The Caledonian Sleeper - or, a Room to Myself!

This is a bonus mini-post. Actually, my last post was getting a little too big and I didn't want to leave out our much-anticipated night train.
The Caledonian Sleeper is an overnight train service from London's Euston rail station to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Fort William and Inverness, Scotland - our destination. The train actually splits at Edinburgh in the wee hours of the morning with certain cars going to certain destinations. Our train left at 9:15 PM on Friday, 9th August and we arrived at Inverness at 8:38 AM on Saturday. It doesn't really take that long to get to the Scottish Highlands from London, but the train drives slowly and does make a few station stops once in Scotland.

There are standard twin berths, first class single berths, and standard seating available. My Dad reserved our berths way in advance and was able to score two first class single berths for the cost of a standard twin berth! Our first class tickets also came with access to the Virgin Trains lounge in Euston and a complimentary first drink in the lounge car.

Lounge Car of the Caledonian Sleeper Train, August 2013

What better way to see and feel the train than with a quick two-minute video tour? Fortunately for you I happened to make a brief video and post it to my YouTube account. You can access the video by clicking on it below. For those following our adventures by email digest, log on to http://vacaken.blogspot.com and navigate to this post to see the soon-to-be Oscar-nominated short.



Now that you've toured the train, let me tell you about our experience aboard. I was frankly disappointed. The train itself is getting long in the tooth, but that happens and I won't count it against First Scotrail. I will say, though, that a dirty floor and some garbage from the last occupant - and some hair in the washbasin that wasn't mine - DOES count against the train operator. My sheets appeared to be fresh, though, and you receive a decent complimentary toiletries kit which includes a facecloth and a small hand towel.


The lounge car was nice enough, with bluish leather sofas and small tables. Lacking was anything approaching acceptable service standards. There was a single steward in the first class lounge car before the train departed, and he was slow and disorganized and not particularly pleasant. One chap was served drinks three times before the majority of guests in the lounge received their first drink (yours truly included.) A second attendant joined in soon after departure, but service was still slow. 

My Dad and I returned to the lounge car a little while later for dinner. Scotrail promotes the authentic Scottish food and drinks served aboard, but the hyped dishes were not available - I did not get to sup on haggis, neeps and tatties as I had been planning for months. Neither did my Dad. Neither of us could get our second choice, steak and ale pie, either. I had a cheeseburger and my Dad had chili and nachos. Nice Scottish supper. 

Sleeping aboard was easy enough for me, and my Dad claims to have had a good night's sleep, too. The hot breakfast in your cabin was decent and filing, and the washbasin in your berth is all you need to brush your teeth and wash up a little. 

The contract for this sleeper service is up for bids in the next year or so. This is an opportunity for Scotland to demand a better level of service for this classic night train route.  At minimum, cars with showers and wifi on board.  For the time being, some staff training is needed.  I'm a pretty easygoing guy, but we paid a lot for this train trip and Scotrail's service did not perform as advertised. We could have traveled to Inverness for less money and in less time - the point of the sleeper is the experience, and whoever is in charge at Scotrail doesn't seem to understand that, or is a poor manager.

 We managed to have a good time on board despite the disappointments, but I might not recommend the Caledonian Sleeper until staff, supplies, and service equipment are upgraded.