Luxury Overnight Sleeper Train in the UK - The Caledonian Sleeper
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- Watch this video to see what it’s like to take one of only two luxury overnight sleeper trains in the United Kingdom, the Caledonian Sleeper!
The Caledonian Sleeper may just be the best way to travel from London to Scotland. In this video, you’ll see the most deluxe room - a Caledonian Double Bed - on this luxury overnight sleeper train. I took advantage of everything it had to offer during my stay onboard.
We left London at 9:15 at night to travel around 500 miles northward for just over 10 hours, following the East Coast of Scotland before pulling into Aberdeen at about 7:30 in the morning.
From the tastes of Scotland’s world-famous cuisine to the incredible Scottish Scenery, the solid night’s sleep was the icing on the cake of this luxury sleeper train experience. And all that meant I arrived in Aberdeen ready for the day ahead. Another trip onboard the Caledonian Sleeper is certainly in my future!
0:00 Introduction
1:08 London Euston Station
2:50 Boarding the Caledonian Sleeper Train
4:49 Caledonian Double Room Tour
6:04 Morning on the Caledonian Sleeper
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Morning Traffic - Raymond Grouse
Just a Drive Away - Raymond Grouse
Room to Breathe - River Run Dry
Backseat Therapy - River Run Dry
Complicated - Sleeping Vines
No Leaf Unturned - Jon Bjork
Mmmm...Black Pudding. When perfectly crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside, it's the hallmark of a great British breakfast
Hi Jeb, I thought I'd provide at least some explanation of why London has so many dead end, ie terminal stations. When railways reached the London area, legislation forbade them from extending through the city from one side to the other (this is why it's in 2022, the first full loading guage railway to go from East to West and vice versa across the Capital opened,with Crossrail, aka Elizabeth Line). The station that's closest to the actual City of London, is Charing Cross station, which serves Kent, Sussex and South Eastern suburbs of Greater London
You mean the West End of London ? I say that because the nearest terminus to London's City (its financial area) is Cannon Street.
@@alexmcwhirter6611 As an aside, Fenchurch Street (opened 1841) was the first terminus permitted to be built within the City of London boundary. Liverpool Street (1874), Cannon Street (1866), and Blackfriars (1886) are all later additions.
@@derektaylor2941 and Thameslink
Be interesting to see what Jeb thinks of the Riviera Sleeper
@@derektaylor2941 District line/railway also crosses the city.
Scotland is beautiful I love it.
Me, my wife and two kids took the Caledonian sleeper from Euston to Fort William the other week. It was a noisy bumpy nights sleep but we all enjoyed it so much it will be a treasured memory for me.
It's worth noting that many US cities actually had multiple major rail stations: Boston (North and South Station), New York City (Atlantic Terminal, Penn Station, Grand Central Station, all the former Newark terminus stations), Philadelphia (Market Terminal, 30th Street station), Chicago (Union Station, Dearborn Station, Lasalle Station, Wells Street Station). For a lot of cities, most of these stations were demolished or converted to other uses as the passenger rail service was nationalized, creating more consistent networks. It's a real shame because so many of these buildings are insanely significant and we're only now starting to appreciate what once was.
We travelled from London to Edinburgh via high speed train, 4.5 hrs from city to city. Booked early (6 months in advance) and got a great deal on business class. Plenty of gin and tonics, hot meal, high speed internet.
Nothing tops coming out of the train station in Edinburgh and seeing the castle.
Thing my American friends always ask me is why did they build such a lovely castle right next door to a tatty railways station 😂
Really enjoy your narration. Your voice and use of inflection is perfect. Easy Listening
Indeed!
