London to Fort William night train. Have you been on it?

Question

I really fancy going with my husband and 7 year old. They do tend to arrive before 7.00 that's one problem. Any advice?

Answer 1

I have travelled on the sleeper several times.

The staff on board are friendly and they have scottish and london based crew.

The cabins are pretty small, and once youve got all your luggage in, there isnt much room to move around. You also have a basin with tap water.

There is a buffet/lounge car where you can get a nightcap to help you off to sleep, and what is unique for the railways is that the seats actually move, and are not screwed to the floor.

You will get a nice wake up call by the staff and a  basic breakfast in the morning. There are no showers on the train and you have to walk to the end of the carriage to find the toliet.

The train does stop and start a lot, and you will probably not get any deep sleep as you will keep waking up due to the stopping/starting of the train.

The bed is okay, its bearable and if youve had your nightcap you shouldnt really notice it!

When it gets to Edinburgh at around 2-4am, their is again more noise as it seperates and each portion goes its merry way.  The FortWilliam bit arrives around 09:30

If you book far enough in advance you can get some really cheap deals. £19 single is the cheapest you can each get a bed for.

Answer 2

Although the Edinburgh and Glasgow Caledonian Sleeper services do arrive early, the Fort William portion (part of the same train) departs London Euston at 21.15 Mondays to Saturdays and about an hour earlier on Sundays, and arrives in Fort William at 09.52, which is a nice civilised hour.

One bit of advice though - you probably won't get much sleep, I didn't, as the train's movement and sounds are so different from being in a normal room. The cabins are fairly small, but the experience overall wasn't bad. It is certainly very nice to wake up amidst the lovely Scottish scenery in that part of the world - although the small breakfast included in the price may leave you feeling a bit hungry!

Answer 3

I went on it few years back, and would recommend it, it's a fun experience.

Like others have said, you may not get much sleep (I always want to know where I am), but from what I can remember, the ones that arrive really early, they let you stay on for a while after it gets there.

Don't expect much elbow room.

Incidentally, the motion of the train can make for some interesting hanky-panky.