Caledonian Sleeper

[kingqueen]

He doesn't sell the sleeper seated accomodation to me at all, I'm surprised it is that noisy. Whenever I have used the classic cabins it has never been as bad as that so maybe there is something about the seated accommodation.

The accessible Sleeper cabins are that noisy, in my experience, and with extra sound from loo flushes next door.
Some of the reason for the ride and noise in accessible cabins being that they are necessity at the ends of the carriage and thus above the wheels.

 

[Blindtraveler]

To be honest the sleeper seats really are the budget end of the service that I suspect they don't care much about and would get rid of should an opportunity arise, I use them with a certain amount of dread these days and zero expectation of getting any sleep, it's a juggling act for me between wanting to support the sleeper, enjoying the convenience that the overall concept office me, but being unable to afford anything better than seated accommodation

 

[al78]

I've just booked a couple of sleeper tickets (i.e. one in each direction) for the club room next year which I think are a step up from the classic rooms with en-suite facilities and priority lounge access (it remains to be seen if that is enforced). The most expensive way to get to Inverness but it does give me two extra days of hiking and do I really want to be sat for hours on a daytime train.

 

[kingqueen]

I wish there was the option of accessible en-suite.

 

[A S Leib]

Sorry if this has come up previously, but it would take a while to look through 509 pages;

1. Is it possible to join the seated Fort William portion at Edinburgh or does it have to be at Glasgow Queen Street (/ Dumbarton Central...) and is there anywhere at either station to wait for ~4 hours in the early hours of a Thursday / Friday night?
2. Is the actual boarding time normally earlier or later than the stated 04:50 (EDB) or 05:48 (GLQ)?
3. According to the Sleeper website day service tickets can only be bought a week in advance, but would an anytime (I would say or off-peak, but I'm guessing because of ScotRail's trial that doesn't currently matter) ticket bought further in advance be valid alongside a seat reservation? How far in advance would that be possible - eight or twelve weeks?

 

[BRX]

Where does it say they must be bought a week in advance? Don't think that's true.

 

[A S Leib]

https://www.sleeper.scot/timetable/london-fort-william/

"Day service tickets are only available to buy a maximum of 7 days before travel and require a reservation. Anyone who does not hold a reservation may not be permitted to travel."

I can definitely buy flexible tickets on the ScotRail website and app for over a week in advance though (including for the Sleeper from Edinburgh, so boarding there is definitely possible).

 

[_toommm_]

Sorry if this has come up previously, but it would take a while to look through 509 pages;

1. Is it possible to join the seated Fort William portion at Edinburgh or does it have to be at Glasgow Queen Street (/ Dumbarton Central...) and is there anywhere at either station to wait for ~4 hours in the early hours of a Thursday / Friday night?
2. Is the actual boarding time normally earlier or later than the stated 04:50 (EDB) or 05:48 (GLQ)?
3. According to the Sleeper website day service tickets can only be bought a week in advance, but would an anytime (I would say or off-peak, but I'm guessing because of ScotRail's trial that doesn't currently matter) ticket bought further in advance be valid alongside a seat reservation? How far in advance would that be possible - eight or twelve weeks?

You can't join at Edinburgh, so it would be Glasgow. Having said that though, it's common for the train to skip Glasgow so I'd join the 05:20 towards Oban and change at Dalmuir (if you want to spend the most time possible on the sleeper), or possibly one of the quieter stations past Helensburgh if you want to experience some of the charm of the WHL.

 

[norbitonflyer]

You can't join at Edinburgh,

Difficult to see how that could be enforced, given that all seated passengers from the south have to board the Fort William seated coach at Edinburgh (because that's where it starts).

 

[JonathanH]

You can't join at Edinburgh, so it would be Glasgow.

Difficult to see how that could be enforced, given that all seated passengers from the south have to board the Fort William seated coach at Edinburgh (because that's where it starts).

You can join at Edinburgh.

It might be noted that the station is locked when the sleeper arrives, but opens at 4am. Passengers arriving at Edinburgh from Fort William are allowed out of the station as necessary.
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/passengers/our-stations/edinburgh-waverley/

Station opening hours
Monday to Saturday: 04:00 – 00:45
Sunday: 06:00 – 00:45

is there anywhere at either station to wait for ~4 hours in the early hours of a Thursday / Friday night?

