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Caledonian Sleeper train times, fares & booking

London - Scotland by Caledonian Sleeper

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Taking the Caledonian Sleeper train to Scotland...

It's the most civilised, romantic, time-effective and environmentally-friendly way from central London to the heart of Scotland.  For the English, the sleeper is the ideal travel option for a stress-free weekend in the Highlands or business meeting in Scotland, avoiding a short-haul flight and its disproportionate contribution to global warming... 

Taking the Caledonian Sleeper train to London...

If you live in Scotland, the Caledonian Sleeper is the most practical, time-effective and environmentally-friendly solution for an early morning meeting or short break in London...  Every night except Saturday night, 'Caledonian Sleeper' trains depart from towns and cities all over Scotland, direct to central London arriving in time for breakfast.  A little piece of Scotland that will take you right down to the Big Smoke...

What cities are linked by sleeper?

Every night except Saturday night, Caledonian Sleeper trains link central London (Euston station) with Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen, Fort William, Perth, Dundee, Stirling, Gleneagles, Aviemore, Montrose and many other places all over Scotland.  There's also a separate sleeper between London & Cornwall.

On this page...

What 's the sleeper like?

The Caledonian Sleeper trains are miniature travelling hotels, with private bedrooms and a lounge car.  The sleeping-cars have very compact air-conditioned 1 & 2-berth sleeping compartments with proper beds & washbasin, soap, towels, complimentary toiletries pack & small bottle of mineral water provided.  A light breakfast with tea or coffee and fruit juice is included in the fare, served by your steward in your compartment at the time you specify. There's a comfortable lounge car with tables & chairs, leather sofas and steward service of wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks & snacks.  The Caledonian Sleeper trains also have spacious reclining seats, although access to the lounge car is for sleeper passengers only.  Berths in standard class 2-bed sleepers are sold separately, so if you're travelling alone and book a bed in a standard class sleeper you'll usually share with another passenger of the same sex, naturally a lot cheaper than paying for a single-bed room to yourself.  The Caledonian Sleepers provide almost 'cruise train' facilities (albeit no showers on board), indeed they are the only regular trains in Britain to feature full-size leather sofas in their lounge car, complete with coffee table and table lamps.  The Caledonian Sleepers are run by ScotRail, the Scottish train company, and are crewed by Scottish staff.  A little bit of Scotland that visits London six nights a week...

Above:  The Caledonian Sleeper waits to leave London Euston for the Highlands of Scotland...		Above:  2-berth sleeper (= Standard class)		Above:  1-berth sleeper (= First class)
		A light breakfast with tea or coffee & fruit juice is included in the fare, served by the steward in your compartment... Soap, towels & a complimentary toiletries pack with toothbrush & razor are provided. There's a shaver socket, but no 3-pin sockets. Left:  The lounge car.  Pull up a chair and enjoy a light supper of 'haggis, tatties and neeps' (£3.50), a half bottle of Nottage Hill red (£6.55) and a night cap of Glenfiddich whisky (£3.30) before retiring to your sleeper compartment...

Caledonian Sleeper timetable..

Here is a summary of sleeper train times to/from main cities, although many smaller Scottish towns are also served.  Please double-check train times at either http://www.firstgroup.com/scotrail/gf/sleeper%20times.pdf or www.nationalrail.co.uk.

* in Glasgow you have until 08:00 to vacate your sleeper, in Edinburgh you have until 07:55.

Sunday departure times often vary, so please double-check when you book.

Note that the lowland sleeper has two separate portions, one for Edinburgh & one for Glasgow.  The highland sleeper has three portions, one for Fort William, one for Dundee & Aberdeen, and one for Perth and Inverness.  Each portion has a number of sleeping-cars, one lounge car and one reclining seats/baggage car with bike spaces, except for the London-Fort William portion which just consists of two sleeping-cars (seat passengers to Fort William must therefore switch cars on the way).  The trains are shown here in one column to save space.

How much does sleeper travel cost?

Advance =  the cheapest ticket, only valid on the train you've booked, non-refundable, limited availability so book early to find these prices.

Anytime = flexible ticket, valid any day, always available at that price even on the day of travel, assuming of course the sleeper isn't fully-booked.

Children under 5:  Under 5s go free, though they don't get their own berth.  Cots can't be provided as there's no room, but (for example) a Samsonite travel bubble fits on the floor.

Children 5-15:  Children under 16 travel at 50% of the adult 2nd class Anytime or Advance fare.  There is no child discount on first class fares.

