Caledonian Sleeper

[jagardner1984]

Given that presumably the first thing they do when servicing the rooms is remove the ladder to get to the bedding, and the overwhelming majority of the rooms are single occupied on most journeys, it seems strange that the room is so compromised to accommodate a second bunk which is rarely used. To be honest it’s the first thing I remove on arrival. They are fittings which I imagine in a few years, if not already, will keep the daytime fitters busy at Polmadie and Wembley !

 

[JamieL]

Given that presumably the first thing they do when servicing the rooms is remove the ladder to get to the bedding, and the overwhelming majority of the rooms are single occupied on most journeys, it seems strange that the room is so compromised to accommodate a second bunk which is rarely used. To be honest it’s the first thing I remove on arrival. They are fittings which I imagine in a few years, if not already, will keep the daytime fitters busy at Polmadie and Wembley !

Are most rooms single occupied? I have no data either way but my personal observation at Euston is a broad mix of users, many of whom are couples/families.

 

[35B]

Hey guys, just wondering really
Im 6 foot 7 but the classic beds (according to CS website) are only 6 foot 2. For anyone else that is very tall, what is your experience? Is it easier just to take a Pendolino up the day before and grab a Traveldoge in Glasgow instead?

A mere 6’6”, and bed length didn’t cause me any issues when I’ve travelled. Not perfect, but perfectly adequate and any sleep issues were for other reasons.

 

[D6130]

A mere 6’6”, and bed length didn’t cause me any issues when I’ve travelled. Not perfect, but perfectly adequate and any sleep issues were for other reasons.

What concerned me - more than the length of the bed - on my maiden trip last month, was the width. I'm not exactly massive, but I found it very difficult to turn over without being in danger of falling out.

 

[duncan788]

Hi,I am planning a solo trip from Fort William to Brighton in late December and am looking for advice on the best transportation option.
I'm considering taking the Caledonian Sleeper directly from Fort William to London, booking a seat rather than a room, since the prices are reasonable and I may not have another chance to travel on this iconic sleeper train. The direct overnight trip would be convenient as I wouldn't have to change trains.
However, I could also take a daytime scotrail to Glasgow, then get the Pendolino to London with an superfare ticket, or fly from Glasgow to Gatwick.

As someone more familiar with these routes, would you recommend trying the Caledonian Sleeper seats for the experience or going with another faster or cheaper option? How comfortable are the seated accomodations on the Sleeper?

 

[alistairlees]

Hi,I am planning a solo trip from Fort William to Brighton in late December and am looking for advice on the best transportation option.
I'm considering taking the Caledonian Sleeper directly from Fort William to London, booking a seat rather than a room, since the prices are reasonable and I may not have another chance to travel on this iconic sleeper train. The direct overnight trip would be convenient as I wouldn't have to change trains.
However, I could also take a daytime scotrail to Glasgow, then get the Pendolino to London with an superfare ticket, or fly from Glasgow to Gatwick.

As someone more familiar with these routes, would you recommend trying the Caledonian Sleeper seats for the experience or going with another faster or cheaper option? How comfortable are the seated accomodations on the Sleeper?

If you’re in the seats from fort William you’ll need to change coaches at Edinburgh in the middle of the night.

 

[BRX]

And bear in mind that in late December it will be dark long before you even get on the train in fort William so you will see none of the scenery.

I think it would only be worth it if you were interested in seeing what the seated coach itself is like. You aren't allowed into the lounge car so your experience of the train is rather a limited one. For someone who likes doing unusual journeys for the sake of it, the change of coaches in the middle of the night in Edinburgh has some novelty...perhaps.

If you were asking about doing it in midsummer it would be much more worthwhile.

Your other option is to do fort William to glasgow in daylight on scotrail, then take the sleeper from glasgow to london, then you would still get a go in the seated coach.