London has so many stations because they were each built by different competing companies
Waterloo - LSWR - London and South Western Railway
Charing Cross - LCDR - London, Chatham, and Dover Railway
Cannon St - SER - South Eastern Railway
Fenchurch St - LTSR - London, Tilbury, and Southend Railway
Liverpool St - GER - Great Eastern Railway
Moorgate - GNCR - Great Northern and City Railway
Kings Cross - GNER - Great North Eastern Railway
St Pancras - MR - Midland Railway
Euston - LMS - London Midland and Scottish railway
Marylebone - GCR - Great Central Railway
Paddington - GWR - Great Western Railway
Victoria - LBSCR - London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway
The other reason is that railway companies weren't allowed to build stations inside the centre of London as that would disrupt too many buildings and neighbourhoods. Thus you find the stations serving the Midlands and North along that road from Kings Cross to Euston and the others scattered around the edge of the central zone. That in turn influenced the building of the Underground system to serve all the termini - just look at the Circle Line and it all makes sense.
There was a law that stated the northern companies could not build south of what is now Euston Road, so there could not be a great "union" station in London. But, of course, that is not unique in Europe or even the UK. Paris, Berlin (back in the day), Milan, Birmingham, Glasgow and many more, all have multiple large stations. Berlin now has one main station, but that is a very recent change.
@@bishwatntl Yes. Rail author Christian Wolmar has a book about this .
Also they were banned from building in the city centre hence why they all form a ring around the city
Very interesting! We need some of this competition in the US. We are stuck with state owned and poorly managed Amtrak and no other train options.
Chicago has Union, Lasalle Street Station, Millennium Park station and Ogilvie stations.
What an adventurous and memorable trip.
I've been on this!!!! Even the bunk beds are great and the service is great. The feeling of the train going along puts you alseep and it is probably the best night's sleep I've had.
Chicago has multiple stations even today (Millenium-ICRR) (Ogilvie (C&NW), (LaSalle (Rock Island) Union Station (PRR/Milwaukee/CB&Q). Grand Central (B&O) was torn down and Dearborn (Santa Fe, Grand Trunk) still stands, but no tracks connect it.
I've travelled on the Caledonian Sleeper a few times up to Aberdeen. That coastal section between Edinburgh and Aberdeen is some of the best countryside in this country. Especially between Dundee and Stonehaven and not forgetting St Andrews as well.
It has had a troublesome past, especially when the new train came onboard. But, it's good to see that they've put that behind them now and you had a good trip.
But, i hear that the Edinburgh to Inverness section is breath taking.
Train will be faster and has more scenery on the way🥹 and with discount the price will be affordable as well😂
I traveled Edinburgh to London on this train service several years ago. I had booked far in advance and the new carriages were supposed to have been in service. Alas, they were much delayed and my trip was on the very old and run-down consist with broken toilets, a horrible breakfast (I sent it back), and lackluster service. Looks like you had a much better experience, Jeb. Thanks for the review.
This train actually looked more fun than taking a plane. If I have the time, the train is more enjoyable as you can see the area that you are going through.
Even though there are lots of vids on the Caledonian sleeper already, this is one of the first vids I’ve seen where someone goes to Aberdeen and not Inverness and fort William! Thanks for the review Jeb!
Great choice of getting an early breakfast in the club car and watching the scenery go by. If you go to Glasgow and Edinburgh the train leaves later so (as I did) you can go to a West End show beforehand. Ps I’d recommend Fort William or Inverness for scenery…..plus always go northbound (breakfast through London suburbs is not the same as highlands) plus winter might be good for snow but daylight hours mean you see much less
Each second was very interesting.
Thank you very much, Jeb, for sharing your wonderful documentary with us.
Congratulations, Jeb on another wonderful video and your first European rail trip. The Caledonian Sleeper is on my bucket list and you showed the train at its best! I am even intrigued by the menu and want to try everything. British rail was my first experience with high speed intercity rail and it was great!
Crikey. British Rail. That's a name from the past !
That breakfast looks more or less exactly like the ones I had during my latest stay in England a couple of years ago. Nice even though black pudding is not on my list of favorites. But it was ok.
JEB, this video deserves a PBS documentary award. ❤❤❤
That’s so nice of you to say! Thanks!!
Its seems like you guys had a ton of fun. Great video as always, look forward to Saturday Morning every week
I live in Aberdeenshire and us the Sleeper fro time to time. Brilliant 👏.