No.

 

[A S Leib]

You can't join at Edinburgh, so it would be Glasgow.

The ScotRail app's showing tickets available to buy for the 04:50 Edinburgh – Fort William (screenshot attached).

Having said that though, it's common for the train to skip Glasgow so I'd join the 05:20 towards Oban and change at Dalmuir (if you want to spend the most time possible on the sleeper), or possibly one of the quieter stations past Helensburgh if you want to experience some of the charm of the WHL.

It's the practicality of getting from Newcastle to Fort William I'm most interested in, which is why I want to join the Sleeper at Edinburgh if possible.

 

[_toommm_]

You can join at Edinburgh.

It might be noted that the station is locked when the sleeper arrives, but opens at 4am. Passengers arriving at Edinburgh from Fort William are allowed out of the station as necessary.
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/passengers/our-stations/edinburgh-waverley/

Interesting, I thought it was barred.

 

[JonathanH]

Interesting, I thought it was barred.

You can join the Fort William sleeper at Edinburgh, and it comes up on the platform displays as the 0450 to Fort William. The other portions are not available for boarding, and indeed, the Inverness portion is not unlocked, with the Aberdeen portion locked once the Fort William passengers have alighted.

 

[D6130]

I wish there was the option of accessible en-suite.

Correct me if I'm wrong....but I thought the accessible rooms were en-suite?

 

[alistairlees]

Correct me if I'm wrong....but I thought the accessible rooms were en-suite?

They are not

 

[JonathanH]

It's the practicality of getting from Newcastle to Fort William I'm most interested in, which is why I want to join the Sleeper at Edinburgh if possible.

The last train from Newcastle to Edinburgh is the Lumo service which arrives at around 0045. The nearby McDonalds on St Andrew Street is open until 2am, but I don't know whether you could (or would want to) stay there for a whole hour. Even after that, there are two more hours to spend.

The bus to the Airport runs all night but only takes about 20 minutes and is £8 return. Not quite sure what other options exist to idle away the time between 2am and 4am. The station is cleared and locked.

 

[A S Leib]

The last train from Newcastle to Edinburgh is the Lumo service which arrives at around 0045. The nearby McDonalds on St Andrew Street is open until 2am, but I don't know whether you could (or would want to) stay there for a whole hour. Even after that, there are two more hours to spend.

The bus to the Airport runs all night but only takes about 20 minutes and is £8 return. Not quite sure what other options exist to idle away the time between 2am and 4am. The station is cleared and locked.

OK. Looking on RTT none of the CS stock movements at Edinburgh are before 03:45, so presumably even if the arrival from Euston is on time or early it wouldn't be possible to board before ~04:00?

 

[JonathanH]

OK. Looking on RTT none of the CS stock movements at Edinburgh are before 03:45, so presumably even if the arrival from Euston is on time or early it wouldn't be possible to board before ~04:00?

No, not at all. The seated coach doesn't go on the Fort William sleepers until the Inverness portion has gone, because of the track arrangement and the order the formation leaves London.

 

[A S Leib]

The ScotRail website recommends looking for advance tickets on Thursdays eight weeks in advance; does this apply for Sleeper seats to Fort William as well (so for the third week of April trying to book on 22nd February would be best)?

 

[D6130]

They are not

I obviously was wrong....therefore I stand corrected!

 

[Tezza1978]

Not quite sure what other options exist to idle away the time between 2am and 4am. The station is cleared and locked.

