please may I have some help please re sleeper train from London to Scotland?

[mckenzie]

I'd like to book a weekend away for a special birthday for DH and fancy Scotland, sleeper train up, fly back down.

I'm not very experienced in booking train tickets and especially not sleeper trains .
Should I start with Trainline.com?
Is there anything that I need to be aware of please when booking?
Is the train a fun experience or should I ditch the idea and fly both ways?
TIA

try Caledonian Sleepers website, beware I always thought they were quite glamorous but they aren't. Shows you pics on website. You will pay extra for private berth etc - www.sleeper.scot/

Still might be fun but depends how much time you have you might be better off flying both ways.

Op, I would travel during the day in Ist class. It’s a lovely journey, very comfortable, and fast.

The sleeper train can leave you feeling as if you’ve been awake all night.

thank you for the speedy replies. I like your idea PollyFlinderz. Off to look at prices......

McKenzie, I love a train journey and I’ve quite often used this kind of upgrade on the day.

www.lner.co.uk/special-offers/travel-savings/travel-in-style-for-less/

The overnight train is great, you wake up just as you are passing over Rannoch Moor - just beautiful. We were surprised at how small the cabin was though, so if you are prepared for that you won’t be shocked. We both slept really well on the train. Get to Euston early to nab a good seat in the bar carriage :)

The new sleeper trains with fancier options including double beds and en-suite rooms are due to come in in May 19. If you're travelling before then, your options are a bit more old-fashioned. www.sleeper.scot/on-board/accommodation

I like the sleeper when travelling for work and prefer it to flying. For a fancy birthday trip it would depend what you were after, though, and also where in Scotland you're going. Normal trains will get you from London to either Glasgow or Edinburgh in 4.5 hours and first-class is nice. If you're going further north then I'd still prefer the sleeper, you get most of the travelling out of the way at night and wake up to the pretty bit.

Booking/travel tips for sleeper: make SURE you don't accidentally book a seat rather than a berth. Travelling in the seats is literal hell on wheels.

I tried this once for a one day work trip down to London - saving on flight/hotel costs. The bar carriage was quite nice and sociable but I then got absolutely no sleep even in a private compartment, the noise and movement was way too much and the beds are not exactly comfy. I was so exhausted I actually looked at flights back home. In the end I was stuck with the train back but was in bed by about 6pm the next day. Absolutely never again!

I've done it with kids - two cabins opening into each other gave us a bit more space. We went London-Inverness so we could get on at 9.15 for 10 pm departure, and arrive at 8 - some routes you have to stay up late and get up early. There's a wee basin in the cabins but otherwise its two bunks and just enough space to stand. We found them very comfortable though and slept really well, unlike French sleepers.

They will bring you a coffee or tea in the morning but you have to order breakfast if you want it, or take your own. Waking in the Highlands is fab, but it's not a setup for snuggling - until the new cabins come next year.

Thank you all so much for posting. It’s really helpful.

www.seat61.com gives lots of useful information

I wouldn’t do it. I did it once as a student. Was a complete nightmare- had to change trains half way in middle of the night (and wait ages on freezing platform in the small hours for next train). I suspect I fecked up my booking but it put me right off doing it again

If you’re a fairly light sleeper you’ll be awake all night from the noise, vibration and stopping/starting at stations. I did it once and swore never again.
Flights are usually much cheaper than the train, and London to Edinburgh is only just over an hour, giving you more time in Scotland.
Whereabouts are you going, OP? There are airports serving most areas of Scotland, from London and the English regions.

But it’s a really short journey? Just book a daytime ticket and purchase a first class upgrade on the day (much cheaper that way). I use that train line. First class is very comfortable and the ride very smooth and scenic.

thanks for the extra posts. Trainline is currently quoting £200 for first class from London to Edinburgh and some £71 fares for standard. how much extra would first class on the day be please Racecardriver?

McKenzie, I posted a link to an upgrade at the weekend and it costs about 25 pounds. On weekdays I think it’s the difference in the two fares.

Weekend first class is not as good as through the week - no free alcohol and sandwiches rather than hot food, or at least this was the case the last time I travelled London-Edinburgh. The gin and tonic on proper east coast first class used to be a thing of wonder!

thank you for the posts. apologies Pollyflinderz, I wasn't paying attention