It's not ideal, but not the end of the world either.I'd not want to share with someone I didn't know - close friends are bad enough and if I've had a few pints and start snoring they might not let me leave alive
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Caledonian Sleeper discussion
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Or find someone who has a Flexipass or two to spare, which might be easier than you first thought, if I may be so bold....
GZ
Johnuk123
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You must be very very brave to sleep with any old bugger who could well be rifling through your possessions as soon as you're snoring.
I have had it happen once, I wouldn't share even if it was free.
I feel like the people who don't like shared cabins are simply telling those of us who are fine with them that we're mad and wrong- and not actually suggesting any sort of alternative to the arrangement? I mean obviously if you don't like it you can book a 1st class cabin, take a day train or maybe fly?
Johnuk123
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You can do what you like, all I was pointing out was I hate them and wouldn't share under any circumstances, you crack on.
I live life on the basis that most people are decent. So far I haven't been murdered.
Staying on the sleepers has been there since they started. If you don't want to share then you pay for a since supplement.
Could be a lot worse, on continental trains in couchettes you share with 5 other passengers.
Bletchleyite
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Personally I find sharing with multiple other unknown people hugely less awkward than sharing with one other unknown person. People treat couchettes differently - it's more of a lie-down seat in which you tend to stay fully clothed.
Flying Snail
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I have been on continental Couchettes and in multiple bed dorms in hostels, the couchettes were fine, dorms less so. These days I wouldn't do the hostels but would have no issue with couchettes.
I still wouldn't consider sharing a sleeper cabin with a stranger, sharing a couchette with a number of people is a very different prospect than being in a tiny cabin with one stranger.
There are no standard class supplements for single occupancy any longer, CS has quietly dropped them.
Requeststop
Member
Just been on line to book sleeper berths to Fort William and back for the week of 17-21st October. Booking only to Ardlui and return is the same. Any reason why? What transport available to and from Ardlui and what about travel onward to Mallaig?
Requeststop
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Quite. That is the weekends. I'm intending on travelling during the week. Isn't Ardlui a strange terminal for the sleeper rather than Crianlarich? Will there be services from Fort William onwards to Mallaig?
Nearly every time I wish to travel to the West Coast of Scotland, Engineering works rear its ugly head. There is a planner in there who hates me.
Looking at RTT for 17th and 18th northbound departures is it shown as going to Fort William as normal.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72724/2016/10/19/advanced
sleeper.scot site is showing normal times for 17th and 18th for Euston to fort william if I try to book
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72724/2016/10/19/advanced
sleeper.scot site is showing normal times for 17th and 18th for Euston to fort william if I try to book
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theironroad
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If I'm reading that correctly, then serco aren't providing any alternative road transport for any station between Glasgow and Corrour. Is that correct and if so, is it allowed?
That's what it says:
I must admit, I'm a little surprised about that too. Would ScotRail be laying anything extra on?
matchmaker
Established Member
Bit difficult laying on road transport to Corrour!
Indeed, and I could forgive Rannoch too, however Bridge of Orchy down to Tarbet are on the A82, and stations south of there on the A814.
Perhaps nobody is currently booked from those stations?
Requeststop
Member
Actually, This Morning (I'm 9 hours ahead of the UK here in PNG) I've been on the Caledonian Sleeper site and after a frustrating hour, I've managed to book my sleeper berths all the way to Fort William and back. Why I was told yesterday that I could only get to Ardlui and back I've no idea.
The site is really frustrating in the extreme. After have been told to buy a ticket and /or berth that I'd have to register on line, I found that my password, which I had meticulously written down in front of me wouldn't work, so I had to ask for a new one with all the palaver of e-mail etc.
Then surprise surprise, I was informed that the routing was clear all the way to Fort William. All well and good. When it came to delivery, the site froze. I was twice timed out, and then suddenly on the third try, no berths were suddenly available.
Not for nothing, I did a re-boot of my laptop, and tried for a fourth time, though I was ready to eat my laptop by then. Again everything froze on the delivery. So I clicked on payment, entered the details, and low and behold, it accepted my purchase. I'm picking up the ticket for the berth at a station. Which one I don't know, as I'd clicked on so many choices to try to get the screen to change. I'm sure I'll sort out the ticket when I get to London. Any booking office shall be able to sort it out with the right code. (Ha Ha). I'll try the Sikh gentleman at Paddington who is always nice to me and polite and friendly.
