Sleepers: Caledonian or Continental from Amsterdam

[DeeGee]

Now, here's an interesting one. My boy has expressed a wish to travel in a sleeper. He's seven, but he's been bitten by a bit of a travel bug.

I've been having a quick look at the Caledonian and Riviera, and those will be fine. However, we live in Grimsby, so there's the whole additional effort of getting to London.

In pure London to somewhere terms the Caledonian is a better idea for us as the departure time is earlier, it's not too late after his normal bedtime. The Riviera would require a serious effort staying up to get it.

First question, then, is what's the cheapest way to get the Caledonian from London to Inverness, for instance. I wouldn't want to get it from Crewe, as it's too late for the boy.

Then I got thinking. If I'm going to have to go down to London, adding three hours or so to the journey, I could get to Amsterdam more quickly, and I know there used to be sleepers from Amsterdam eastwards. My plan is maybe to fly out in the late afternoon, overnight train, spend a day at destination, then overnight train back, so it'll be over three days.

Are there any such trains still running? Which offers me the best value, and a decent destination for a busy day?

 

[James Wake]

The Riviera starts in Penzance at 2145 Monday-Friday, and 2115 on Sunday, so you could potentially do a trip down to Cornwall on a day train on the Saturday, stay overnight somewhere on Saturday night, then do something else in Cornwall then catch the Riviera back to London on Sunday evening. The only problem I found was that trying to get to sleep with the train constantly stopping and starting at stations in Cornwall was quite difficult.

I would recommend if you want to do the Caledonian during the week, do it to Fort William on the first night from London, then maybe do the Jacobite steam train to/from Mallaig, or wait for the service train to Mallaig, then ferry/bus via Skye to Kyle of Lochalsh, then the 1713 service to Inverness, arriving just after 2000, in time for the 2044 Caledonian back South. (or you can do this vice versa, but it gives only a 17 minute connection in Inverness between the sleeper arrival and the departure of the Kyle train).

 

[DeeGee]

Actually, that looks like a good combination right there. Makes for a decent day out.

 

[philjo]

you could go to London then get the sleeper to inverness.
spend a day up there (e.g. go to Kyle and back) and stay overnight. next morning you can get the East coast Highland Chieftain HST (07:55) and get off at York - if you have a 1st advance mon-Fri you get breakfast whilst looking at the scenery!

 

[eastwestdivide]

No sleepers from Amsterdam now.
ÖBB runs NightJet from Düsseldorf as about the nearest point to the UK.
http://www.oebb.at/en/angebote-ermaessigungen/nightjet

 

[DeeGee]

No sleepers from Amsterdam now.
ÖBB runs NightJet from Düsseldorf as about the nearest point to the UK.
http://www.oebb.at/en/angebote-ermaessigungen/nightjet

That's probably my answer, there, then. Scotland's best.

 

[DeeGee]

I would recommend if you want to do the Caledonian during the week, do it to Fort William on the first night from London, then maybe do the Jacobite steam train to/from Mallaig, or wait for the service train to Mallaig, then ferry/bus via Skye to Kyle of Lochalsh, then the 1713 service to Inverness, arriving just after 2000, in time for the 2044 Caledonian back South. (or you can do this vice versa, but it gives only a 17 minute connection in Inverness between the sleeper arrival and the departure of the Kyle train).

This itinerary is now interesting me. Especially as I've seen that I can book a family ticket so could bring the wife and daughter, too - which would allow me to experience the Lounge Car .

The daughter is only tiny, though, so we'll need to have opportunities to stop en route during the circuit from FW to Inverness. If you've done this, how leisurely is the combination of boat, bus to Kyle and train to Inverness? Is there much yomping involved? If there's yomping, then it's a lads' adventure, but if it's quite straightforward, then it's a family trip out.

 

[James Wake]

So you would get into Inverness say at 0838, the train to Kyle leaves at 0855 and arrives at 1130. In the summer there is a direct bus to Armadale (where the ferry to Mallaig leaves from) from a couple of hundred yards down the road at about 1335, getting there in time for the 1430 sailing. Its a short walk to Mallaig Station in time for the 1605 to Glasgow, which gets to FW around 1740, so two hours to rest/get some supper before the sleeper.

Other way round, you would need the Jacobite to Mallaig, ferry then onto the bus at Armadale at 1430, then you would have the two hours in Kyle, then 40 mins at Inverness.

 

[30907]

With two small children I would hesitate about consecutive nights in a sleeper, and go for philjo's suggestion or similar.
Ours first used motorail couchettes when they were pre-school, but only 1 night.
I think we did it with couchette plus overnight ferry once, but they were older