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Make the Most of Scotland’s Aprés-Ski Scene

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Winter has well and truly arrived in Scotland. The country’s mountainous landscapes are enjoying plenty of snow while the villages and towns that lie below have converted their summertime lodges into cosy hideaways.

From boutique hotels and log cabins to bustling winter festivals and inviting restaurants, Londoners can make the most of their winter weekends with a trip to Scotland with overnight rail service Caledonian Sleeper.

Connecting London and Scotland’s ski resorts, the service offers a direct link to Aviemore, Fort William and Aberdeen with the added benefit of free transportation of ski and snowboard gear.

Embracing Scotland’s aprés-ski scene, Caledonian Sleeper has highlighted the country’s top places to enjoy time off the slopes this winter.

Great Glen Holidays, Fort William

For a quiet rural retreat where you can catch up on some well-earned rest, look no further than Great Glen Holidays in Fort William.

Situated close to Nevis Range with mountain views of Ben Nevis, the outlet boasts a new eco lodge that sleeps eight people, an American log house and six self-catering chalets each surrounded by the neighbouring farm and countryside.

The Winking Owl, Aviemore

After a tiring day skiing there’s no better place to warm up than The Winking Owl in Aviemore.

Located in the centre of the picturesque town, the cosy pub is managed by award-winning Cairngorm Brewery and offers a traditional alpine feel. Enjoy a selection of hearty main meals and moreish puddings before sipping on a craft beer or malt distilled in the Cairngorms National Park.

Braemar Mountain Sports, Braemar

Open daily, Braemar Mountain Sports is the perfect place for Glenshee skiers to pick up extra equipment.

Browse the store’s range of clothing items including jackets, salopettes and accessories as well as skis, avalanche gear and books. Equipment can also be hired from the shop for those without their own skis, boots or poles.

To find out more about the Caledonian Sleeper or to make a reservation, visit sleeper.scot

Caledonian Sleeper completes roll out of £150m new fleet of trains as service introduced on Highlander route

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Serco Caledonian Sleeper has completed the roll out of its new overnight trains with the fleet now operating all services between London and Scotland.

The introduction of the Highlander route this week follows the new carriages making their debut in April on the Lowlander between London and Glasgow/Edinburgh. Now, guests can also travel between London and Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William.

Designed to accommodate the modern-day traveller, the new trains offer accommodation ranging from completely new comfort seats for the budget traveller to rooms with double beds and en-suites – for the first time in the history of Caledonian Sleeper. Accommodation includes:

  • Completely new redesigned comfort seats with personal locker, reading light and charging point
  • Classic Rooms (solo or shared use with an option of interconnecting rooms, toiletries included)
  • Club Rooms (solo or shared use with en-suite, station lounge access, breakfast, luxury toiletries included)
  • Caledonian Double (double bed with en-suite, station lounge access, breakfast, luxury toiletries included)
  • Accessible Rooms (double or twin, toiletries included and directly adjacent to accessible toilet)

Combining travel to and from the heart of London with comfortable overnight accommodation, prices for Comfort Seats start from £45, Classic Rooms from £140 for Solo or £170 for two people sharing (equating to £85 per person), Club Rooms from £205 for Solo and £250 for Shared and Caledonian Doubles from £335 for Solo and £400 for Shared. All Accessible Rooms are priced at the same level as Classic Rooms – including those with double beds.

Other new features are included on the new trains, such as a hotel-style keycard entry system, charging panels and WiFi throughout the train.

Ryan Flaherty, Serco’s Managing Director for Caledonian Sleeper, said: “Our new trains have been years in the making and to see them complete their introduction to service is extremely exciting for everyone involved.

“The Highlander route has always been popular – there’s nothing quite like falling asleep just outside of London and awaking at the foot of the mountains in the Scottish Highlands. With the new service we are sure to see familiar faces continue to make the journey between London and Scotland as well as many new guests enjoy a service which is fit for today’s traveller, combining modern facilities expected with that feeling of nostalgia that comes from long-distance railway travel.

“We have worked really hard to learn lessons from introduction of the trains on the lowlander route earlier this year.  We are now confident that all passengers can rely on the Caledonian Sleeper to provide the journey of a night time.”

Important information for guests booked on our Highlander services

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Please Note – this is an Archived Page. Our new trains are now in service across all routes. 

