To the many experts on FT...

I have the first full week of December available (about 10 days) and plan to explore Manchester and then Edinburgh and/or Glasgow.

Train travel; arriving on UA, day flight from EWR, so 2035 arrival at LHR T2.

Thinking of the Elizabeth Line or HX to a hotel near a train station that will take me directly to Manchester Picadilly with 0900-1000 departure to Manchester after the overnight. Any wisdom for me?

3-4 nights in Manchester. Any hidden gems?

Train to Edinburgh or Glasgow. 3-4 nights available. It appears that Edinburgh and Glasgow are close to each other by train; Edinburgh is far more expensive for lodging. I am not necessarily needing to save money, but wondering if a initial exploratory day trip to Edinburgh to Glasgow would be OK, or if I should just split my time between the two?

And then the train back to LHR with a night at a T2 hotel.

And am I recalling correctly that https://tfw.wales/ is the best platform for train ticket purchases? As well as the purchase of a UK railcard (I'll use it again in mid-2026)?

Many thanks!