I want to try the sleeper very soon, as I didn’t get to see much of Inverness during my last visit in April. I only explored a small area of the city while waiting for my next train to Tain from Inverness Airport. I will probably be back in Tain again (best friend lives there) soon enough too and seeing about moving there one day.
OK, three things to comment on here. First, I had to listen to the intro twice because I thought you started off with ‘I am insane’ (which, considering the subject matter could possibly be quite appropriate 😂) then of course I realised where you were! Second, ‘Midnight Train to Georgemass’ is probably the funniest line yet and third - thanks for the shout-out, much appreciated 😊👍 Brilliant stuff mate, keep it coming.
Great video Tim. Glad I found your channel! I’ve got a trip planned on the sleeper from Fort William to Euston early next year for my Channel. Thankfully not in a seat the whole way 😅Can’t wait 🤩🚂
Great video, Tim! Just subbed. This past October I had gone up to Inverness to visit friends and also to take the sleeper back to London (did the same trip last year and enjoyed it). I had booked a club room (was traveling on a BritRail Pass, so only had to pay the supplement), but Babet showed up and forced the cancellation of the trip. Was able to take the 1st train out to Edinburgh, ‘tho. Had booked directly with Caledonian, so received a full refund to my CC within a week.
Thanks so much for watching and subscribing, that’s really kind. Aye Storm Babet had quite an effect on travel throughout the UK but I’m glad to hear everything worked out well for you.
Oh Tim you cruel cruel man! You now have me really wanting to try this, just when I promised myself no more trips until the new year 🤣 In all seriousness though I'm genuinely surprised! Seems like the Sleeper gets nothing but hate so its good to see that it can be a good service in the seated accommodation. Great video man!
I used to interrail a lot… and would find an empty row of seats and sleep horizontally across the seats.. however in Paris to Nice I had to sleep upright.. and this vlog bought back pleasant memories… I doubt, of course, that’d it’d be appropriate for folk such as mrs tim’s travels.. But it’s just occurred to me that apart from this vlog. There are lots of vlogs on the uk sleeper trains.. 😮that market seems saturated on utube. but that there are not many on the whole overnight non cabin experience.. Perhaps a gap in the market
Cheers mate, to be honest the seated option was the one I could afford! 🤣 Maybe the Night Riviera will be on the cards. Mrs TT would absolutely hate the seated sleeper. No doubt about it.
@@Timstravels01 tbh. It was the reason I watched the vlog… everyone and their dog has done the Caledonian Sleeper,, Doing it in the passenger seats is different… it was different, so interesting .. thanks for suffering for you art, lol.. I think that’s why I like: let’s make a trip… he’ll do harrowing overnight coach journeys.. the worst I did was a 23 journey from Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire to Bad Gastein in Austria for a school skiing trip… best wishes
Great video Tim. I've only travelled on the new sleeper once and that was in a berth. We were over 3 hours late so i was lucky enough to get a full refund and funnily enough that was due to a failed freight train too. This is the only positive review I've ever watched about the seated coach and to be honest it didn't look too bad at all. I may well embark on a day out in Crewe myself one day soon
its funny I have been thinking of taking a trip on that train and then you put this video up 😁. I dont think i would get much sleep in the chair but it is definatly interesting to see how it works.
I am well jell of that! I’d definitely try it in the summertime, the views would be amazing alright. Fortunately we’re nearly at the shortest day so summer won’t be too far away!
Hi Tim, take your point on a sixth route, but that would defeat the object of lowlands, I would love the maximum journey from Thurso to Euston, bound to be afternoon start as it’s three hours to Inverness but limited early passengers
Nice video mate, but still - better you than me! it's bad enough in a seat on a plane overnight (due to the cost of a bed) but on a train, I'm sure the uplift isn't so much!
i have been to inverness on the old sleeper in a solo berth but this one the price is just too expensive and the connection between it and the Kyle train is only 10 mins - which is not great in the highlands. istr the older service arrived earlier into inverness.
I agree, the prices for the berths is insane. Marketed for business travellers perhaps rather than for people living in the Highlands. Interestingly, I took the bus up to Inverness as I couldn’t risk the Far North Line train being late. As it was, a fellow pass made it by 2 minutes because the FNL train was delayed. Sad that the Kyle connection is so tight, it shouldn’t be that way.
I did Westerton (Glasgow) to London back in 2001 in these seats and liked it. But the buses from Glasgow to Victoria Street, London is as good and miles cheaper. Hence, I do the bus the few times I go to London. Or the plane.
