Easy, relatively quick and surprisingly restful.
I recently took the Caledonian Sleeper car from London to Edinburgh and on to Inverness for an overnight trip.
I hadn’t slept on a train since, I believe, 1979. I was intrigued by the idea, especially since my 91-year-old father and his 92-year-old lady friend recently slept three nights on a train between California and Buffalo.
I was greeted by a company employee outside the train at Euston station in London and headed to my assigned cabin, a Club Room En Suite. I had a comfortable but narrow bed with a bunk bed on top that was fine for a solo traveller. There wasn’t room under the bottom bunk for my suitcase, so I emptied the heavy bits and zipped it back up, then heaved it onto the top bunk.
I don’t think I’d put two adults in a room this size, but they do have rooms suitable for two people.
My Club Room had a small sink (not potable water) with soap. The room also had a good-sized window and power outlets/phone charging spots on both bunks Nice.
The small bathroom hada shower and a drain on the floor, with a bench that lowered down over the top of the toilet so you could have a sitting shower. I tried it the next morning and it did the job well. There wasn’t a lot of water pressure, but it would be foolish to expect that on a train. The water was plenty hot, and there was shampoo and body wash.
Club Room guests are provided with a small bag with earplugs and two Scottish chocolate bars, as well as a sleeping mask. I was given two bottles of water, but there’s no drinking glass so it’s a little tricky to get a sip in the middle of the night.
I wandered down to the nicely appointed club car for a dram of whisky (a dreamy Glen Garioch) and found it quite crowded. If I went again, and I would, I’d go the minute I had my bag in my room.
They had a wide variety of drinks available. Food options included sea bass, pork belly and stuffed bell peppers, but I had eaten dinner in London and wasn’t hungry.
The website said there was Wi-Fi on board, but I couldn’t get a signal in my room or in the club car, which was disappointing.
I retired to my room and settled onto my bunk. The mattress is made by Glencraft, which apparently has supplied the Royal Family with bedding for years. I had a thick duvet and slept like a baby; by far the best sleep I’d had in years.
Caledonian Sleeper club car. Photo Courtesy Caledonian Sleeper.
I didn’t hear any train whistles all night, and never felt a stop.
It was fine for sleeping but there was no seating area in my room. I had hoped to use the club car to work the next morning but it was booked for breakfast guests, so I fashioned a bit of a workaround on my bunk.
The staff was quite helpful. Before you settle in for the night you give them a sheet of paper that lists what you want for breakfast, and at what time. Choices included everything from granola and yogurt to a full Scottish breakfast. It took a while to get my bacon roll in the morning, but it was fine and I had a good cup of coffee.
The Caledonia Sleeper goes between London and Edinburgh, but also serves other cities in Scotland, including Glasgow, Aberdeen, Fort William, and Inverness. The trip between London and Edinburgh is about eight hours, departing just before midnight and arriving at Edinburgh Waverley station at 7:30 a.m. the next day.
Tickets for sleeper cars (you can, of course, ride in the “normal” seating area) cost from around 290 GBP for one person in a Club Room En Suite (roughly $488 CAD and $352 USD) to 345 GBP for two people.
All in all, a good experience, and definitely worth trying next time you’re going between London and Scotland.
