Travelling on a Sleeper Train! | The Caledonian Sleeper Experience
(Ad - this experience was complimentary in return for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel on a luxury sleeper train?
The Caledonian Sleeper is a fantastic service that connects London with the Scottish highlands, and allows visitors to travel in style, with their own hotel room on board the train. I had a fantastic experience and I’m so excited to tell you all about it.
Upon arriving at Euston station, my Caledonian Sleeper club ticket allowed us into the station’s exclusive first class lounge. With comfortable seating and complementary refreshments, this felt like a huge upgrade on the usual train station experience, and I’d highly recommend making the most of it. Wandering down to the platform when the train was ready to board, we were greeted by the friendliest train staff I’d ever met. They were cheerful and friendly, checking in each passenger as they boarded, and ordered our breakfast for the morning.
The corridors inside the sleeper carriages themselves are very narrow in order to maximise space inside the private cabins, which are snug but don’t feel cramped. We stayed in a Club room, which includes one set of bunk beds, an en-suite toilet, shower, and a sink which, if you remember that this is on-board a train, is pretty fantastic. The beds themselves are super comfy and I had a great night’s sleep! They also come with nightlights for any bedtime reading and a space to charge your phone, which is a handy detail.
Upon entering our room we were greeted with little bags of complimentary toiletries and face masks, plus there are towels provided, just like it was any other hotel. I would recommend taking less luggage than I did as, while there’s storage under the bottom bunk in the cabin, it’s not big enough for a large suitcase. As I brought quite a lot with me on my trip, the staff kindly let me stow my suitcase in a spare room on-board.
I was super excited to spend some time in the Club Car, which had recently reopened after being closed during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. We spent a bit of time hanging out there in the evening with a few drinks (tea for me and Scottish whisky for my partner), before retiring for the evening. My favourite time to experience the club car, however, was first thing in the morning. After booking our breakfast for around 5am the following day, and dragging ourselves out of our comfy beds, we were treated to a yummy breakfast while watching the Scottish highlands roll by. I enjoyed the granola bowl while my partner had the bacon bap, with slices of buttery toast and a cup of tea each too. The staff continued to be delightful throughout and it was their fantastic service which really put the cherry on top of the whole experience.
Disembarking from train, we found that we were already looking forward to travelling back with the Caledonian Sleeper at the end of the holiday. It was a big reminder of how important the travelling is experience can be, and how planning something special can really enhance the whole trip.
Where can I get the Caledonian Sleeper Train?
The sleeper train begins in Euston, London, and stops at a range of locations around Scotland including Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Fort William and Glasgow.
Pricing
Ticket prices vary depending on the seat/room booked, and the destination that you have in mind. To travel from London to Aberdeen, as we did, prices start at around £73 for a seat, £125 for a classic room, £150 for a club room and £395 for a double room.
How to book
To book your tickets head over to the Caledonian Sleeper website here, or give them a call on: 03300600500.
A huge thanks to the lovely people at the Caledonian Sleeper for arranging this experience for me. This is something that I’ve wanted to do for years and I’m so pleased to report that it lived up to and surpassed my high expectations! This is something that you really need to try at least once during a trip to Scotland, and we’re already planning our next journey - this time up the west coast of the country to Fort William.