Yeah, in terms of pricing it’s hard to argue with the bus or plane. I really need to try an overnight bus service to London. For some reason I find the idea of that more unappealing than the seated sleeper but I should just go for it.
wow the arcing on the overhead from the ice, that's impressive! I'm all for the life hacks, I'll be using that on my next trip out!! At least the bar was cheaper than Aer Lingus!! A great video as always, a medal required for doing a night one as well, can imagine you slept well once you got home.
Cheers mate. Yes I slept very soundly when I got home. The last leg was the "party train" from Inverness-Tain. It was wild! I needed a rest after that never mind the previous 24 hours of travel.
@flyingmyles it was. Sleeper down to Crewe Friday night back in Inverness late on Saturday. Some very very patient Scotrail staff on hand I must say, they took everything in their stride.
I love the sleeper, but i do think its abit over priced and the cabins are very much for business travellers.The seats are good value when you consider the journeys and if you book it in advance but they arent suitable for a sleeper train at all.
I agree, the pricing of the berths are completely insane. I didn’t find the seat too bad, I found more comfortable than the Azuma seat but it’s all down to personal opinion.
Hey Tim, great video. Always wondered what the sleeper seats were like. Would be great if they did a sleeper from Thurso, at a decent price 🙂 I did the sleeper in a cabin from Inverness to London and I loved it. Had a drink and read my book in the coach where they have sofas and serve drinks, felt like I was in a Poirot or Miss Marple 😂
Looks decent. I paid £250 for single cabin in March Kirkcaldy to London. Horrible Experience. Really bad. Had to walk to St. Pancreas to get a shower. £5. No towel!!!!😮
@@Timstravels01 "Top hotel"? In the current climate? When even Premier Inns are demanding £100+ a night? And then you've got to factor in that you're paying for a train journey as well, not just a room for the night.
@Timstravels01 check your spam folder mate. I emailed them about delay repay and got a reply within hours but missed it for a few days because it went into my junk folder
You said "trains are noisy and rattle about and you've just got to accept that"....I TOTALLY disagree. My commuter train (class 450) made by Siemens is almost silent, no knocking or rattling, very comfortable, very smooth. It is like chalk and cheese compared to the new Caledonian sleeper. Listen to the video again. While talking to the camera in the vestibule you can here the rattling. There was no way I could sleep or slumber with that noise of the bogies (even in the main part of the coach). Did you mention the lack of recline? Shocking. NEVER again SADLY.
Very good review. They should have the seats like long distance Amtrak trains. I think if you can sleep anywhere then you will be fine on this train but I generally need some decent recline to nod off though my noise cancelling headphones certainly make a huge difference with any onboard noise. The price is very good though for the distance travelled and I would use it to Manchester thanks to the stop at Crewe.
Thanks for watching. I failed to mention there is a recline feature on the seats and I agree the price represents very good value for money. Maybe I’ll get to try out long distance Amtrak one day!
I want to try the sleeper very soon, as I didn’t get to see much of Inverness during my last visit in April. I only explored a small area of the city while waiting for my next train to Tain from Inverness Airport. I will probably be back in Tain again (best friend lives there) soon enough too and seeing about moving there one day.
I hope you have a great time when you're next in the north.
The 6th point could be Stranraer but you'd probably have to split that section at Carlisle.
That’s an interesting suggestion. A wee bit of interest in that part of Scotland would be welcome.
I have done the sleeer to in 1998
I’m so pleased that someone has done this in coach….and that it wasn’t me. Thanks for the review Tim
Thanks Lee. It wasn’t anywhere near as awful as I expected.
OK, three things to comment on here. First, I had to listen to the intro twice because I thought you started off with ‘I am insane’ (which, considering the subject matter could possibly be quite appropriate 😂) then of course I realised where you were! Second, ‘Midnight Train to Georgemass’ is probably the funniest line yet and third - thanks for the shout-out, much appreciated 😊👍 Brilliant stuff mate, keep it coming.
Thanks so much mate. Insane is probably about right! I guess now I’ve done the sleeper it’s only fair to give the coach a try…
Great video Tim. Glad I found your channel! I’ve got a trip planned on the sleeper from Fort William to Euston early next year for my Channel. Thankfully not in a seat the whole way 😅Can’t wait 🤩🚂
Thanks so much! I hope you have a fab journey. I’ll look forward to watching your video. 😀👍
Great video, Tim! Just subbed. This past October I had gone up to Inverness to visit friends and also to take the sleeper back to London (did the same trip last year and enjoyed it). I had booked a club room (was traveling on a BritRail Pass, so only had to pay the supplement), but Babet showed up and forced the cancellation of the trip. Was able to take the 1st train out to Edinburgh, ‘tho. Had booked directly with Caledonian, so received a full refund to my CC within a week.
Thanks so much for watching and subscribing, that’s really kind. Aye Storm Babet had quite an effect on travel throughout the UK but I’m glad to hear everything worked out well for you.