I heard about the old train a few years ago and checked out the prices. The headline price was £60 or so and when I checked I found it really was possible to book a cabin a few weeks in advance for around that price with more immediate cabins going up to £120. That's not a bad deal given that it's a car and a hotel room and you arrive in Scotland ready to explore. OK so you would have to hire a car to do that and those prices are only one way.
Then they got their new trains. Now the headline price is about £300 and even if I scroll to the point just before the sun becomes a super nova the thing's fully booked and the real price is off the scale. It'd be cheaper to build your own train.
Then there's the term luxury. It's not meant to be a luxury trsin. It's meant to offer public transport and the decor didn't look remotely luxury to me. Utiliarian I would say, like a budget hotel.
Whatever I wouldn't go on the thing now as I'd always think I was being ripped off.
My answer is in two parts: Part 1 We took the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Inverness before the trains were upgraded. Upgrade or not it was one of our favorite trips ever. Can't wait to take this one. Maybe I've watched too many old Sherlock Holmes films but there's some so romantic about this sort of travel. We will definitely move this trip to the top of our queue. Thanks. Part 2 Your video is one of the best of it's kind I've seen on You Tube. Very well produced and entertaining and informative as well. Thank you so much.
I've been on the Highlander and the Lowlander and had crap sleeps on both. Conversely, I fell asleep in Reading on the Night Riviera and woke in Plymouth!
That's because the Great Western Railway's "Night Riviera" train uses forty year-old, ex-British Rail Mark 3 carriages with outside-frame bogies! My experiences of the "Caledonian Sleeper" and the "Night Riviera" tally with yours. The new CS carriages, built by CAF in Spain, have numerous design faults, such as lack of storage space for luggage in the cabins - sorry, "rooms" - and that awful vertical ladder with narrow rungs for accessing the top bunk.
Was just looking at this train to go to Aberdeen or Edinburg then on to Balmoral. Too bad most of trip in dark. Such a scenic journey. Maybe better in later June when light later!
Just for clarification, neeps is Swedish turnip, commonly known as swede, rather than white turnip, commonly known as just turnip.
You're correct about Washington, D.C. having only one big train station. However, Chicago has the Ogilvee Transportation Center which serves several Metra commuter lines. New York has both Penn Station and Grand Central. Philadelphia's downtown has three train stations (30th Street plus Jefferson and Suburban).
I'm a pretty picky eater but I fell in love with Haggis. I couldn't get enough when I was in Scotland.
Wow! That looks quite amazing! That bed looks incredibly comfortable and surprisingly roomy and most importantly it looks very clean. The food looks delicious and I would love to try haggis it sounds delicious. The scenery is so beautiful too! This really made me want to take a similar kind of trip, but until then I can live vicariously through your videos 😊
As always, thank you for the escape. I may actually try this one someday!
Jeb, sorry you missed Stonehaven, a wonderful small town, with a habour, pubs and very much history to discover.
I always thought Union Station had an association with Union Pacific Railroad. Thank you for pointing out the correct history.
As always! An incredible review of your experience. Always been coming back to your videos for years !
Lner Azuma first class is really good but this is also a really good train.
This is on my bucket list. You're full Scottish breakfast had a square sausage and black pudding on you will need to Google what black pudding is. The night Rivera service is the other one on my bucket list along with the Gerald of Wales which offers a full on dinning service between Cardiff in South Wales and Holyhead in North Wales
I hope you liked Aberdeen Jeb. It is a lovely route up the East Coast of Scotland. It is a good thing you came on a nice day, in the summer the granite buildings shimmer. However, in mid-winter Aberdeen can be cold, windy and wet. I like to refer to the city as Abergloom.
My first ever experience of Scotland was Aberdeen in the first weeks of January (many years ago now) and I must say it was a cold harsh baptism. Since then I've explored more of it and in more favourable weather thank goodness
Beautiful trip!
Jeb I loved the video but I do wish you would make some more long form videos, those are my favorite
Good morning, 'Jebsetters'! ;)
Thanks so much for watching, Mike! Love watching you roll through the US!!
Me to
Wonderful video.. gives a good insights on this special sleeper train across UK.
