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Sleeper Trains to Scotland

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beeboo

geek chic
I'm going to Scotland soon and I'm taking the Caledonian Sleeper. :cool:

I'm dead excited, I've always wanted to travel on a sleeper train!

Quote: "The sleepers provide almost 'cruise train' facilities, yet prices start at just £19 one way including sleeping berth and light breakfast"

http://www.seat61.com/CaledonianSleepers.htm

rah! :)
 
It's fucking great

We'd never done it before so went to the bar and sat and drank decent beer at decent prices to get tiddly so we could sleep

Woke up in Scotland

On the way back we got absolutely shredded in Glasgow, woke up in London

(Went to the Isle of Mull in between)

I love the sleeper train

:)

Other stuff: the staff are ace, and they'll wake you up with coffee or tea twenty minutes before you arrive
If you ask for sausage and chips in Glasgow, you get two sausages, "as a matter of course"

Use it before we lose it
 
I really want to do this, was considering renting a car to drive up there. Why should I when there's a bed and breakfast on rails?? Beeboo, let us know how it goes? :cool:
 
the sleeper train is fab, I managed to sleep well on the bunk, mrs21 didn't, the rocking kept her awake, but lulled me into a blissful sleep:cool:
 
christonabike said:
It's fucking great

We'd never done it before so went to the bar and sat and drank decent beer at decent prices to get tiddly so we could sleep

Woke up in Scotland

On the way back we got absolutely shredded in Glasgow, woke up in London

(Went to the Isle of Mull in between)

I love the sleeper train

:)
Click to expand...


Superb! I reckon sleeping on a train will be fun too - train noises lulling you to sleep, mmm...!

And I did only pay £19 one-way as well. Bargaintastic! Not going until the end of May but I will report back.
 
beeboo said:
I'm going to Scotland soon and I'm taking the Caledonian Sleeper. :cool:

I'm dead excited, I've always wanted to travel on a sleeper train!

Quote: "The sleepers provide almost 'cruise train' facilities, yet prices start at just £19 one way including sleeping berth and light breakfast"

http://www.seat61.com/CaledonianSleepers.htm

rah! :)
Click to expand...

I've done it in France. It's a fine way to tavel. I did feel like I was still going along for a day or so after though
 
beeboo said:
I'm going to Scotland soon and I'm taking the Caledonian Sleeper. :cool:

I'm dead excited, I've always wanted to travel on a sleeper train!

Quote: "The sleepers provide almost 'cruise train' facilities, yet prices start at just £19 one way including sleeping berth and light breakfast"

http://www.seat61.com/CaledonianSleepers.htm

rah! :)
Click to expand...

In the UK it's utter crap. Beds set at right angles to the direction of travel - every time the train speeds up or slows down you get hurled against the bulkhead or towards the edge of the bed.

The rolling stock's so antiquated that half the time the heating/air conditioning's dysfunctional and if you can find a working toilet, you'll be lucky. It's hardly a rolling B&B as there's no showers (either ensuite or shared) and shaving on a moving train on British Track counts as blood-sports.

The only rationale used to be motorail where you could take your car with you, saving the tedious haul down the M6.
 
The Caledonian Sleeper is great! Really good. Probably the best sleeper I've been on and I've been on sleepers in China, Russia, Belarus (all the same train), Czech Republic, France, Spain, Thailand and Malaysia as well as the UK of course. This summer I'm hoping to do the Cornwall Riviera (London-Penzance) train!

The Caledonian Sleeper is a particularly fine way to get a proper weekend in Scotland... curry on Drummond Street.. get on the train, breakfast in Edinburgh.... check out David Banns for dinner, Hendersons for lunch and Plaisir du Choclat for the largest tea menu you'll ever see (not to mention the amazing chocolates and cakes!) :)

I'm officially jealous!
 
beeboo said:
Superb! I reckon sleeping on a train will be fun too - train noises lulling you to sleep, mmm...!

And I did only pay £19 one-way as well. Bargaintastic! Not going until the end of May but I will report back.
Click to expand...

I really fancy going this way now :cool:
 
I did it in Egypt and managed to blag a cabin all to myself :)

Was a bargain saving on a nights accommodation... might look into a few in UK - they sound like they'd be a bit more plush.
 
I love sleeper trains, going to sleep on them is very relaxing.

I went past the Caledonian sleeper the other day on another train out of Euston - felt a bit jealous

is that a bit sad?
 
In the UK it's utter crap. Beds set at right angles to the direction of travel - every time the train speeds up or slows down you get hurled against the bulkhead or towards the edge of the bed.