The site for the Caledonian Sleeper has to be the most awful I've come across in a long time, and believe me I do a lot of travelling around the world and on some really strange airlines and other travel companies. How Caledonian Sleeper gets any business via on-line is totally beyond me. I booked my All-line Brit-Rail Pass from ACP on Monday and it was handed to me on Thursday here in Port Moresby much to my surprise and delight. So it's not me -it must be the website.
I just hope that my journeys to Mallaig and back will be not be as complicated as booing the berths.
I'll be writing up my experiences after I've experienced them. Thanks to those who tried to help with the earlier confusion.
The site is really frustrating in the extreme. After have been told to buy a ticket and /or berth that I'd have to register on line, I found that my password, which I had meticulously written down in front of me wouldn't work, so I had to ask for a new one with all the palaver of e-mail etc.
Then surprise surprise, I was informed that the routing was clear all the way to Fort William. All well and good. When it came to delivery, the site froze. I was twice timed out, and then suddenly on the third try, no berths were suddenly available.
Not for nothing, I did a re-boot of my laptop, and tried for a fourth time, though I was ready to eat my laptop by then. Again everything froze on the delivery. So I clicked on payment, entered the details, and low and behold, it accepted my purchase. I'm picking up the ticket for the berth at a station. Which one I don't know, as I'd clicked on so many choices to try to get the screen to change. I'm sure I'll sort out the ticket when I get to London. Any booking office shall be able to sort it out with the right code. (Ha Ha). I'll try the Sikh gentleman at Paddington who is always nice to me and polite and friendly.
The site for the Caledonian Sleeper has to be the most awful I've come across in a long time, and believe me I do a lot of travelling around the world and on some really strange airlines and other travel companies. How Caledonian Sleeper gets any business via on-line is totally beyond me. I booked my All-line Brit-Rail Pass from ACP on Monday and it was handed to me on Thursday here in Port Moresby much to my surprise and delight. So it's not me -it must be the website.
I just hope that my journeys to Mallaig and back will be not be as complicated as booing the berths.
I'll be writing up my experiences after I've experienced them. Thanks to those who tried to help with the earlier confusion.
Not sure why the laugh, you *can* collect from any station as long as you have the correct code.
It must have changed in the last few months as I never had any problems using it in the past.
The sleeper can be used as a normal 'day train' between Fort William and Glasgow/Edinburgh so it's more than possible that a passenger will turn up at the station wishing to travel, only to find themselves stranded.
I was planning to use the seated sleeper between FTW and GLQ a couple of months back. It was replaced by a coach that ran direct to Glasgow - no intermediate stops to pick up or set down. That didn't seem quite right to me.
No. As Hadders said, between Fort William and Edinburgh it is a 'day train' so anyone can board with or without a reservation.
I accept that in practice thats what happens but even the Scotrail timetable which only shows between Edinburgh and Fort William has it down as compulsory reservation. I suggest that if you turn up on spec you are not entitled to compensation.
It's in the Franchise Specification that they accept passengers on a walk-on basis for this section isn't it? This discussion comes up all the time. The electric system cannot differentiate so it shows reservation complusory for the whole journey. The same applies from Kingussie to Inverness.
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Yes it still is, as far as I know.
185143
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Just asked Cally Sleeper on twitter and was told that boarding the sleeper between Kingussie and Inverness and Glasgow and Fort Bill would be at the Train Manager's discretion on a walk up ticket....
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That sounds about right as there's limited space - so if you turn up at Corrour with a group of 20 looking to board you may well be out of luck.
Flying Snail
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I have been on the down once where a large (for the sleeper) number boarded, mostly hill walkers by the look of them. I don't know if they were a group or not but they certainly weren't refused travel, no seats for many of them however.
In general the staff in those parts seem to be a relaxed bunch, I don't see them turning people away unless there was a safety critical reason.
I think for these sort of queries that asking whomever responds to twitter questions is not going to get an answer that matches up with the situation on the service itself.
Sorry if this has been asked before but this is a long thread.
On the website how long is a seat tied to an online 'order' for?
I was looking to buy a ticket and it was £55 and I wanted to see what other seats were available so looked at the options, there were 3 seats available in the carriage.
Browser crashed and when I went back in the ticket had went up to £70 and the original seat wasn't available for selection any longer.
When should it return to its previous state?
On the website how long is a seat tied to an online 'order' for?
I was looking to buy a ticket and it was £55 and I wanted to see what other seats were available so looked at the options, there were 3 seats available in the carriage.
Browser crashed and when I went back in the ticket had went up to £70 and the original seat wasn't available for selection any longer.
When should it return to its previous state?
I don't know about their site specifically, but on most other sites it is two hours.
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