I’m from Aberdeen and watch all your videos. This was a great surprise. Hope you loved it and great video as always 👍
Love the Sleeper!!
You've done the Caledonian Sleeper. Next, do the Riviera Sleeper from London Paddington to Penzance aboard the lovely MKIII coaches.
No 'en suite' though...although it's said the former BR trains provide a better ride.
Welcome to Scotland Jeb, one of my fav travel bloggers and vloggers!
OMG. Amazing.
Great vlog as always! That is on my list! My mother and father did this one during the 80s. My father loved it! This is like the former Businessman train, or the whole day in London. Why rush to a plane when you can wine, dine and sleep? Keep up the good work! Looking forward to the next one! Be safe!
It is amazing
Hope you had a great time,I’m from Kilmarnock ,Scotland (west coast),nothing beats our food 😃,loved the video 👍 I travelled from Amsterdam to Glasgow on the train last Thursday absolutely loved it 😊
Jeb as always a great vlog !
The food looks amazing !
Brilliant Journey man
Loved the video Jeb. We are from Kirkcaldy (the stop you filmed). We feel privileged to think the mighty Jeb has been to our wee town.
That is awesome! Thank you!!
Wow just love trains 🚂🚃 safe travels 😃
I'm doing this soon, in a smaller room, can't wait. I hear service is great, scenery spectacular.
Wow, now I was not expecting to see you here in the UK. Glad you enjoyed the trip and yes the overnight sleeper is on my list too.
Sorry there was no meatballs 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Haggis vs Meatballs….🤣
Hi Jeb I traveled from Inverness to London in a club room what a fantastic experience that was back in February this year
Nice
I just can't wait to take this one day!! Great review and wonderful videography!!
Hey Jeb that looked awesome!
I rarely think all the train trips look that fun to try versus flying, but from what I can see I’d certainly try The Caledonian Sleeper! It looks AWESOME what a fun way to get from London 🏴 up to Aberdeen 🏴 😊
You’re the only American luxury traveler I follow, love you and Suzanne!
Great video jeb loving the contents and a belated welcome to Scotland 😃
I have loved your channel since the start and paid attention when I saw you on my favourite train!
the thing about american rail travel is that americans would rather go without than see others go with. in america people protest against rail travel thats safer and often cheaper than driving because they dont want "those sorts" being able to cheaply and easily get too close to where they live. (i took a business class amtrak train for $49 ($19 on coach return) from NYC to Philly, with tolls and gas it cost at least as much as business class ticket to drive. thats why our best rails are all about the same age and mainly located within the northeast corridor. in some parts of the nation only high speed rail would make sense but some people have politicized train travel as some attack on the car, but as the auto train shows it doesnt need to be that way. long story short we cant have nice things cause we dont want nice things.
Love your vids!!!
That looked like a fun trip. I'd love to take that train trip one day. Haggis, HP Sauce and blood pudding.👍 Great stuff. Also a wristwatch enthusiast. Always fun to see what you're sporting. Nice Grand Seiko.
I missed the old Chinese train. Cost only $30/person for long range double decker 4 person room. $20/person for triple decker 6 person no door. The views are great. The train is fast. The kids are crying and the old man is chatting loudly. You make friends with your roommates and share food and stories. You feel the train’s wheels and the tracks rumbling and that’s the best song to put you to sleep. Dong dong..dong dong………….dong dong..dong dong…………you were woken up by the chatting and the sunlight. The kids are running around and crying again. And that’s a sign of you are 4 hours from your destination.
Great video, Jeb!
Thanks for this lovely video! I really enjoyed watching it and I'm hoping to treat my family to a trip up to Scotland on the sleeper train at New Year :)
Never thought I'd see the day you pass over the River Tay (the river which my home city of Dundee stands on) in one of your videos. Super video as per usual!
Fantastic video Jeb!
Very nice. Thank you.
Love it! More wife! (She makes you better!) All in good fun! Really GOOD job!
Love your videos. Makes me want to travel. Nice down to earth guy.
Hey Jeb, nice to see you did this route.
This route got off to a rocky start with the train having a few issues and then Covid. See Paul Lucas winging it back in the day.