 

[jagardner1984]

Hi,I am planning a solo trip from Fort William to Brighton in late December and am looking for advice on the best transportation option.
I'm considering taking the Caledonian Sleeper directly from Fort William to London, booking a seat rather than a room, since the prices are reasonable and I may not have another chance to travel on this iconic sleeper train. The direct overnight trip would be convenient as I wouldn't have to change trains.
However, I could also take a daytime scotrail to Glasgow, then get the Pendolino to London with an superfare ticket, or fly from Glasgow to Gatwick.

As someone more familiar with these routes, would you recommend trying the Caledonian Sleeper seats for the experience or going with another faster or cheaper option? How comfortable are the seated accomodations on the Sleeper?

I think unfortunately it’s a total “piece of string” question. Undoubtedly it’s one of the best value methods of travelling incredibly long distances on UK rail - with super cheap fares normally available until a day or so beforehand.

Personally i am quite a good sleeper and travel a lot for work, so used to grabbing a few minutes / hours on aircraft / coaches and trains the world over.

However personally, whilst the experience is broadly similar to a UK first class day train, I found it a very poor sleeping experience - mainly due to the setup of the lighting which was dayglo bright all night long. I believe this may have been modified, but unfortunately the seats are far too firm and the setup of the coach really, really not Conducive to sleep. For me the berth is well worth the price difference especially on winter pricing. As @alistairlees says - there is also the consideration of the middle of the night change at Waverley. Though frankly I think that is the least of the issues !

However others will tell you it’s great. The sleeper in general is a unique experience and in my view a truly LOVELY way to travel. That matters to me and every horrible experience in Luton Airport reminds me of why I much prefer tucking into a Mk 5 ! The seats were just not for me.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you have time I'd recommend doing it as a daytime journey, staying over in Glasgow so it's all in daylight. It is an interesting and/or scenic trip pretty much throughout.

 

[duncan788]

Thank you everyone, after reading all the suggestions, I will travel with Avanti .

 

[Statto]

And bear in mind that in late December it will be dark long before you even get on the train in fort William so you will see none of the scenery.

I think it would only be worth it if you were interested in seeing what the seated coach itself is like. You aren't allowed into the lounge car so your experience of the train is rather a limited one. For someone who likes doing unusual journeys for the sake of it, the change of coaches in the middle of the night in Edinburgh has some novelty...perhaps.

If you were asking about doing it in midsummer it would be much more worthwhile.

Your other option is to do fort William to glasgow in daylight on scotrail, then take the sleeper from glasgow to london, then you would still get a go in the seated coach.

Good point, sunset in late December is between 15.30 & 16.00, (sunrise is 08.30 to 9am) you won't see any of the scenery because of the darkness.

If you want to do the sleeper for the scenery, then your better off traveling between April & August (preferably May & July when daylight hours are at the max) when you have the daylight, but you have to book early because this is peak tourist season.

 

[JModulo]

Hi,I am planning a solo trip from Fort William to Brighton in late December and am looking for advice on the best transportation option.
I'm considering taking the Caledonian Sleeper directly from Fort William to London, booking a seat rather than a room, since the prices are reasonable and I may not have another chance to travel on this iconic sleeper train. The direct overnight trip would be convenient as I wouldn't have to change trains.
However, I could also take a daytime scotrail to Glasgow, then get the Pendolino to London with an superfare ticket, or fly from Glasgow to Gatwick.

As someone more familiar with these routes, would you recommend trying the Caledonian Sleeper seats for the experience or going with another faster or cheaper option? How comfortable are the seated accomodations on the Sleeper?

I did the seats for the first time (in the new stock) the other night there due to no berths being available as I'd left it late. Didn't mind doing them too much on the Mk2s as you atleast got some ammount of sleep and comfort. Can say I will never use them again on the mk5s, probably not even as a last resort.

 

[Essexman]

The ladders on te Mark 5s are awful. Not only do they get in the way unless you can work out how to remove them (and are prepared to disobey the notice tellinmg you not to) but the rungs are much narrower than on the old stock, making it very uncomfortable to use in bare feet.