Unfortunately there has been a delay in the introduction of our brand new trains and therefore our Highland services will be operated with our current fleet of trains.  We recognise this might be disappointing to you and we apologise for this.  Rest assured you will still experience our excellent levels of service and hospitality on board our current fleet of trains.

Our decision to put back the introduction by a few weeks has been taken to ensure CAF, the manufacturer, has all coaches ready for service at the high standard we expect. This is intended to ensure that when they do enter service our guests have the best possible experience. Our new trains are now expected to enter service on our Highland routes by mid-October 2019.

If you still want to travel with us on your original booking date, you do not need to do anything. Your booking will be automatically updated to an alternative accommodation type for your own use on our current trains, and the tickets you have remain valid for your journey. You do not require replacement tickets.

  • Caledonian Double: Your reservation will be automatically transferred to a room(s) on our current train. We will automatically refund you half of what you have paid plus £20 per room.
  • Club Room: Your reservation will be automatically transferred to a room(s) on our current train. We will automatically refund you one third of what you have paid plus £20 per room.
  • Classic Room: Your reservation will be automatically transferred to a room on our current train. We will automatically refund you £20 per room.
  • Seats: Your reservation will be automatically transferred to a seat(s) on our current train.
  • Flexipass: Your reservation will be automatically transferred to a Classic room(s) on our current train. We will automatically refund you £20 per room already booked for travel in this period.
  • Club Room Supplement: Your reservation will be automatically transferred to a room(s) on our current train. We will automatically refund you £20 per room.
  • Classic Room Supplement: Your reservation will be automatically transferred to a room(s) on our current train. We will automatically refund you £20 per room.

If you have booked a room for Solo use, this will not change.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind you that if you hold a Room Supplement, you also require a valid travel ticket to travel on our service. For more information, visit www.sleeper.scot/tickets/room-supplements/

Any refunds will be paid back in the method in which you made the original booking. Please note, this requires an unavoidable manual process in our back office system and as such, may take up to 28 days to process. We apologise for this delay but assure you we will complete your refund as quickly as we can. Once processed, the refund will take 3-5 days to appear in your bank account or on your card.

Please be aware all rooms will be configured with both beds made up. However Caledonian Double, Club and Flexipass guests will still receive the First Class amenities that their ticket offers, including complimentary breakfast, Arran toiletries, First Class Lounge access and priority access to the Lounge Car.

You can find out more about our current trains here.

However, we understand if you wish to change or cancel your journey with us. If this is the case, we have options available:

1) You can cancel your booking and we will give you a full refund, even if you did not book a flexible ticket.
2) We can re-book you on to a service when our new trains are in operation. Again, this option is available for holders of both fixed and flexible tickets.
3) Flexipass holders should cancel their journey(s) via your online account.

If you choose either option 1 or 2 above, then please email us at enquiry@sleeper.scot as soon as you can and we will be in touch.

As you can imagine our Guest Ambassadors in Inverness are dealing with a significant volume of correspondence right now.  We have increased our staffing levels to deal with guest enquiries at this busy time but you may still experience a wait to get through on the phone.  We please ask that unless your enquiry is urgent that you contact us via email and we will come back to you as quickly as we can.  We do appreciate your patience at this time.

Thank you for your loyalty and we look forward to welcoming you on board.

Caledonian Sleeper officially launches £150m new fleet of trains

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Serco Caledonian Sleeper has launched its new £150m fleet – with the first guests travelling on the revitalised overnight rail service.

The new carriages made their debut last night (Sunday 28 April) on the Lowlander route between London and Glasgow/Edinburgh. This will be followed by their introduction on the Highlander route between London and Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William in the coming weeks.

Designed to accommodate the modern-day traveller, the new trains offer accommodation ranging from completely new comfort seats for the budget traveller to rooms with double beds and en-suites – for the first time in the history of Caledonian Sleeper. Accommodation includes:

  • Completely new redesigned comfort seats with personal locker, reading light and charging point
  • Classic Rooms (solo or shared use with an option of interconnecting rooms, toiletries included)
  • Club Rooms (solo or shared use with en-suite, station lounge access, breakfast, luxury toiletries included)
  • Caledonian Double (double bed with en-suite, station lounge access, breakfast, luxury toiletries included)
  • Accessible Rooms (double or twin, toiletries included and directly adjacent to accessible toilet)

Combining travel to and from the heart of London with comfortable overnight accommodation, prices for Comfort Seats start from £45, Classic Rooms from £140 for Solo or £170 for two people sharing (equating to £85 per person), Club Rooms from £205 for Solo and £250 for Shared and Caledonian Doubles from £335 for Solo and £400 for Shared.

