Newcastle to Inverness : Saturday

[Willie Bee]

I'll be booking a single journey for my wife and I soon, from Newcastle to Inverness.

No advance tickets are available yet (January) but hopefully they will be soon.

We like LNER so the 14:45 direct train seems brilliant, getting to Inverness at about 8pm. For about £65 (based on earlier date prices) this is a good deal

Alternative routes arriving in Inverness earlier would be possible, either with one change at Edinburgh, then heading north on a Scotrail service, or via Stirling on 2 separate Scotrail services. Prices are nearly the same. We could happily spend some time in Edinburgh between trains if required.

Which would foilk here recommend ? direct or with changes

 

[ainsworth74]

Highland Chieftain, the direct service, is always the one I'd take when doing that journey.

 

[12LDA28C]

I made the journey on board the LNER service (from Edinburgh to Inverness) a couple of years ago on an Azuma. The train was lightly loaded even out of Edinburgh and by the time we were in the Highlands it was very quiet indeed. Certainly preferable to squeezing onto a shorter ScotRail service.

If I was making the journey again, from a starting point in England I'd certainly use the Chieftain without a doubt.

 

[Willie Bee]

Thank you for your replies .. yes I think that's what we'll do

My wife will have actually been working night shift the night before we travel, so she could sleep on the train if need be .. just hope she doesn't snore. To be fair though, after 7 nights in 8 days she normally just stays awake all day on the Saturday, as she has 6 nights off and wants to get back to a more normal sleeping pattern. We usually go away on the Sunday, but as Inverness is so far away, the Saturday will be our travel day this time

 

[12LDA28C]

Inverness is a great place for a night out or a weekend away too. It can get pretty rowdy in the town centre on a Saturday night though so depending on where you stay you might need some earplugs if you're intending on having an early night.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

I'll be booking a single journey for my wife and I soon, from Newcastle to Inverness.

No advance tickets are available yet (January) but hopefully they will be soon.

Do bear in mind that in January it will be dark for much of the journey on the Chieftain so you will miss out on the scenic run through the Highlands.

 

[Willie Bee]

Do bear in mind that in January it will be dark for much of the journey on the Chieftain so you will miss out on the scenic run through the Highlands.

Yes, I know this, but we are travelling to Glasgow after Inverness for a couple of nights, so we'll see some of the scenery on our journey south.

I've not booked this journey either, but we'll probably be leaving Inverness some time between 12:00 and 13:00. Sunset in Inverness early January is 15:49, so we should see some of the great views.

 

[ScotTrains]

Are you looking to go 1st class?
I travelled from Edinburgh to Inverness back in Feb with my wife and 2yr old and I'm sure it only cost us around £50 odd in total. It was a Friday and the train was surprisingly packed in 1st so make sure you have seat reservations. We all got a tasty meal (chicken casserole I think) though it was a little small. Plenty of tea, coffee, wine etc which made the journey fly by.
The Scotrail HST seats are definitely more comfortable but the LNER catering service is far superior.

 

[Willie Bee]

Are you looking to go 1st class?
I travelled from Edinburgh to Inverness back in Feb with my wife and 2yr old and I'm sure it only cost us around £50 odd in total. It was a Friday and the train was surprisingly packed in 1st so make sure you have seat reservations. We all got a tasty meal (chicken casserole I think) though it was a little small. Plenty of tea, coffee, wine etc which made the journey fly by.
The Scotrail HST seats are definitely more comfortable but the LNER catering service is far superior.

Possibly .. I've actually asked a question about this .. on the LNER First Class thread