The rolling stock's so antiquated that half the time the heating/air conditioning's dysfunctional and if you can find a working toilet, you'll be lucky. It's hardly a rolling B&B as there's no showers (either ensuite or shared) and shaving on a moving train on British Track counts as blood-sports.
Click to expand...

I agree, I had the same problems on a trip to aberdeen. (train accelerating and deccelerating plus the aircon wasn't working)

But if you can get a cheap ticket I would recommend it. Accommodation is similar to youth hostels but the biggest advantage is time. I went to Glasgow on the sleeper and I was in Glasgow city center by 8am. If I went by air plane, I would have to get a taxi at 4am to the airport, 5am arrive at Heathrow, 6am flight and then Glasgow airport at 7am.
 
Cobbles said:
In the UK it's utter crap. Beds set at right angles to the direction of travel - every time the train speeds up or slows down you get hurled against the bulkhead or towards the edge of the bed.
Click to expand...

is this not the same as most of the sleeper trains in europe? was when I used them last
 
I went up to Edinburgh on a sleeper a couple of years ago. It was great. All night bar! We drank *all* their red wine. The hangover on arrival wasn't fun, but the tea they bring you in bed helped.
 
Sleeper trains rock :cool:

I *heart* the cornish riviera - go to the pub, get on the train, sleep, wake up in Penzance.

Class
 
Done the Riveria from London to Penzance, they upgraded me to my own first class cabin so sat and drank wine, smoked spliffs and passed out, woke up in cornwall, result!

Shall be doing the night train next time I go to Edinburgh to see the gf, fed up of that five hour day time journey, anyone know whaty time it gets into london? I guess i could go straight to work from kings cross on the monday
 
Fingers said:
Done the Riveria from London to Penzance, they upgraded me to my own first class cabin so sat and drank wine, smoked spliffs and passed out, woke up in cornwall, result!

Shall be doing the night train next time I go to Edinburgh to see the gf, fed up of that five hour day time journey, anyone know whaty time it gets into london? I guess i could go straight to work from kings cross on the monday
Click to expand...

They usually sit in a siding until about 7am (well that's what the Riviera does). There are showers you can use at Paddington if you have a sleeper seat so I'd imagine it's the same at Euston
 
Oh right, the caledonain goes from Euston, 7am is fine by me, top notch showers at work so Ok there

The £19 ticket, is that extra on top on the normal train ticket price i presume?

Thanks Trashy
 
Fingers said:
Oh right, the caledonain goes from Euston, 7am is fine by me, top notch showers at work so Ok there

The £19 ticket, is that extra on top on the normal train ticket price i presume?

Thanks Trashy
Click to expand...

Yep - but it's worth it :cool:

Oh yeah - the 'light breakfast' that beeboo mentions in the OP is in fact biscuits :D
 
Sleep trains are great, I've done Madrid - Paris, SomeWhereShittyInSouthOfSpain-Madrid, and tangier-Marrakech.

The moroccan one is pretty good, but the Madrid-Paris one was luxury, really comfy, really great ride.
 
Fingers said:
The £19 ticket, is that extra on top on the normal train ticket price i presume?
Click to expand...

Noooo...the £19 is the FULL COST OF TRAVEL!! :eek: - ie I'm paying £19 for the combination of London - Edinburgh travel AND the sleeper.

You'd be lucky to get either a hostel bed or a train ticket for that price, never mind both combined!

It's called 'Bargain Berth' - not available on every train, but can be checked online on the Scotrail website.

Glad to see I'm not alone in my sleeper train enthusiasm! :D
 
just booked onto the Rome-Metaponto sleeper for unsound travel. I'm almost as excited about the whole agatha christieness of it all as I am any other part of the holiday... :cool: :oops:
 
spanglechick said:
just booked onto the Rome-Metaponto sleeper for unsound travel. I'm almost as excited about the whole agatha christieness of it all as I am any other part of the holiday... :cool: :oops:
Click to expand...

mmm, I think I'm going to wear tweed on the sleeper train, just to get into the spirit of things :cool:
 
I love sleeper trains. Somehow they're just so exciting. We did it going from Ankara to Istanbul. BA and I had the two top beds and I felt like we were in an exciting adventurous children's novel and he was my brother or my bestest mate. Twas lots of fun.
Incidentally it was also a much more comfortable bed than I'd had on previous occasions that week and I got a pretty decent nights sleep.
Nobody woke us up when we got there though and the guards had to come and kick us out in the morning.
 
Did it from Melbourne to Adelaide as my grandmother was terrified of flying.
It was really comfortable and you got access to a special 'sleeper only' bar.
Steering grandmother back to the cabin after quite a few 'medicinal' drinks was fun though...
From memory it was well expensive compared to flying and Australia didn't have budget airlines at this time
Have always wanted to do the Scottish one
 
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