Given that the ladders are mainly used by passengers in bare feet it would seem rather important that the rungs are comfortable to ascend and descend without shoes on. They are far from it.
One can only assume that this was not considered or tested at the design stage.

 

[D6130]

Given that the ladders are mainly used by passengers in bare feet it would seem rather important that the rungs are comfortable to ascend and descend without shows on. They are far from it.
One can only assume that this was not considered or tested at the design stage.

This was one of the main complaints of cookery writer and broadcaster Prue Leith and her husband in their stinging critique of their first and last CS journey in a Daily Telegraph article discussed upthread. (Sorry....can't do a link!)

 

[Blindtraveler]

I did the seats for the first time (in the new stock) the other night there due to no berths being available as I'd left it late. Didn't mind doing them too much on the Mk2s as you atleast got some ammount of sleep and comfort. Can say I will never use them again on the mk5s, probably not even as a last resort.

I said this back in the summer and guess what I'm doing in about three weeks time?

This is very much a last attempt at being able to not be so blown out by the experience that I feel ill and out of sorts for the rest of the following day.

Have a feeling though that it's going to be a case of accepting that I'm now too old and unfit to do crazy stuff like this

 

[andythebrave]

This year I have made 3 CS journeys.
The first was in the seats from Arrochar to Glasgow and was, mostly, a delight; spacious, great service. I say mostly as the USB socket required a continuous large force on the connector for it to work.
The second was in a Club room from Euston to Glasgow. The ladder was very poor, it reminded me of climbing a builder's ladder barefoot, and the contortions to get in were, shall we say, interesting. There's no way my wife would have made it up there. The lounge car service was excellent and the ambience is ok but the food and drink were excessively priced and the food was average in quality with very small portion size. Breakfast was poor, full stop.
The third was the same trip, this time with 4 of us in 3 club rooms. Knowing the poor value in the lounge car I brought a couple of miniatures with me and reused the glass. My vegan daughter had the hash and it was, frankly, disgusting, she managed a forkful before handing it over to her gluttonous dad. If the nachos actually had the advertised sour cream it was hiding quite successfully. Breakfast was poor, lorne sausage was dry and the thing masquerading as omelette was clearly made of something approaching rubber
Generally, the two trips overnight highlighted some significant failings. The rooms seem extraordinarily cramped, the ride of the carriages is poor, sleep was hard to come by and sound insulation from outside is poor.
I had previously made a number of sleeper journeys in the mark 3 carriages and found the experience excellent; great ride, somehow plenty of room and very quiet.
I appreciate that this is my personal view but the current offer is significantly worse than what preceded it.
I doubt that I'll be using it again except for local seated journeys.

 

[31160]

Totally agree what's been said above regarding the seats and the ladder, first thing I do is take out the ladder and put it in the gap between the wall and the sink,also I did the sleeper a few times last year and the slide out table in the sink unit seams very breakable,well either that or very hard to fix afterwards

Is there anyone in the know on here that would know if there are any diversions next Feb/March time particularly on the electric hauled sections thanks

 

[JKF]

I'm considering taking the Caledonian Sleeper directly from Fort William to London, booking a seat rather than a room, since the prices are reasonable and I may not have another chance to travel on this iconic sleeper train. The direct overnight trip would be convenient as I wouldn't have to change trains.
However, I could also take a daytime scotrail to Glasgow, then get the Pendolino to London with an superfare ticket, or fly from Glasgow to Gatwick.

As someone more familiar with these routes, would you recommend trying the Caledonian Sleeper seats for the experience or going with another faster or cheaper option? How comfortable are the seated accomodations on the Sleeper?

