The Caledonian Sleeper

[cliche guevara]

Sounds fucking fantastic, London to Fort William on a sleeper train

I've heard it can be booked very cheap, but have only seen expensive tickets on scotrail. Anyone done it before, on the cheap? Experiences and links to cheap tickets very welcome.

 

[Lord Camomile]

A friend and I have been planning this trip for ages, hopefully finally gonna go in May

The cheap tickets are 'bargain berths', priced between £19-£49. From what I can gather there are only a few on each train and you can only book around 12 weeks in advance.

Really excited about going, there's loads to do up there

 

[cliche guevara]

Ah excellent, I must've missed that. Not a lot available at the minute, but it's worth keeping an eye on. Thank you.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Aye, that's the trouble, you gotta keep checking back to see what's come up. Bit of a worry when I'm also trying to book accommodation in three different places plus all the travel between 'em

If you're off to Fort William will you attempt to tackle Ben Nevis? I have foolishly suggested it "can't be that hard"

 

[Dillinger4]

I would fucking love to do this. I love the idea of sleeper trains. I would also like to do a journey like Paris - Barcelona or Paris - Rome or something like that as well.

 

[cliche guevara]

I'd love to do Ben Nevis. One of my friends tried to rope me into it from time time, he's a bit of a nutter and has done tri-peaks, and is forever walking/running/cycling coast to coast and stuff.

Sleeper trains are rad Dillinger, I bet you have the same romantic view of them as I do, particularly the European ones. You visualise yourself chatting to some Romanian girl about literature, and falling in love, whilst both knowing that the relationship can only last as far the journey. *sigh*

 

[quimcunx]

I've done the one to Edinburgh. It was mostly good.

 

[Dillinger4]

I'd love to do Ben Nevis. One of my friends tried to rope me into it from time time, he's a bit of a nutter and has done tri-peaks, and is forever walking/running/cycling coast to coast and stuff.

Sleeper trains are rad Dillinger, I bet you have the same romantic view of them as I do, particularly the European ones. You visualise yourself chatting to some Romanian girl about literature, and falling in love, whilst both knowing that the relationship can only last as far the journey. *sigh*

Oh yes. I am going to PM you a film recommendation based entirely on that....

 

[cliche guevara]

Hahaha I thought you might.

 

[cliche guevara]

I've done the one to Edinburgh. It was mostly good.

Mostly hints at bad parts, which need to be elaborated on.

 

[quimcunx]

And from Vienna to Frankfurt. That wasn't particularly restful.

I met 5 Korean students. One of them switched the light off before I was settled.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Oh yes. I am going to PM you a film recommendation based entirely on that....

It better not be Before Sunrise

I'd love to do Ben Nevis. One of my friends tried to rope me into it from time time, he's a bit of a nutter and has done tri-peaks, and is forever walking/running/cycling coast to coast and stuff.

I did havemy eye on the tri-peaks, but thought it probably best to see if I can get up one of them first

 

[idioteque]

Sleeper trains are rad Dillinger, I bet you have the same romantic view of them as I do, particularly the European ones. You visualise yourself chatting to some Romanian girl about literature, and falling in love, whilst both knowing that the relationship can only last as far the journey. *sigh*

Oi!

 

[Dillinger4]

It better not be Before Sunrise

 

[quimcunx]

Mostly hints at bad parts, which need to be elaborated on.

It was fun. I was sharing with a girl I like (not that way) so we had a good giggle. It is comfortable and only 2 berths so just me and my mate. In the morning they gave us breakfast which included muesli with sweetened double cream rather than the yoghurt I expected. Nom. Scotland's idea of a healthy breakfast. And they give you a little toothbrush set. But I like to sleep with an open window and there wasn't this possibility and they wake you up stoopid early at Edinburgh and kick you out bleary eyed.

 

[Lord Camomile]

they wake you up stoopid early at Edinburgh and kick you out bleary eyed.

Another bonus of going to Fort William, you get to sleep a bit longer

 

[cliche guevara]

Oi!

