Queen Elizabeth II death: Are Scottish schools closed and travel advice for Queen's final journey out of Scotland

Edinburgh is set for another day of significant disruption when the Queen makes her final journey out of Scotland on Tuesday afternoon.

The Scottish Government said several major roads in the city will shut, while Edinburgh City Council confirmed the details of several schools set to close early.

Following 24 hours lying in state in St Giles’ Cathedral, the Queen’s coffin will be driven to Edinburgh Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

The Queen will follow a similar route to the airport as the one the cortege followed when she arrived from Balmoral.

It will then depart in a Royal Air Force aircraft for RAF Northolt, accompanied by the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

The coffin will be carried onto the airplane by an RAF bearer party with a guard of honour from the Royal Regiment of Scotland and a royal salute on arrival at the airport.

A final royal salute from the guard of honour will be given as the aircraft leaves, with one verse of the national anthem to be played.

The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, passing along the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as it continued its journey to the Palace of Holyroodhouse from Balmoral

The coffin will then arrive at RAF Northolt to another guard of honour from the Queen’s Colour Squadron, before being driven to Buckingham Palace.

Edinburgh residents were warned of significant disruption to the city, with people who are not intending to pay their respects urged to avoid “any non-essential travel”.

Lengthy delays due to diversions and cancellations on buses are expected, as well as delays on the roads due to road closures.

The route of the cortege will take will see the coffin travel from St Giles’ Cathedral, down Johnstone Terrace, Lothian Road, Queensferry Street, Dean Bridge and Queensferry Road, with the roads shut between 4pm and 6:30pm.

It will then arrive at the airport for a 5pm departure.

The city council is warning of “extensive closures and diversions of adjoining roads”, including all crossover junctions, with a “significant knock-on impact on surrounding trunk roads”.

This will impact those travelling on the M8 and the Edinburgh City Bypass

Traffic Scotland’s operator manager Stein Connolly said: “Monday and Tuesday will be extremely busy for Edinburgh, the City Bypass, and the surrounding network, due to a series of road closures and the sheer volume of people expected to line the streets.

“We want to strike a balance and ensure those who wish to pay their respects can do so safely. If you can work from home, we would strongly encourage you to do so. Please consider your need to travel if you are not attending any of the advertised events.”

ScotRail also announced an hourly overnight service between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street, via Falkirk High.

It ran in both directions on Monday night and into Tuesday morning.

The train operator will also run a 15-minute service between Edinburgh and Glasgow between 10am and 4pm, with additional carriages across the network for services to and from Edinburgh.

There will also be express services between High Street and Airdrie, with shuttle services for stations missed by the services.

Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway said: “We are doing everything we can to support people to pay their respects while Her Majesty The Queen lies at rest in Edinburgh.

“We expect trains to be busier than normal over the coming days, particularly to and from Edinburgh.”

Lothian Buses warned capital residents of “major disruption” across the network and have asked travellers to leave extra time for their journey.

Several routes will run part routes between 1:30pm and 4pm on Tuesday due to road closures.

CalMac also confirmed services will continue to run on the day of the Queen’s funeral, despite the bank holiday.

Several schools in Edinburgh are set to close early on Tuesday, including 11 primary schools and five high schools.

Broughton, Craigmount, St Augustine’s, St Thomas of Aquin’s and the Royal High School will all close.

The primary schools set to close include Blackhall, Clermiston, Cramond, Davidson’s Mains, East Craigs, Ferryhill, Flora Stevenson, Fox Covert, Hillwood, Stockbridge, and St Andrew’s Fox Covert.

Cammy Day, Edinburgh City Council leader, said: “Tuesday’s events will be of an unprecedented scale, even for our capital city, so I’m really proud that Edinburgh’s playing such a significant role in these ceremonial events with the eyes of the world are on us.

“Thousands of people lined the Royal Mile to hear the proclamation of the new King and we’ll continue to work closely with Scottish Government, Police Scotland and transport providers to manage disruption and safely accommodate the large numbers of visitors who will wish to pay their respects on Tuesday.

“We’re reminding everyone to consider their travel needs and avoid any non-essential travel throughout the day.

“For those who choose to try and attend events, please be aware that you may need to sit or stand for a number of hours so dress for the weather and with limited facilities, we recommend that you prepare accordingly.”

Police Scotland deputy chief constable Malcolm Graham added: “We share the respect and affection the public is demonstrating for Her Majesty and urge everyone to continue to be safe as they do so.

“Roads around Edinburgh are expected to be very busy on Tuesday with closures in place and people should plan ahead and follow travel advice.”

All episodes of the brand new limited series podcast, How to be an independent country: Scotland’s Choices, are out now.

It is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.