Overnight train from London to Scotland?

[Anonymous]

Curious whether anyone has done the Caledonian Express overnight. We had two kids - 10 and 14 - so thought it might be fun.

https://www.sleeper.scot/

[Anonymous]

I did it often in my 20s to save the cost of a night’s accommodation. I could sleep anywhere back then, so it was fine. I don’t know if I would be able to sleep on it now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did it often in my 20s to save the cost of a night’s accommodation. I could sleep anywhere back then, so it was fine. I don’t know if I would be able to sleep on it now.

To be clear, i rode in the regular train seats back then. A sleeper car was not in my budget.

[Anonymous]

A poster on here has posted about taking it. You might want to search. My memory is that it kind of sucked.

[Anonymous]

Here’s a thread. See the post at 11:45

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1081949.page

[Anonymous]

The train from London to Edinburgh is only 4 hours. Maybe if you were going really far north?

[Anonymous]

DP. Long ago, took the day train north to Edinburgh and next day to Inverness.

When done with Scottish touring, coming south we took overnight train from Edinburgh to London (I think Kings Cross). Train travelled much more slowly than a standard express train, with few if any stops. Slept well. At London, train sat at the siding for over an hour. Steward gently awoke us well after arrival but with enough time to disembark in a leisurely way. It was not cheap, but I thought it good as a once-in-a-life experience.

It easily might be different now.

[Anonymous]

I think they would probably have fun.

[Anonymous]

There are many reviews of it on YouTube.

Seat 61 has a comprehensive overview:

https://www.seat61.com/sleeper-to-scotland.htm

[Anonymous]

I’ve done London to Inverness. It really is fantastic and I think they finally have new equipment. I highly recommend it. You arrive in Inverness bright and early and can hit the road to your favorite highland location. It’s a lot of fun.

[Anonymous]

I prefer seeing the countryside during the daytime, so I recommend that instead. I have done the trip from London to Edinburgh several times, and the scenery is stunning especially in the second half.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I prefer seeing the countryside during the daytime, so I recommend that instead. I have done the trip from London to Edinburgh several times, and the scenery is stunning especially in the second half.

+1

[Anonymous]

I did it a few years ago. The staff is very nice and will make sure you wake up in time. The rooms are clean and tiny. The scenery as you come into Edinburgh is lovely.

The train goes really slowly, as a normal day train takes less time.Even with that, London to Edinburgh is only 6 or so hours, so if you are just going that distance, it won't be a lot of sleep. Ifound it difficult to sleep on the train. You really feel the movement. Coffee = not good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a thread. See the post at 11:45

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1081949.page

That was me! And I stand by what I said. Recommend OP takes a day train + normal hotel in Scotland.

But, if you're determined to do this anyway, you might consider keeping your hotel room in London for the extra evening just to have a place to relax and come back to, take a nap and a nice place to freshen up before the train ride. As the train doesn't depart until nearly midnight (assuming it leaves on time), we were really tired and exhausted from being out all day long after checking out of our hotel at noon. The "lounge" at Euston is serviceable, but pretty bare bones. We took showers to try and freshen up, but it was kind of gross and not super clean.

And check the dimensions of your luggage carefully. https://www.seat61.com/sleeper-to-scotland.htm has the exact storage compartment sizes - there is no "give". We had a room with a double bed. They'd *just* introduced the new car design and we didn't have that info. Our bags didn't fit and we had to tetris them into the tiny path between the bathroom and bed, which was very awkward.

The staff were nice. You won't see much because it's dark out and you should be trying to sleep. Our teen was in another suite, but being just 1 person, had plenty of room.