Noel Phillips had a later crack at it and then you
I took my wife up to Fort William and the scenery over breakfast is fantastic !
You need to do the “Gerald of Wales” and fly back from Angelsey !
Historically, the US had that dynamic as well. For operational reasons, Amtrak eventually consolidated their services in most of those cities (Boston is perhaps the most notable exception, where trains to North Station like the Downeaster to Maine can't (easily) also serve South Station... the main transit connection between the North Side and South Side is the MBTA's Orange Line between North Station and Back Bay). Before that (and persisting for different amounts of time afterwards), in New York the Pennsylvania Railroad went to Penn Station (not surprisingly...) and the New York Central (with which the Pennsy disastrously merged) went to Grand Central. The New Haven railroad served both (coming from New England, if going down to New York, Grand Central was generally preferred, but connections to the other side of the Hudson required going through Penn: everywhere the NYC served west of Albany was better reached from New England via Springfield on the NYC-owned Boston & Albany); Amtrak's service along the former NYC, like the Lake Shore Limited, went to Grand Central until the mid-90s when a track connection between a branch of the former NYC and Penn was built... up to that point, getting from Albany to Greensboro (for instance) would have required a taxi in Manhattan, so not quite like a JFK-EWR connection, but not that far off.
In Chicago in 1965, say, you'd have, for instance:
* the Pennsylvania; the Burlington; the Milwaukee Road; and the Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio going to Union Station
* the Chicago & North Western going to the C&NW station (now Ogilvie as a commuter-only station)
* the Norfolk & Western; the New York Central; and the Rock Island going to LaSalle Street
* the Illinois Central; the New York Central; and the Soo Line going to Central
* the Santa Fe; the Louisville & Nashville; the Grand Trunk Western; the Monon; and the Erie Lackawanna going to Dearborn
* the Baltimore & Ohio; and the Chesapeake & Ohio going to Grand Central
Of the long-distance trains that go to Union Station nowadays, only the California Zephyr and Empire Builder (operated by the Burlington into Chicago) would have gone to Union Station in 1965; the Southwest Chief went to Dearborn; the Texas Eagle only went to St. Louis; the Capitol Limited and Cardinal to Grand Central; and the City of New Orleans and Lake Shore Limited to Central
A similar situation existed in Los Angeles, with each company operating their own station, until they joined forces and built a Union Station in 1939, the last of the large, grand stations built in the US.
Malaysia was dynamic as well. Before 2015/2016 KTM focused most of their long distance train services in most of the main cities. The Rakyat, Senandung Langkawi, Senandung Mutiara and Sinaran Utara Express served KL Central and Butterworth, Penang (and vice versa), while the Rakyat, Senandung Sutera and Sinaran Selatan served KL Central and JB Central. There used to be Wau Express from KL Central to Tumpat, Kelantan for passengers who wished to go to the East Coast but due to the great floods of 2014 the train service was terminated. So passengers had to ride the Sinaran Selatan Express, wait for hours from 5 pm to 11 pm at Gemas (the main East/West Coast transit station in Malaysia) and board the Timuran Express from JB to Tumpat at 0000 hrs..
You don't need the bed to convert. Just lean against the wall as you sit on the bed and drink your coffee or whatever with your shoes off while you look out the window at the passing views. :) That train ride looked relaxing and I love how much privacy it looks like it gives. Thanks for sharing, Jeb.
You need to do the GWR Riviera Night Sleeper from Paddington down to Penzance to compare different trains and different train companies.
Wow Tnx bro good
Love it
Really glad you did an overnight train trip while you were in the UK, and that you enjoyed it so much.
I'm booked to travel on the Caledonian sleeper in a couple of weeks' time, just crossing my fingers that I can work around upcoming strikes.
Euston is unfortunately one of the ugliest London stations though I think it was beautiful before the awful 'modernising' wreckers came up with their dreadful plans post WW2.
