Caledonian Sleeper with my two kids

[side effect]

Hello everyone and thanks for letting me join.

Next Monday I and my 2 children are travelling over night to Inverness and obviously really lookin forward.

My Son who Is 9 wants to stay up all night with me to take photos and videos so basically I was wondering what we could look out for.

I was thinking along the lines of spotting the last trains going in to the main stations along with whatever pictures we might capture.

So can I just ask does it stop at stations say like on the middle line where their is no platform access. Also does it stop long enough at Edinburgh for a while.

Any way thats it for my first post.

Kind Regards

 

[yorkie]

Hello everyone and thanks for letting me join.

Next Monday I and my 2 children are travelling over night to Inverness and obviously really lookin forward.

My Son who Is 9 wants to stay up all night with me to take photos and videos so basically I was wondering what we could look out for.

I was thinking along the lines of spotting the last trains going in to the main stations along with whatever pictures we might capture.

So can I just ask does it stop at stations say like on the middle line where their is no platform access. Also does it stop long enough at Edinburgh for a while.

Any way thats it for my first post.

Kind Regards

Do you have sleeper cabins or will you be seated?

Note the etiquette in the seated section is that everyone is silent (apart from at the very start/end of the journey), so if you are awake talking all night you will annoy the other passengers.

If you are in cabins, then still be careful as they are not exactly soundproof! Make sure your cabins are inter-connecting ones.

It will stop at the platforms at Crewe, Preston, Carlisle. The first two of which are advertised pick up points so in theory I guess you could get off there. Don't get off at anywhere that isn't an advertised pick up point for obvious reasons.

It normally stops at Edinburgh for a while but this is not advertised so don't get off there.

 

[side effect]

Hi Yorkie.

We decided to have seats instead of a cabin. The last thing we would want to do is annoy other passengers but its almost 12 hours.

Would we be able to stand in the corridor where the window opens.

 

[fishquinn]

Hi Yorkie.

We decided to have seats instead of a cabin. The last thing we would want to do is annoy other passengers but its almost 12 hours.

Would we be able to stand in the corridor where the window opens.

Just don't open the window upon departures from stations when you have the 67 up front.

 

[DarloRich]

I would go for a berth tbh!

I have wondered what the policy on taking children on the sleeper is

 

[yorkie]

Hi Yorkie.

We decided to have seats instead of a cabin. The last thing we would want to do is annoy other passengers but its almost 12 hours.

Would we be able to stand in the corridor where the window opens.

If you talk in the vestibule you will be heard in the seating coach! People often talk louder in the vestibule because otherwise they can't be heard due to the noise in that area, and this means people who are seated can hear you because the door to the vestibule isn't exactly sound proof!

Sounds like a recipe for annoying other passengers to me! And shouldn't the kids be getting some sleep?

You should be OK to go to the vestibule and open the windows for the last part of the journey, say from Kingussie onwards, and that is the most scenic bit. And as for the run out of Euston, it'll still be light then and people won't mind you talking, I'd guess until at least Watford Jn or maybe Milton Keynes. I really would try to get some sleep for the middle bit!

 

[side effect]

you cannot have 3 in a berth and they are too young to share a berth on their own so it was too awkward
and £80 cheaper. Luckily my boy is capåble of dropping off to sleep in an instant. Tbh I am more concerned about drunk rowdy passengers. thanks and keep posting

 

[Bletchleyite]

you cannot have 3 in a berth and they are too young to share a berth on their own so it was too awkward
and £80 cheaper. Luckily my boy is capåble of dropping off to sleep in an instant. Tbh I am more concerned about drunk rowdy passengers.

Doubt you'll find any of those, it tends to be quiet as people are sleeping.

 

[side effect]

My son is 9 and like myself is so looking forward but once it gets dark he will drop off and i will wake him once we leave Edinburgh. Or learn sign language. I gaurantee i will be complented on my kids behaviour.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Morning all.

As we are going on to the isle of lewis our journey dosent end as we have to occupy ourselves until 3pm where we get the coach to ullapool and then the ferry to stornoway.

From previous experience staying up all night made me sick all day so I will advise my kids to definately get some sleep. I mean once it gets dark my son will slowly get bored and tired and will easy drop off.

What is the lighting where you sit, do you have a little light like you do on coaches or is it total darkness, whatever, We cant wait!!!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

From previous experience staying up all night made me sick all day so I will advise my kids to definately get some sleep. I mean once it gets dark my son will slowly get bored and tired and will easy drop off.

What is the lighting where you sit, do you have a little light like you do on coaches or is it total darkness, whatever, We cant wait!!!

I'm afraid they keep the lights on all night in the seated accommodation; up until about 20 years ago you would be sitting in the dark after about midnight, but then someone decided that it was too dangerous to do that any more, despite the light seeping in from the vestibules being more than adequate to see your way round the carriage comfortably once your eyes had dark adapted.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm afraid they keep the lights on all night in the seated accommodation; up until about 20 years ago you would be sitting in the dark after about midnight, but then someone decided that it was too dangerous to do that any more, despite the light seeping in from the vestibules being more than adequate to see your way round the carriage comfortably once your eyes had dark adapted.

They aren't full-on lights, though, they have a yellow mask on them.

I hope they address this in the new stock. Some kind of blue LED might work best - Stagecoach use this on the Megabus sleepers.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

They aren't full-on lights, though, they have a yellow mask on them.

They're still far too bright to be conductive to snoozing comfortably.

I hope they address this in the new stock. Some kind of blue LED might work best - Stagecoach use this on the Megabus sleepers.

Red lighting is the most comfortable colour for night time use and also does not adversely affect night vision; I can think of a reason - mainly involving sordid minded tabloid headlines - why they wouldn't use it though...

 

[side effect]

Really would do this again. By the time we passed Rugby they were both asleep and arrived fresh. Every now and then I would sit with my excited son. Cant wait to do it again.

One thing that happened was they had to rearange the carriages which meant coach a was on the night coach h and the seats were on the opposite side to what was on the seating plan on the site. Regarding talking, we had an elderly bloke who was quite loud talking about his life and it fascinated my daughter. He was going to the same place as us.

I plan to do it twice next year and one in first class.

 

[side effect]

Hello all. Well we are doing it again. Leaving Sunday 14th and thought I had booked us tickets to come home on the following thursday however I did this in a hurry and noticed that I bought tickets from Euston to Inverness when I should have done the opposite. I bet no one else has done this.

Regards