All Accessible Rooms are priced at the same level as Classic Rooms – including those with double beds. Caledonian Sleeper has engaged extensively with experts from The Shaw Trust to ensure the best possible experience for guests with access needs, including placing accessible toilets adjacent to accessible rooms. In addition, Caledonian Sleeper’s Guest Lounges in Dundee, Fort William, Leuchars, Perth, Stirling and Inverness all offer accessible shower facilities.

Other new features are included on the new trains, such as a hotel-style keycard entry system, charging panels and WiFi throughout the train.

In addition to introducing its new fleet, Caledonian Sleeper has also launched a new marketing campaign which will inspire potential guests to ‘Dream Big’. Debuting across digital, social and outdoor advertising platforms, it is designed to encourage a new audience to discover Caledonian Sleeper and the world of possibilities it unlocks.

Ryan Flaherty, Serco’s Managing Director for Caledonian Sleeper, said: “Our new trains have been years in the making and to see them make their debut is a huge moment for everyone involved in making this dream a reality.

“The overriding ambition has been to deliver on our vision of a Caledonian Sleeper service fit for today’s traveller, one that combines the modern facilities people expect with that feeling of nostalgia that comes from long-distance railway travel. We want guests to have a magical journey with us, whether they are travelling for business or for pleasure.”

Rupert Soames, Chief Executive of Serco, said: “This is a proud and exciting moment for everyone who has been involved in bringing these new trains into service. It has been an incredibly complex project and this is the culmination of a huge effort and investment by all parties. We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed and we can now look forward to the new service and all that it offers to travellers between Scotland and London.”

The fleet, built at a cost of £150m, has been part funded by capital grants from Scottish Ministers and from the UK Government.

Michael Matheson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, said: “The Scottish Government is proud to have played its part in the launch of this new Caledonian Sleeper service. In subsidy over the 15 years of this Franchise, in support for this fleet of new trains, and in funding for stations and passenger lounges – this is clear evidence of our genuine commitment to both rail and tourism in Scotland.

“The scale of change is remarkable, and a credit to everyone who has worked on this project. I know those involved have been driven by an ethos of transforming the passenger experience and putting guests first. This is demonstrated by the on-board staff, the real stars of this service.

“Caledonian Sleeper shows the best of railways, and the best of Scotland. It’s time for this franchise to shine, and to be a real source of pride for the people of Scotland.”

Rt Hon David Mundell MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, said: “It is fantastic to see the launch of the new Caledonian Sleeper service. The UK Government has invested £50 million in the new fleet, improving vital connectivity between Scotland and England, and improving the service for the thousands of passengers. I was pleased to travel on their debut journey and look forward to using this service for years to come.”

To book a journey on the new Caledonian Sleeper, visit sleeper.scot.

Caledonian Sleeper gives first look inside new trains on revamped website

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Caledonian Sleeper has unveiled the first images from inside its new fleet of trains on a revamped website launched to mark the final countdown.

As well as showcasing the revitalised Caledonian Sleeper, the website – sleeper.scot –makes it easier than ever for people to book their magical journey and explore the destinations the trains reach.

The overnight rail service between London and Scotland will be transformed by the introduction of the £150m fleet, with a total of 75 new carriages set to make their debut.

Caledonian Sleeper’s new trains will begin operating by the end of May, initially on the Lowlander route between London and Glasgow / Edinburgh. They will subsequently debut on the Highlander route between London and Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William.

Designed to accommodate the modern-day traveller, bookings can already be made for travel on the new trains from 2 June. Once the official introduction date is confirmed, the booking system will be updated.

Guests on the new services will be able to enjoy a range of accommodation types, including rooms with double beds and en-suites – for the first time in the history of Caledonian Sleeper.

