London to Scotland sleeper train help please

john77_2

Hi

my girlfriend has always wanted to travel by sleeper train so I wanted to book a weekend in london then up on the sleeper to Scotland for a couple of days then back home to the midlands

anybody have any advice i.e. which are the best routes/prices etc

also do sleepers go anywhere else Birmingham or London into Europe ?

so need cheap hotels either end as well as good discounts on the trains etc

thanks in advance:D

John

teeb

john77 wrote: »

Hi

my girlfriend has always wanted to travel by sleeper train so I wanted to book a weekend in london then up on the sleeper to Scotland for a couple of days then back home to the midlands

anybody have any advice i.e. which are the best routes/prices etc

also do sleepers go anywhere else Birmingham or London into Europe ?

so need cheap hotels either end as well as good discounts on the trains etc

thanks in advance:D

John

Routes? The Caledonian Sleeper goes from London to Scotland - one line goes up to Glasgow, one to Inverness, one to Fort William and one to Aberdeen (via Edinburgh). A full timetable and map are available here.

By far the cheapest way to do this would be to book a Bargain Berth for the sleeper. It's an internet-only sleeper ticket that gets you a bed in a cabin - or presumably 2 beds for the two of you. It starts at £19 pp for a single, and is very good value. Other than that you could book a seat - which is literally a seat. Costs £40+, is hideously uncomfortable and you don't really sleep. Normal tickets for actual berths are £90ish upwards, depending on first and second class (first class = bunk to yourself, second class = 2 bunks to the room). You don't get railcard discounts with the bargain berths but do with the others, I believe.

That's the London -> Scotland sleeper. The only other regular scheduled sleeper route in the UK is London -> Cornwall. I don't know of any UK -> Europe sleepers per se (there may be specialised ones, like the Orient Express charter). You could Eurotunnel through to Europe and then get a sleeper - France has a wide range of sleepers (under the 'Lunea' brand), and other European countries likewise.

As for hotels, you're probably asking the wrong person, I'm afraid!

john77_2

hi

thanks for that with the bargin berth are they in a cabin so if i book 2 we would get a cabin to ourselves? or might we be in seperate cabins?

could not see an answer on the web site but that does not mean it is not there !!

cheers

john

PasturesNew

I always imagined them to be like the old 60s films... bunk beds with curtains

teeb

john77 wrote: »

hi

thanks for that with the bargin berth are they in a cabin so if i book 2 we would get a cabin to ourselves? or might we be in seperate cabins?

could not see an answer on the web site but that does not mean it is not there !!

cheers

john

That's a good question - I've always booked only one and if you book only one the odds are you are paired with a stranger (of the same sex). I suspect if you book 2 at the same time you'd get in the same cabin. I'd phone up First ScotRail and ask first though to be on the safe side.

They are cabins though, yes. With 2 bunk beds per cabin (in 2nd class).

PasturesNew wrote:

I always imagined them to be like the old 60s films... bunk beds with curtains

That's not far off! It's not quite as romantic as 60s films make them out to be though - if nothing else they're in a shade of purple that is distinctly un-60s!

alanrowell

For more information on Sleeper trains see https://www.seat61.com

In many cases it means Eurostar to Paris then a Sleeper from there

john77_2

hi

thanks all for your help so far, i will ring up tommorrow to see if we get a cabin to ourselves and will post on here for info for others

now just need a cheap hotel in london to start then when i have sorted the end of the route one there as well (is there still any "free hotel room" offers out there?

cheers

john

laird

In Standard Class:

You will if booking together be allocated to the two berths in one cabin irrespective of your gender.

If you book separately and want to travel in a standard class cabin you will be placed in either a male or female only cabin depending on your gender.

In First Class:
One person per cabin, two cabins can be connected on request using the connecting door. Probably best to book at the station, via a travel agent or by telephone if you want to ensure adjacent cabins with connecting doors.


Travelling from the Midlands the best option could be to travel via Crewe on the Highland sleeper (operated by First Scotrail under the Caledonian Sleeper). That way you could get extra points for two separate trips.

The route to Fort William is perhaps the most picturesque and therefore is popular with tourists and regulars alike.
Inverness and Aberdeen both have their interesting parts but due to the early arrival time much of the journey may be in darkness.

Penzance as a destination gives plenty of opportunities for the tourist.

john77_2

hi

is the £19 for the bargin berths all in or do you have to pay for the normal train fare on top (as with the london cornwall one)

cheers again

john

TimothyEBaldwin

For cheap London-Scotland sleeper tickets check out Bargain Berths. There is also a London-Cornwall service, cheap tickets are available from the usual places. There are no Europe-Britain sleeper trains but many within Europe and to the far east.

teeb

john77 wrote: »

hi

is the £19 for the bargin berths all in or do you have to pay for the normal train fare on top (as with the london cornwall one)

cheers again

john

No, that's all-in. Everything - bed, a breakfast with a hot drink, access to the bar, a First ScotRail toiletries bag, a bottle of water...