Whatevs, you want her too

 

[colacubes]

I did Nice to Bordeaux in one. It was ace fun although you do get a bit of a headrush on the French trains as they lean into the corners and it's a little odd

 

[Lord Camomile]

I did Nice to Bordeaux in one. It was ace fun although you do get a bit of a headrush on the French trains as they lean into the corners and it's a little odd

That sounds like a continuation of the ace to me

 

[tim]

Sleeper trains are rad Dillinger, I bet you have the same romantic view of them as I do, particularly the European ones. You visualise yourself chatting to some Romanian girl about literature, and falling in love, whilst both knowing that the relationship can only last as far the journey. *sigh*

Or stuck on an eight hour ride with an elderly Italian lady suffering from dementia repeatedly telling some poor Algerian fellow passenger about how wonderful things were under Fascism and how terrible the Arabs are. And my favourite watching your neighbour spill the oil from a tin of tuna all over the compartment as you leave Athens knowing that it will be 30/40 hours before you reach Vienna and can escape from the smell.

 

[paolo]

I'd love to do Ben Nevis. One of my friends tried to rope me into it from time time, he's a bit of a nutter and has done tri-peaks, and is forever walking/running/cycling coast to coast and stuff.

Sleeper trains are rad Dillinger, I bet you have the same romantic view of them as I do, particularly the European ones. You visualise yourself chatting to some Romanian girl about literature, and falling in love, whilst both knowing that the relationship can only last as far the journey. *sigh*

These days though, before you finally part, you swap social networking IDs, then end up booking a suiccession of low cost nightmare flights to Bucharest, just so you can both compare notes on Avatar, before seeing her set her facebook status to 'Single' and her pictures of you deleted and her location set to 'Croydon'.

Sorry, am I ruining it?

 

[Dillinger4]

Luckily for me, I am not on any social networking sites. And I hate Avatar.

 

[paolo]

Luckily for me, I am not on any social networking sites. And I hate Avatar.

I did actually witness two people pull on a sleeper from Berlin to Paris. I mean, back to one of their cabins type pull, complete with carefully timed seperate departure from the bar carriage. Me and the then GF were talking in English. So they didn't factor for my GF being a native French speaker.

 

[editor]

I really want to do this.

 

[paolo]

I really want to do this.

Have random gay sex on a train?

(They were both men. )

srsly though, sleepers are bloody fab.

 

[beeboo]

I've done the Caledonian Sleeper a few times, it's not entirely glamourous but I always enjoy it. There was a thread a few years back and I think I posted some photos. First two times I didn't realise there was a hidden sink in the room

Bargain Berths seem to be mostly to Edinburgh/Glasgow etc - don't think I've ever seen any all the way to Fort William, but they may exist. Helps if you can travel midweek generally.

I've done sleeper trains in Italy and they're similar but fractionally nicer. You get decent espresso in the morning rather than a cup of tepid water and sachet of Nescafe.

 

[Lord Camomile]

I've done the Caledonian Sleeper a few times, it's not entirely glamourous but I always enjoy it. There was a thread a few years back and I think I posted some photos. First two times I didn't realise there was a hidden sink in the room

Bargain Berths seem to be mostly to Edinburgh/Glasgow etc - don't think I've ever seen any all the way to Fort William, but they may exist. Helps if you can travel midweek generally.

They do exist but they are somewhat infrequent. I got seduced by their talk of falling asleep in the city and waking up at the foot of Ben Nevis

To be honest, personally I'm don't expect it to be too glamorous, I'm kinda thinking it'll be like a hostel on tracks.

I did actually go on a sleeper once, to get to Edinburgh for a family wedding, but I was very young and my only memories are a snapshot of the sleeper and the guy playing bagpipes outside the church

 

[paolo]

To be honest, personally I'm don't expect it to be too glamorous, I'm kinda thinking it'll be like a hostel on tracks.

Not that bad.

The bar is nice enough and not bonkers prices. If you were going alone you might have to share your cabin with one other (same sex) random, but you're not, so all is good.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Not that bad.

The bar is nice enough and not bonkers prices. If you were going alone you might have to share your cabin with one other (same sex) random, but you're not, so all is good.

Sure, I just meant in terms of not expecting the Orient Express or anything - fairly basic and functional rather than glamorous

 

[paolo]

Sure, I just meant in terms of not expecting the Orient Express or anything - fairly basic and functional rather than glamorous

There's definitely some glamour. More glamour than shoe horning yourself into a Pendolino or shuffling through a succession of airport queues.