I did Inverness-Preston in the seated coach of the Highland sleeper about fifteen years ago (in the old stock). While the coach was almost empty and I could easily lie across a row of seats in comfort, someone in the coach had a young child who screamed almost the whole journey, so nobody got any sleep in the carriage! Also being dumped out at Preston at 4:30 am in sub-zero temperatures with no waiting rooms open, a hour before the next available onward service, was not great, but not one you’d have to worry about (they did eventually open somewhere after pleas from passengers).

 

[Blindtraveler]

Suspect that set downs from the sleeper at destinations like Preston and crew are sufficiently irregular that they don't as standard have any facilities open on speck but as you say would be able to provide something were there to be passengers arrive and request them

 

[SandsofEss]

A good trip on the Callie Sleeper last Wednesday. We felt quite fortunate to sneak through the highlands unscathed after noting the disruption to operations on days either side.

We were delayed by over an hour though, which means a 100% refund. Given reported subsidy levels on the service, that's surely not sustainable. I'm left wondering if the delay repay scheme ought to be less generous for such a long service.

As leisure travellers, we were grateful for the later arrival time. I'm sure business travellers would feel differently.

 

[BRX]

Yes I have previously wondered whether there could be two fare tiers, one essentially with a waiver on the delay repay compensation.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Or maybe an evolution of this would be to charge everyone the equivalent price of a seated passenger which could be subject to delay compensation in the same way as every other train fare and then bill the hotel service element of things such as rooms or meals or anything else they wanted to include as extras which would not be bound by the same terms and conditions but could yet be subject to compensation if they couldn't provide them, as might be expected by any semi-reputable hotel be it a chain or independent

What this does create is an administrative or booking headache the costs of overcoming such may of course be just about the same as refunding a 400 pound club double every time the West Highland line falls over

 

[diffarc]

Does anyone know from what time the Euston lounge can be accessed? I know it says 2 hours before, but is this 2 hours before the actual train departure, or 2 hours before you are allowed to board?

 

[Essexman]

A good trip on the Callie Sleeper last Wednesday. We felt quite fortunate to sneak through the highlands unscathed after noting the disruption to operations on days either side.

We were delayed by over an hour though, which means a 100% refund. Given reported subsidy levels on the service, that's surely not sustainable. I'm left wondering if the delay repay scheme ought to be less generous for such a long service.

As leisure travellers, we were grateful for the later arrival time. I'm sure business travellers would feel differently.

If the delay was due to the weather / track, would it not be Network Rail who foot the bill for delay repay rather than CS?

I think the whole delay repay situation is unreasonable. Weather, suicides etc aren't the railways' fault but we can still claim.
No other mode of transport offers this.

Having said that, fares are mostly so expensive that anything back is welcome.

 

[alistairlees]

Does anyone know from what time the Euston lounge can be accessed? I know it says 2 hours before, but is this 2 hours before the actual train departure, or 2 hours before you are allowed to board?

New lounge open tonight!

 

[popeter45]

New lounge open tonight!

do any photos exist yet?

 

[alistairlees]

do any photos exist yet?

It only opened 1 minute ago...

 

[diffarc]

New lounge open tonight!

So it is! Perfect timing for my trip

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Oct 2023 ==

do any photos exist yet?

I’ll be there tonight, will share some pics!

 

[CW2]

CS lounge staff busily handing out free Prosecco and mini burgers to celebrate the opening of the new lounge. Located half way down platform 1, it is available to Club sleeper passengers, and has toilets and showers, and a small menu of cooked food. Complimentary tea, coffee, crisps etc.

It seems well organised, with passengers being checked in at the front desk, and priority boarding passes issued.

The only sticking point was getting access to platform 1 in the first place. The barriers were closed, and I had to wait several minutes to attract the attention of the barrier staff.

 

[Kite159]

The new lounge at Euston screams out to be a glorious waste of money, considering there was already a first class lounge available.

Unless Avanti wanted a lot more money to keep their 1st class lounge open, considering the number of Avanti passengers with 1st class tickets would have decreased since Standard Premium became a thing