Railcard holders get a 34% discount on Advance fares & 10% discount on 2nd class Anytime fares with a railcard.  There's a 10% discount on 1st class Anytime fares with a Senior or Disabled railcard.

You can check these fares at www.thetrainline.com or www.nationalrail.co.uk.  These fares are valid from May 2008.

If you have a normal (non-sleeper) Off-Peak or Anytime train ticket between London & Scotland you can travel in a sleeper by paying the sleeper supplement.  With a standard class ticket the supplement is £36 for a bed in a shared 2-bed compartment, or you can pay £51 an have sole occupancy of a 2-berth sleeper.  If you have a first class ticket, you pay £41 for a bed in a single-bed compartment.  You'll need to pay this supplement and make the reservation at a station or by phone to ScotRail telesales, as you cannot book it online.

If you have a BritRail pass you can travel in a sleeper by paying the sleeper supplement, £36 for one bed in a shared 2-bed compartment, or £41 on top of a first class ticket for a bed in a single-bed compartment.  You'll need to pay the supplement & make the reservation at a station or by phone to ScotRail telesales, as you cannot book online.

Bargain berths:  A limited number of bargain-basement £19-£49 sleeper tickets are sold at www.firstscotrail.com.  They're only available in very limited numbers, & not on every date, but it's worth checking!

How to buy sleeper tickets...

• Buy tickets online:  Use the online booking system above, linked to www.thetrainline.com (a £1 booking fee applies with a debit card, £3.50 with credit card) or book using www.firstscotrail.com (which has the same fares but with no booking fee).  Tickets can be sent free by first class post to any UK address, or picked up from the self-service machines at most main British stations (50p charge).

• Bookings open 9-12 weeks before departure, you can't book before reservations open!  Make sure you book a sleeper, not a reclining seat, check that the fare you choose has a bed symbol against it. 

• Buy tickets by phone:  Call First ScotRail telesales on 08457 55 00 33, lines open 08:00-22:00 daily.

• The very cheap 'Bargain Berths' can only be booked online, only on the special 'bargain berths' page at www.firstscotrail.com.  Ticket numbers are very limited.

Buying Caledonian Sleeper tickets if you live overseas (in the USA, Canada, Australia, etc)...

Many overseas visitors to Britain find the Caledonian Sleepers an ideal option for a trip covering both London and Scotland, and it saves a hotel bill, too!  Just book online using the booking form above.  www.thetrainline.com now sells tickets even if you have a non-UK credit card & non-UK address.  Bookings open 9-12 weeks before departure, remember that you can't book before reservations open!  Make sure you book a sleeper, not a reclining seat, by checking that the fare you choose has a 'bed' symbol against it.  Tickets won't be sent outside the UK, so simply choose the option to collect them from the self-service machines at London Euston station or any main British station you nominate.  You will just need your booking reference and the credit card you used to make the booking.  If you have any difficulty booking online, you can also book via an international phone call to ScotRail telesales on +44 1752 675 670.  Phone lines are open 08:00-22:00 daily, UK time.  All major credit cards are accepted and you should ask to collect tickets at the station before departure or whenever you get to the UK.

Luggage, bikes, dogs & pets...

• There is room for small & medium-sized bags and cases on the luggage racks in the compartment, or on the floor if necessary, though very large suitcases can be placed in the guard's van.  If you're travelling north for the grouse season, shotguns can be carried by special arrangement as long as you have the necessary licence and comply with the licence requirements for transporting shotguns.

• You can take bikes on the Caledonian Sleeper trains free of charge, placed in the bike racks in the guard's van.  A bike reservation must be made as the number of bike spaces is limited.  To reserve your bike, call ScotRail on 08457 55 00 33, lines open 08:00-22:00 daily.  Motorbikes aren't carried.

• There is a separate guard's van with 6 bike spaces (only 3 spaces London-Inverness) in both the London-Edinburgh & London-Glasgow portions of the Lowlands sleeper, and in the London-Inverness & London-Aberdeen portions of the Highland sleeper, but not on the London-Fort William portion.  So if you're taking your bike to Fort William you'll need to transfer it at around 5am from the London-Inverness guard's van to the new guard's van attached in Edinburgh bound for Fort William.

• You can take dogs or other pets on the sleeper, but your party must occupy all the berths in the compartment and a £40 dog charge (to cover special berth cleaning afterwards) is ma