Compared to the current fleet, the new trains will provide significantly different and improved accommodation:
• Comfort Seats
• Classic Rooms (solo or shared use with an option of interconnecting rooms, toiletries included)
• Club Rooms (solo or shared use with en-suite and shower, station lounge access, breakfast, luxury toiletries included)
• Caledonian Double (double bed with en-suite and shower, station lounge access, breakfast, luxury toiletries included)
• Accessible Rooms (double or twin, toiletries included)

Ryan Flaherty, Serco’s Managing Director for Caledonian Sleeper, said: “The launch of the new Caledonian Sleeper is fast approaching and travelling on our service will be a truly magical experience that will transform travel between London and Scotland.

“I would encourage anyone interested in being one of the first to experience the new trains to book their travel on our new website, which has been completely revamped to reflect the monumental and exciting changes to our service.

“Caledonian Sleeper is competitively priced and means guests can avoid the hassle or additional costs of getting to and from the airport. It is the only way to be at your destination in plenty of time for early morning meetings or a full day’s sightseeing without the cost of a hotel.”

Combining travel to and from the heart of London with comfortable overnight accommodation, prices for Comfort Seats start from £45, Classic Rooms from £140 for Solo or £170 for Shared, Club Rooms from £205 for Solo and £250 for Shared and Caledonian Doubles from £335 for Solo and £400 for Shared. Various Railcard discounts may also apply, while guests are always assigned the best value ticket when making their booking.

Caledonian Sleeper fares have no hidden costs and allow guests to bring multiple suitcases or excess baggage on board without incurring any additional charges. And with centre-to-centre travel, there is an additional cost saving over flying as there is no need to pay for connections to take you in or out of the city. That means Caledonian Sleeper is not only the most civilised way to travel – it is also frequently the most cost effective.

With a 12-month booking window, it also means that guests can plan their travel well in advance. That is a major advantage over other train operators, where cheaper advance fares are usually only available from 12 weeks before travel.

The new Caledonian Sleeper coaches were constructed by CAF in Spain at a cost of over £150m, part funded by a capital grant from Scottish Ministers of £60m.

Testing has been underway across the UK throughout 2018 and early 2019, while the coaches are currently undergoing final fitting out in the Central Belt.

Susan Calman on board as voice of new Caledonian Sleeper

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Guests travelling on board Caledonian Sleeper will soon be woken by one of Scotland’s most popular celebs – after Susan Calman was named the voice of the new trains.

The TV and radio star is no stranger to travelling to some of the nation’s best-loved destinations having recently presented Channel 5’s Secret Scotland.

And now, her tour of Scotland will continue six nights a week as she ‘travels’ on board Caledonian Sleeper between London and various Scottish locations including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Fort William, Glasgow and Inverness.

Susan, who will voice all scheduled announcements, is a frequent guest on board and a huge advocate of sleeper travel. During her time on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing last year, she even filmed on the train as part of the show.

Susan said: “I spend almost as much time on the Caledonian Sleeper as I do in my own house and so it was a great pleasure to give voice to the new trains. I look forward to being woken up by myself. Although it might give me a fright occasionally.”

The new Caledonian Sleeper trains will be introduced by the end of May 2019 and for the first time will include rooms with double beds and en-suite toilet and showers.

Ryan Flaherty, Serco’s Managing Director at Caledonian Sleeper, said: “Susan is the perfect fit as the voice of Caledonian Sleeper. Like us, she has a real sense of adventure and is completely at home travelling around Scotland.

“Our ambition with our new trains is to deliver a timeless experience for guests and I know Susan is thrilled to be part of such a huge change to the service. We’re firmly on the final countdown now and I cannot wait for guests to step on board and see the new Caledonian Sleeper for the first time.”

The new fleet, built at a cost of over £100m and part funded by a capital grant from the Scottish Ministers of £60m, has been designed to accommodate the modern-day traveller and cater to both business and leisure travel guests. A range of accommodation options will be offered, including:

• Caledonian Double (double bed with en-suite)
• Club Rooms (solo or twin with en-suite)
• Classic Rooms (solo or twin)
• Comfort Seats
• Fully accessible rooms for guests with reduced mobility

Other new features will also be included, such as a hotel-style key card entry system, more accessible rooms, charging panels and WiFi throughout the train.

The trains will initially be introduced on the Lowlander route between Glasgow / Edinburgh and London before being rolled out onto the Highlander which serves Fort William, Aberdeen and Inverness.

To find out more about the Caledonian Sleeper, visit sleeper.scot.