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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to take my kids to Scotland?

47 replies

prepschoolreject · 27/03/2012 05:47

DH is not good at family holidays.

Last year, i took my children (then aged nearly 3 and nearly 2) to Disneyland paris alone.

This year, I am thinking of taking my kids (now aged nearly 4 and nearly 3) to Fort William on the Caledonian sleeper. DS (The nearly 4YO) is train obsessed and will ADORE being in rural Scotland!

(FWIW, I would love to take them back to Disneyland, but it's just a bit expensive, so looking for cheaper options)

I can do it, can't I?

If anyone has any other options, I'd love to hear them. Anything considered, except flights. DS has a few SN and flights are not something he can cope with well. All other transport (esp. trains) is fine.

OP posts:

nooka · 27/03/2012 05:53

There's also a sleeper down to Cornwall if that appeals to you. My children love sleepers, but I'm not sure I'd have been up for a long trip with them at that age on my own. I have a similarly small gap (16mths) between my children, and all of our holidays when they were small were with my parents in the country (although this did often involve a five hour train journey for the three of us). The nice thing about a sleeper is that you should have the cabin to yourself which is good or containment!

Original poster

prepschoolreject · 27/03/2012 05:58

Thankyou, Nooka.

Yes, I have just seen the Night Riveria train - Will def. look into that.

I'm used to travelling with them on my own (and often a dog and luggage as well!! haha!)

I really like the idea of the sleeper trains though. Can I ask? How do the toilets work? My two are out of nappies, but I can't guarentee one won't need to pop to the loo in the middle of the night... Do the cabins have loos?

And are the cabins lockable?

Thankyou!!

OP posts:

nooka · 27/03/2012 06:34

Have a look here: www.seat61.com/ it's a great site for train planning (recommended by another mumsnetter). I don't think that any UK sleepers have toilets in the cabin. They all do lock though.

lizziebennet · 27/03/2012 07:55

I live in Scotland and quite often get the sleeper to and from London. It's great.

There aren't loos in the cabin, they are at either end of each carriage, but there's a sink in every cabin along w bottled water for teeth brushing. You can lock your cabin door. The cabins have bunkbeds unless you go first class, in which case you'd get two cabins with the internal door opened between them. Worth doing this if you can as it makes luggage storage easier.

They give you a wake up knock at the time you choose and bring a nice breakfast on a tray to your cabin.

Definitely do it. I got the sleeper for the first time when I was 4 and I still remember it as an amazing experience.

Should also say, you can usually board the train a good while before it departs, so the kids wouldn't have to stay up really late.

AutumnSummers · 27/03/2012 08:20

Fort William is an amazing place. My parents took my brother and I when we were 9 and 7 and it's a holiday that stays with me always. We climbed Ben Nevis and I was so determined to have a badge that I bought a "I walked the West Highland Way" one because they had run out of Ben Nevis ones in the gift shop!

It's so beautiful. I'd love to go back.

TheCunningStunt · 27/03/2012 08:28

I want to take my two on the sleeper from Scotland to London. Do it!

Callisto · 27/03/2012 08:31

Scotland is great and I really like Fort William, you and the children will love it. Do it!!

whitewall · 27/03/2012 08:39

I live an hour from Fort William and think if you can manage Disneyland Paris singlehandedly you can defo manage FW!!

They have a play centre there in the community centre that I often stop at on my way through FW to Glasgow to break journey for kids. It is fab. Not like usual soft plays and done like a train so your lo might be impressed!

Go for it!!

And as for the dog and luggage too.... wow. Please tell me its a low maintenance dog as im feeling super inferior!!!

Mrsjay · 27/03/2012 08:52

FWIW Fort william is a lovely place in fact scotland is a great place much cheaper than disney which is overrated imo

Sparkletastic · 27/03/2012 08:54

Pure nosiness OP but why isn't your DH good with family holidays?

helpyourself · 27/03/2012 09:01

You'll have a lovely time, but why doesn't DH do holidays?

MrsHoarder · 27/03/2012 09:08

Sounds fantastic! I've only ever got sleeper trains in France, but it makes for quite an adventure if you can get the little ones to sleep.

Incidently, if you intend to use the trains whilst you're up there, look at the Highland Rover train ticket. There are rovers for all sorts of areas (we just used a whole Scotland one to tour all the way to the far north, but that's a very long way with small children).

exoticfruits · 27/03/2012 09:13

Sounds fine to me but a bit sad that DH doesn't do family holidays. It is the main family bonding time-my happiest memories as a DC are nearly all holidays. If he is waiting for them to get older I hope he realises they might not want to know by then.
However-go for it.

Mrsjay · 27/03/2012 09:16

I agree with you exotic its sad that dad doesnt want to go on holiday with his familiy , I wonder why he doesnt want to ?

ratspeaker · 27/03/2012 09:17

Is it one single journey or woud you have to change at Inverness? Or Glasgow?
If your youngster loves trains there's a steam train goes from Fort William to Mallaig over the Glenfinnan viaduct ( as seen in Harry Potter ), think it's the Jacobite

Mrsjay · 27/03/2012 09:19

when i used to visit my friend in fortwilliam you changed at Crainlarich 1 half of the train went to oban the other went up to Fort william ,

ArielThePiraticalMermaid · 27/03/2012 09:27

Use the Night Riviera while you can, before they axe it.

WhatWouldFreddieDo · 27/03/2012 09:27

You don't need to change - the train splits into 3 and you'll be booked into the right section for FW. I used to do this journey a lot to get home to my parents - it is amazing going to bed in Euston and waking up somewhere like Crianlarich.

When I did it they used to put dogs in the guards carriage, then they get changed onto your section somewhere around Edinburgh where it splits. But last Xmas my aunt managed to get her pups (2 terriers) into her (1st class) compartment with her ...

I'm also sad about your DH though - it would be the perfect lovely family trip.

WhatWouldFreddieDo · 27/03/2012 09:29

The Highland Sleeper also needs people to use it - although George Osborne recently promised X million to keep it going, as long as Alec Salmond matched it -- which of course he then had to do

Mrsjay · 27/03/2012 09:29

I didnt change at all I stayed on the train splt thanks whatwouldfreddiedo i was sure I got off the train I think i just fretted i was in the right carraige

Sassybeast · 27/03/2012 09:35

Sounds amazing - I am planning to take my kids across the USA via Amtrak in a few years time

And to all the faces at dad not being on family holidays, try not to to much at the millions of happy, well adjusted kids from single parent families who go on holiday with 1 parent and are building perfectly fantastic holiday memories thank you very much

WhatWouldFreddieDo · 27/03/2012 09:35

I think people do fret unless they've done it before .

The day trains, yes you do need to change.

Scotland hotter than the Canaries/the Med/Dubai (delete as appropriate )

Saski · 27/03/2012 09:47

We took our kids on the sleeper to Scotland and they loved it. I think you can do it, kids are so much easier to look after when they're in the great outdoors.

IAmBooyhoo · 27/03/2012 09:54

wants to travel to england just to get the sleeper to fort william now!!

bronze · 27/03/2012 09:57

Sounds wonderful

You've got me googling too :D

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