arguments for Scottish independence is the claim by the SNP that European integration offers small countries the chance to have their voices heard in concert with their larger neighbours. To speak for Scotland, however, Alex Salmond would have to get to Brussels first; good luck to him – only one carrier flies to the capital of Europe, once a day, and for £240 return off-peak.

Even getting to Edinburgh Airport is something of a challenge. Without any rail connection, the only option for travellers is to brave the traffic on the one-lane access road off the A9 – there is no connection to the M8, Scotland’s most important motorway. On the way to catch your carbon-intensive non-essential holiday flight, you can therefore look forward to an eco-friendly traffic jam as a climate-change appetizer.

The alternatives are—much like competition in airport operation, despite the privatisation of BAA—nonexistant. The only other Scottish airport serving anything near the same number of destinations as Edinburgh is Glasgow Prestwick. Set atop the cliffs facing the Atlantic just outside Ayr, Prestwick Airport enjoys the windswept, savage remoteness of an Emily Brontë bodice-ripper; but even a trip to the moors of Haworth wouldn’t ask travellers to get off at Glasgow Queen Street, walk the length of Buchanan Street and catch a connection at Glasgow Central.

Those seeking an escape from Scotland are therefore forced to contribute to the airborne congestion above London and the chaos of its many airports. For the privilege of having your baggage lost in the bowels of Terminal 5 you must, of course, get there. Thrifty students will be drawn to Megabus for its competitive fares; only the masochistic will enjoy the ten-hour ordeal, stopping at Scotch Corner and Newcastle without letting anyone off to stretch their legs.

One is welcome to take their chances on the train – the East Coast Mainline, home of the legendary Flying Scotsman of bygone days. Unfortunately, the old girl isn’t what she used to be – the rest of the world has caught up. The journey from Paris to London on the Eurostar has been clocked at two hours and five minutes; the only marginally longer voyage from Edinburgh to London takes four and a half, leaves on the track permitting. Improvements to the line are, like many of the services that run on it, long overdue.