I love the train vids
I am starting to get hooked on your channel. I have also been on the Caledonian Sleeper a couple of years back. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I spent a few days in Inverness, and then up to the scenic Highlands. And yes, I ate Haggis, 'Nips and Tatties, which was delicious. Loved every minute of it. Thank you for the upload. Tourist tip: When the dining car opens, leave it an hour or so, and then go for supper, as it is then very quiet (Looks as though you did okay though).
Wise advice.
Neeps and Tatties …Nip is what you have afterwards ( a dram )
Do you know if one can book a round trip ticket on the Caledonian? I wish to travel Scotland and see it but traveling alone makes me wish for the security of the train.
@@caroleinwv Tickets are sold on a one-way basic. So buy two one-ways for a return.
@@alexmcwhirter6611 Thank you!
First comment from me - love your videos and this was excellent. I come from the UK but now reside in Warsaw, so I've not done this trip: it looks cool. But I have to say for the distance and looking at your route map, I think I'd prefer a First Class seat and day journey - there's some decent train windows viiws missed while sleeping. Thanks for sharing!
The "reconstruction" of Euston was one of the great crimes on British architecture. The Great Hall and the magnificent doric arch entryway were unsurpassed. To be replaced by the brutalist monstrosity that is the "new" Euston was a travesty. Sir John Betjeman lost the battle for Euston, but the work there allowed the saving of London St. Pancras a few years later, and that is to be cherished.
What must be remembered is that the 1960s were an entirely different time.
He should have had a sainthood for that! Let alone his knighthood. Incidentally, the smaller but sort-of-sister railway hotel in Chesterfield (the two being the first in the world iirc) has just been demolished! After the business - terribly managed with awful service - went bust and the useless local council let it fall into drug-den vagrant infested disgrace. Betjeman would weep.
@@kronkite1530 saint isn’t just a title like sir
Hopefully the improvements with HS2 go ahead. It's obviously not a return to the old, but it's a massive improvement on the currently ugly box structure.
Sadly this type of thing happened everywhere. Americans will know of Penn Station, NY and in my area the beautiful St Enoch Station was lost.
Great video 👍, I'm from the UK 🇬🇧 and the answer to your question of why London has so many stations is as follows:
London has 14 stations that are classed as " LONDON Terminals " these surround London in the North, South, East and West.
They have mainline trains both local and Intercity to destinations all over the UK mainland but at these stations the lines end and to cross London you need to use the Tube or DLR (metro/subway) to connect between mainline stations. The only exception is the new Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) that goes under London East to West in deep low level tunnels (this is new and only opened at the end of May this year).
As well as the Elizabeth Line, there's also the North-South Thameslink service - you can travel from the likes of Bedford or Cambridge right through central London and out the other side to Gatwick and Brighton.
Hope you had a great time here in Scotland! Warm wishes from Edinburgh 😊🏴
As always, your videos are informative and entertaining. Btw, congratulations are in order for you and the Mrs! Well done. Now, an odd request, show and maybe chat about what appears to be your extensive watch collection.
I’m not a rail fan but after watching just one of your vids, it makes me wanna hop on a train to NYC! You did a great job executing the video. On another note, How do you feel about the United & Emirates partnership? I think it’s great but you fly more than me so I really wanna know your opinion. Have a great rest of your Saturday wherever you are and hopefully, I’ll see you in the skies!
Very nice but I wouldn’t have been able to eat that dinner! Love the sleeper room!❤️
Great video Jeb
Awesome vlog
We went on this in 2002. Crewe to Inverness. Appalling. Staff disappeared from the bar car at about 10pm. Worst night's sleep ever. It was 20 years ago though...it was the night the Commonwealth Games opened in Manchester.
Nice trip😊☺️
I've only taken the older Caledonian Sleeper and it was probably 10 years ago now, but I travel part of the line you took fairly regularly.
Chicago has several stations. Union Station, Ogilvie transportation center, Lasalle Street station, Millenium station and Van Buren Street Station.
Very nice train
As always live your videos Jeb. Worth noting though that as a Glasgow local, I've never seen that bridge before! Think you may have your pics mixed up haha!
Jeb, had to say, Chicago has two major stations. Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center.
I love your positive tone. Some vloggers are absolutely insufferable in their incessant moaning.