That toilet ! Was it locked , was it not ??
I would have stood there 'bursting' but not able to go if i was unsure it was locked !
Great trip Tim 👌 👍
The door eventually closed and locked but it was a perilous experience! Thanks for watching mate.
Oh Tim you cruel cruel man! You now have me really wanting to try this, just when I promised myself no more trips until the new year 🤣 In all seriousness though I'm genuinely surprised! Seems like the Sleeper gets nothing but hate so its good to see that it can be a good service in the seated accommodation. Great video man!
Cheers mate. I've got to say it was far beyond anything I expected. Give it a go!
Midnight Train to Georgemas. Only TT could come up with such genius, almost deserves a merch line all of its own :D
Thanks mate. I can see a range of T-shirts on their way. 😂
Brilliant video Tim. And if only they would send up a sleeper to Georgemas there was talk about it happening but very little happened.
Thanks mate, I’m glad you liked it. I remember the Far North Sleeper being discussed a few years ago but the idea seemed to die a death.
I used to interrail a lot… and would find an empty row of seats and sleep horizontally across the seats.. however in Paris to Nice I had to sleep upright.. and this vlog bought back pleasant memories… I doubt, of course, that’d it’d be appropriate for folk such as mrs tim’s travels..
But it’s just occurred to me that apart from this vlog. There are lots of vlogs on the uk sleeper trains.. 😮that market seems saturated on utube. but that there are not many on the whole overnight non cabin experience..
Perhaps a gap in the market
Cheers mate, to be honest the seated option was the one I could afford! 🤣 Maybe the Night Riviera will be on the cards.
Mrs TT would absolutely hate the seated sleeper. No doubt about it.
@@Timstravels01 tbh. It was the reason I watched the vlog… everyone and their dog has done the Caledonian Sleeper,, Doing it in the passenger seats is different… it was different, so interesting .. thanks for suffering for you art, lol..
I think that’s why I like: let’s make a trip… he’ll do harrowing overnight coach journeys.. the worst I did was a 23 journey from Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire to Bad Gastein in Austria for a school skiing trip… best wishes
Great video Tim. I've only travelled on the new sleeper once and that was in a berth. We were over 3 hours late so i was lucky enough to get a full refund and funnily enough that was due to a failed freight train too. This is the only positive review I've ever watched about the seated coach and to be honest it didn't look too bad at all. I may well embark on a day out in Crewe myself one day soon
Cheers mate! It wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be.
its funny I have been thinking of taking a trip on that train and then you put this video up 😁. I dont think i would get much sleep in the chair but it is definatly interesting to see how it works.
It's worth a try and it's good value for money. You might get more sleep than you think. I know I did.
We did the sleeper from Crianlarich Tim with a family of 4 and 2 cabins.
was overall very good but the beds a tad small for the larger Gentleman!
I might struggle in that case!
Did both bunk sleeper train & daytime seated one to London Euston in the 80’s , loved it 😍would you fancy doing again in the summertime for the view?
I am well jell of that! I’d definitely try it in the summertime, the views would be amazing alright. Fortunately we’re nearly at the shortest day so summer won’t be too far away!
Hi Tim, take your point on a sixth route, but that would defeat the object of lowlands, I would love the maximum journey from Thurso to Euston, bound to be afternoon start as it’s three hours to Inverness but limited early passengers
Indeed, it was just a wee bit of fun. Thurso to Euston would be fab all the same.
Nice video mate, but still - better you than me! it's bad enough in a seat on a plane overnight (due to the cost of a bed) but on a train, I'm sure the uplift isn't so much!
It was better than I anticipated for sure.
Seated sleeper needs an ejector seat configuration, a very uncomfortable seat .
I did not opt for the at seat dinning I brought my own whisky as well.
I found it more comfortable than the Azuma seat but it’s all relative isn’t it. I’ll be bringing my own whisky next time!
i have been to inverness on the old sleeper in a solo berth but this one the price is just too expensive and the connection between it and the Kyle train is only 10 mins - which is not great in the highlands. istr the older service arrived earlier into inverness.
I agree, the prices for the berths is insane. Marketed for business travellers perhaps rather than for people living in the Highlands. Interestingly, I took the bus up to Inverness as I couldn’t risk the Far North Line train being late. As it was, a fellow pass made it by 2 minutes because the FNL train was delayed. Sad that the Kyle connection is so tight, it shouldn’t be that way.
Hi great video can I ask how much the journey cost
Of course. It was £55 for a single fare.
I did Westerton (Glasgow) to London back in 2001 in these seats and liked it. But the buses from Glasgow to Victoria Street, London is as good and miles cheaper. Hence, I do the bus the few times I go to London. Or the plane.
