Mrs O. and I had a long weekend trip North of Inverness to visit a close relative. We have sometimes driven up (which loses a day or two counting the return and you arrive or return exhausted) and sometimes flown from Gatwick or Luton then rented a car in Inverness. This time though, I thought it would be good to travel by train and to see some of the countryside between S England and the Highlands, then rent a car in Inverness to go further North.
In January we looked at rail prices and found that we could get Bargain Berths from the First Scotrail website at £19 per person for a single. This is less than a fifth of the normal price and obviously easier to get at less busy times.
The sleeper appealed for a few reasons:
- no stress at the airport
- a chance to eat out at Diwani near Euston station
- no stress driving late at night to our final destination.
As somebody who loves Highland scenery the thought of waking up high in the Spey valley was very appealing too; especially as the days are getting lighter now.
Duly fed at Diwani we boarded the train. The sleeper trains must be a good 25 years old - I vaguely recall them being introduced in the early 1980s - but they are in reasonable condition inside. Getting on the train you are immediately struck by the narrowness of the corridor leading to the berths. Our cabin is shown above with bunks, shelves, a sink under the black rucksack and little room to move. Our conductress was really friendly and helpful. She looked neither Scottish nor English and it turned out that she was from Galicia in Northern Spain! She seems to be happily resident in Inverness.
The small cabin space is partly due to the loading gauge of British trains. We built the world's first railway lines and established a track width standard that was adopted by most of countries. However, on the Continent when the first international trains were being introduced they agreed a standard width and height of the coaches (UIC) which is broader and higher than those here. Britain was not interested in adopting the standard as we were an island with no plans for a railway link to the Continent at the time! Now of course, with the Channel Tunnel, our Eurostar trains are narrower than the equivalent TGVs and need a retractable step to bridge the gap to the platforms in France and Belgium.
Some years ago I took couchettes between France and Spain and the higher and wider coaches were an advantage. The couchettes allowed triple bunks with the same amount of sleeping comfort as we had with Scotrail. Furthermore - and this was a real advantage - the train started with the upper bunks folded and we could sit comfortably before going to bed. In contrast with the Caledonian sleeper, you cannot sit on the lower bunk comfortably as the upper bunk is too low. We resorted to one of us sitting on the upper bunk and one on the shelf over the sink!
The sleeper train at Euston must be the longest passenger train in Britain. At 21:15 a single train leaves with a portion for Inverness, another for Fort William and a third for Aberdeen. The train is split in Edinburgh in the early hours of the morning. Each portion of the train has a "lounge car" with independent seats and the possibility of buying food and drinks. Some years ago my son and I had a wonderful time sitting in the lounge car from Fort William southward enjoying the wonderful views to mountains and of red deer on Rannoch Moor as the evening drew on. However two years ago we did the same Inverness trip and were very disappointed with the refreshments. This time we had our own wine in the confines of our cabin!
On this trip we slept very well and were not woken by the jolting of the train as it was split in Edinburgh (that happened last time). We woke just over the Drumochter pass (which at about 450 metres is the highest railway pass in the UK) and saw that there was a dusting of fresh snow.
We could see light in east as we trundled downwards along the Spey Valley.
There were views across bogs, lochs (this one must have been around Kincraig) and to the Cairngorm and Monadliath mountains. Sadly the windows of the sleeper train were filthy on the outside and I took the photos from the doors of the carriage; did Scotrail think nobody would look out of a sleeper window?
After Aviemore we were given a little airline-style breakfast tray and coffee/tea. The train then went uphill again leaving the Spey Valley for another pass - Slochd summit 401 m - which is quite a desolate area with boggy ground and some pine forest.
After Slochd we had the final run into Inverness. At one point the sky seems to open up and there is a great view northwards to the Black Isle and beyond that to the snow of Ben Wyvis. Many years ago I remember a fantastic view inland to peaks in the middle of the highlands (probably the Fannich range) but the visibility was only clear near to the sea.
Near Culloden there is a great view to the Black Isle, the Kessock Bridge and beyond to Ben Wyvis. The above photo does no justice to the view. A few minutes later we arrived on time in the middle of Inverness at 8:30.
We arranged a car rental with Arnold Clark and they picked us up just beside the train and took us to their nearby rental office. The station is also conveniently next to the Eastgate Shopping Centre where we had breakfast.
Overall impressions:
Views from the train, friendly service, sleep, price, overall experience
Cabin space, ability to sit before and after sleeping, windows
Did not try the lounge car this time.
Sadly I suspect that sleeper usage is dying in Britain. It is potentially very good value for money - even with a normal fare - as you can potentially cover both the travel and save a night in a hotel. However the overall experience could be improved. Stowing the upper bunk in the first hours of the journey would be a major improvement.
On the Continent I know that my colleagues make far more use of sleeper trains than my friends and colleagues here. I think that there is more space and a better experience for business travellers there. Nevertheless I think far more could be done in the UK. For example (as combined travel and saved hotel room) a double bed cabin would be a good idea; a really good evening meal/bar and breakfast service would also be worthwhile.
Anyway I can recommend this way of transport if it fits your constraints.