For the OP the only option I can suggest (unless they are a big clubber/raver like I used to be before having kids, and want to head to a nightclub) would be to head to a casino chain e.g. Grosvenor. Often open all night till 6am if you sign up for a membership (24hrs in advance), don't have to spend much, just stick a few quid in the slots every now and then and order a coke or something stronger at the bar and wait. I've used this option once before in my early 30s when missing a last train/waiting for 1st morning train in Liverpool

 

[JonathanH]

For the OP the only option I can suggest (unless they are a big clubber/raver like I used to be before having kids, and want to head to a nightclub) would be to head to a casino chain e.g. Grosvenor. Often open all night till 6am if you sign up for a membership (24hrs in advance), don't have to spend much, just stick a few quid in the slots every now and then and order a coke or something stronger at the bar and wait. I've used this option once before in my early 30s when missing a last train/waiting for 1st morning train in Liverpool

Genting Casino seems to be around the corner from the station - shuts at 4am - https://www.gentingcasinos.co.uk/casinos/genting-casino-york-place-edinburgh/

GENTING CASINO YORK PLACE EDINBURGH
5b York Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EB
+44 (0) 131 624 2121
2pm - 4am Sunday - Thursday & 2pm - 5am Friday - Saturday

Not quite sure what I make of that idea.

 

[A S Leib]

For the OP the only option I can suggest (unless they are a big clubber/raver like I used to be before having kids, and want to head to a nightclub) would be to head to a casino chain e.g. Grosvenor. Often open all night till 6am if you sign up for a membership (24hrs in advance), don't have to spend much, just stick a few quid in the slots every now and then and order a coke or something stronger at the bar and wait. I've used this option once before in my early 30s when missing a last train/waiting for 1st morning train in Liverpool

OK. I think McDonald's is going to be the most attractive option for me; there's a 24-hour one half an hour's walk from Waverley (and a 24-hour one near Exhibition Centre, a 30 minute walk from Glasgow Queen Street) but with astronomical twilight starting at ~03:30 and nautical twilight at ~04:30 the walk doesn't seem terrible.

 

[jagardner1984]

Genting Casino seems to be around the corner from the station - shuts at 4am - https://www.gentingcasinos.co.uk/casinos/genting-casino-york-place-edinburgh/

Not quite sure what I make of that idea.

If it goes well could be club rooms all round !

 

[Tezza1978]

If it goes well could be club rooms all round !

Indeed. **disclaimer I wasn't advocating gambling in my original post per se - just that sticking a £10 over a few hours on some slots or roulette and buying a drink or 2 till 4am/5am is far cheaper than a hotel for the night!!! **

 

[D1537]

There are a number of late night bars (note: not nightclubs) in Edinburgh. Whistle Binkies on South Bridge is open until 3am and I've been in one on Cowgate (that I now can't remember the name of, can't think why!) that is open even later.

 

[BRX]

https://www.sleeper.scot/timetable/london-fort-william/

"Day service tickets are only available to buy a maximum of 7 days before travel and require a reservation. Anyone who does not hold a reservation may not be permitted to travel."

I can definitely buy flexible tickets on the ScotRail website and app for over a week in advance though (including for the Sleeper from Edinburgh, so boarding there is definitely possible).

Sorry I misunderstood slightly & thought you meant they had to booked a minimum of 7 days in advance.

I think technically it's a reservation that can't be made more than 7 days in advance. You can buy a "normal" walk up type ticket that would be valid on the service, further ahead than that, but would need to wait until closer to the time to get the seat reservation.

Am guessing this is to give them scope for service alterations.

It's come up before on this thread that CS on occasion is somewhat obstructive in letting people book onto these "day" seats, or gives out inaccurate information. Whether that's deliberate or just the result of indifference is up for debate. At the same time...while in theory you need that reservation, in practice it seems very unlikely that you'd not be let on the train, if you have a ticket but not the reservation.

Sorry if that is a confusing answer. But I would say that you're unlikely to run into a problem of not being able to reserve a seat, assuming the train is running on the night you want to travel.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't think it's to give them scope for service alterations, rather it's so they don't end up in a position of being unable to sell any London seated tickets because someone has booked all the seats from FW to Corrour or something.

 

[A S Leib]

Thank you. I had some concerns about the busyness of an April service, although on a Thursday night and the week after school Easter holidays end it hopefully shouldn't be completely full (and for tomorrow night there's still 8+ seats left from Euston to Fort William; I know it's November, but maybe such fears were ill-founded in any case).

 

[alistairlees]

There will always be seats available between Edinburgh and Fort William. Assuming that at least some people are going from London to Aberdeen in the seats, then that number of seats will be free between Edinburgh and Fort William.