Yeah, in terms of pricing it’s hard to argue with the bus or plane. I really need to try an overnight bus service to London. For some reason I find the idea of that more unappealing than the seated sleeper but I should just go for it.
The train no longer calls at westerton and goes via glasgow queen street low leval and airdrie
wow the arcing on the overhead from the ice, that's impressive! I'm all for the life hacks, I'll be using that on my next trip out!!
At least the bar was cheaper than Aer Lingus!!
A great video as always, a medal required for doing a night one as well, can imagine you slept well once you got home.
Cheers mate. Yes I slept very soundly when I got home. The last leg was the "party train" from Inverness-Tain. It was wild! I needed a rest after that never mind the previous 24 hours of travel.
@@Timstravels01 was it a weekend ? The joys of weekend public transport 🤣
@flyingmyles it was. Sleeper down to Crewe Friday night back in Inverness late on Saturday. Some very very patient Scotrail staff on hand I must say, they took everything in their stride.
Any deposits in the toilet
Not a single one!
I love the sleeper, but i do think its abit over priced and the cabins are very much for business travellers.The seats are good value when you consider the journeys and if you book it in advance but they arent suitable for a sleeper train at all.
I agree, the pricing of the berths are completely insane. I didn’t find the seat too bad, I found more comfortable than the Azuma seat but it’s all down to personal opinion.
Hey Tim, great video. Always wondered what the sleeper seats were like. Would be great if they did a sleeper from Thurso, at a decent price 🙂 I did the sleeper in a cabin from Inverness to London and I loved it. Had a drink and read my book in the coach where they have sofas and serve drinks, felt like I was in a Poirot or Miss Marple 😂
That’s the way to travel! Maybe need to try the Night Riviera to Penzance sometime.
I think there was a plan to have a 'Far North' sleeper but sadly nothing came of it....
@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne I’m fairly sure there was using the old rolling stock but the idea seemed to die a death.
Looks decent. I paid £250 for single cabin in March Kirkcaldy to London. Horrible
Experience. Really bad. Had to walk to St. Pancreas to get a shower. £5. No towel!!!!😮
That's poor. I can't see how such prices can be warranted. £250 is overnight in a top hotel. On the other hand, £55 for a seat is fair enough.
@@Timstravels01 "Top hotel"? In the current climate? When even Premier Inns are demanding £100+ a night? And then you've got to factor in that you're paying for a train journey as well, not just a room for the night.
Why do train trip reviewers alway feel the need for toilet tours?
I love night trains!
It’s something to do! 🤣
Seat gets uncomfortable after a few hours
I didn't find it too bad. I just turned the other cheek. 😂
Delay Repay kicked surely?
I've emailed but haven't heard anything back yet...
@@Timstravels01 If you booked direct should have kicked in automatically
@billyshearer117 I did not, used Virgin Rail to get the air miles.
@Timstravels01 check your spam folder mate. I emailed them about delay repay and got a reply within hours but missed it for a few days because it went into my junk folder
@@lewiss626you were not wrong. It’s been lurking in there for a while. Thanks for the heads up.
You said "trains are noisy and rattle about and you've just got to accept that"....I TOTALLY disagree. My commuter train (class 450) made by Siemens is almost silent, no knocking or rattling, very comfortable, very smooth. It is like chalk and cheese compared to the new Caledonian sleeper. Listen to the video again. While talking to the camera in the vestibule you can here the rattling. There was no way I could sleep or slumber with that noise of the bogies (even in the main part of the coach). Did you mention the lack of recline? Shocking. NEVER again SADLY.
Ooff! Each to their own. I try to look for the positives rather than jump on the negativity bandwagon. I enjoyed my sleeper experience others won't.
Very good review. They should have the seats like long distance Amtrak trains. I think if you can sleep anywhere then you will be fine on this train but I generally need some decent recline to nod off though my noise cancelling headphones certainly make a huge difference with any onboard noise. The price is very good though for the distance travelled and I would use it to Manchester thanks to the stop at Crewe.
Thanks for watching. I failed to mention there is a recline feature on the seats and I agree the price represents very good value for money. Maybe I’ll get to try out long distance Amtrak one day!
You mean the seat squab moves forward a little bit? The seat back is SOLID so does NOT recline. @@Timstravels01
reputation rubbish rolling stock ,maybe the knock knock from the bogies sent you asleep
Maybe. The main thing was I did sleep. 🤣
didnt you get any sleep??
More than I anticipated. Not a full night's sleep but not dreadful.
Great coach amazing trip
I thought it was very pleasant indeed.
Seat gets uncomfortable after a few hours
I just turned the other cheek. 😂