News Archives | Caledonian Sleeper

We’ve made improvements to our website

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Mark Johnson

We’ve improved our booking engine to make it easier for you to book a unique way to travel. Below are a list of some of the new features we’ve added to our website.

New booking widget

We’ve made it easier for you to select all the booking options available, including children, adding a railcard, adding a bike, or pet to your journey.

Book larger groups

You can now book groups of up to 8 people in a single transaction.

Accommodation selection

We now have a list of features available at a glance for our accommodation options. You can also see when our scheduled boarding and arrival times are too!

We’ve added accessible booking options

For the first time we can offer guests with accessible needs the opportunity to book online.

In the accommodation selection section if you check the accessible options button (shown below) you can toggle the view for our accessible rooms.

This will show our three options for accessible travel – Accessible Double, Accessible Twin and the Seat and Wheelchair space in our seated coach.

We’ve added month view

Now you can check availability on a calendar, allowing you to check availability and price differences around your selected date.

You can access the calendar view by clicking on the “show more dates button” shown below:

This will give you an overview with prices available for the whole month around your selected dates including availability and pricing as shown below:

We’ve improved our room and seat picker

When you have selected your accommodation type and added your guest details, on our review page (shown below) you have the options to select your room on the train (subject to availability).

On this page click on the change room button (shown below)

This will take you to our room picker page (shown below)

If you click on the “edit” button on the right hand side (circled in red in the image below) you will open the room/seat picker.

You can then select the room of your choice (subject to availability).

When you have selected your room you will see a message saying “changed successfully” as shown below:

You can then select the “save selection” option (button shown below) to confirm your selection..

You will then be able to review your whole order before making payment.

Watch our video of how to use seat picker below:

See More of Scotland

Posted on May 10, 2023May 10, 2023 by Mark Johnson

Scotland’s scenery is world renowned and although we serve 43 destinations there are some places we can’t take you, so if you want to see more of our dramatic landscape we have some trip ideas for walkers, cyclists and drivers to see even more of our beautiful country.

West Highland Way

Glasgow – Fort William

One of Scotland’s most famous trails, the West Highland way is a favourite of both walkers and cyclists. Spanning 96 miles from Milngavie, just north of Glasgow, to Fort William, the route is normally completed from South to North, easing people in from the less strenuous stages near Glasgow to the more highly elevated stages near Fort William, which reach up to over 500m.

Great Glen Way

Inverness – Fort William

Starting in Inverness and ending in Fort William, the Great Glen Way stretches across 78 miles, following Scotland’s greatest geological fault line and follows sections of the Caledonian Canal, including Neptune’s staircase – a series of 8 locks. The route takes in Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy and is accessible by foot, by bike or by boat. The route can be walked in 4-7 days and is a favourite of wildlife watchers with Golden Eagles, Ospreys, Pine Martens and Deer all spotted on the way.

East Highland Way

Aviemore – Fort William

Devised by Kevin Langan in 2007, the East Highland Way links Aviemore with Fort William across 82 miles. The going on this trail is tougher than the West Highland Way or the Great Glen Way and is suitable for the more seasoned walker. Only some of the trail is marked and large sections follow forestry tracks, so good navigation skills are required. The East Highland Way takes in a variety of woodland, with open sections where you can enjoy highland views, the picturesque beaches of Loch Laggan and the open moors of Strath an Eilich.

North Coast 500

Inverness – Fort William

For those who prefer to take in their scenery from the comfort of a vehicle rather than walking, the NC500 offers 500 miles of stunning scenery around Scotland’s north coast. Starting in Inverness, the route stretches across six regions as far as John O’Groats and Durness in the North and as far as Applecross on the west coast. The NC500 route is a loop which can be started and finished in Inverness, but if you want to see a bit more of Scotland then you could take a one-way car hire and start in Inverness, take the NC500 route westwards and travel over the sea (now by bridge) to Skye. From there you can head towards Fort William and rejoin the Caledonian Sleeper to head back south.

Win a trip to London with ARRAN Sense of Scotland!

Posted on March 7, 2023March 17, 2023 by Mark Johnson

To help celebrate the mother figures in our lives we have partnered with ARRAN Sense of Scotland to offer you the chance to win a fantastic trip to London!

Travelling by Caledonian Sleeper, the lucky winner will be based in the UK’s capital – London, enjoying an overnight stay for two in a hotel in Central London and afternoon tea for two. Experience one of the world’s most mesmerizing cities. Marvel at modern architectural delights like the Shard and the Gherkin, soak up some of the world’s most iconic locations, shop till you drop, enjoy fantastic restaurants, or simply relax and unwind with a trip to the theatre.

One lucky winner will win:

Return Train tickets for 2 adults from any starting destination along the Caledonian Sleeper route
1 night’s bed and breakfast at a central London hotel
Afternoon tea for two
Tickets for two for the Pretty Woman musical at The Savoy Theatre
A hamper of Arran products

There are also three runners up prizes of ARRAN Sense of Scotland hampers worth £250!

The competition runs from 6^th – 17^th March 2023 and the lucky winner will be announced on our social channels.

To enter, simply head over to ARRAN Sense of Scotland’s website and enter you details. Good Luck!

ENTER NOW HERE!

Terms and conditions apply.

The Biggest Cycling Event ever is coming to Scotland in 2023!

Posted on March 7, 2023March 7, 2023 by Mark Johnson

The world’s largest cycling event, the UCI Cycling World Championship is coming to Scotland on 3-13th August 2023. The world’s greatest riders will get together in Glasgow and across Scotland to compete at the highest level, make history, and show the world the power of the bike.

The Championships host 13 World Championships across 7 disciplines over 11 days at 7 different venues across Scotland.

The Emirates Arena in Glasgow hosts the indoor competitions where the beautiful game is played on bikes in the Cycleball competition and the show of skill and strength in the Artistic cycling competition where riders perform handstands on handlebars and ride their saddles like surfboards in spectacular feats of bravery, balletic balance and physical strength on 11-13th August.

Glasgow Green is the venue for the BMX Flatland and Freestyle competitions on 5-7th August, where BMX riders combine parkour with breakdancing. The flatland event is an open canvas where riders have to use their creativity to create medal-worthy routines. The Freestyle event allows the riders to use obstacles to fly like super heroes off of ramps, ride on walls and use the terrain to help them create their routine.

Glasgow’s BMX Centre in the West End’s Knightswood Park is hosting the BMX racing events on 12th and 13th August, where eight riders face off on a complex on a 400m course of high speed curves, big bumps and even bigger jumps.

The Gran Fondo will be held in Glasgow on 4th and 7th of August. The Gran Fondo (which translates as Big Race) is a long-distance mass participation event that celebrates competitive cycling for everyone, not just the professionals. The top 20% of riders from 30 qualifying events held around the world have been invited to compete in Scotland.

Glentress Forest near Peebles in the Borders will host both the Mountain Bike Cross Country and the Mountain Bike Cross Country Marathon events betwenn 6th and 12th August. Glentress Forest is legendary amongst mountain bikers for its technical climbs and fast, flowing descents.

Fort William’s Nevis Range is host to the Mountain Bike Downhill events where riders take on jumps, bumps, berms and rock gardens against the clock at white-knuckle speeds of up to 80km/h. The events are held between the 3rd-5th August.

Dumfries and Galloway will host the para-cycling road championships between the 9th and 13th of August, where the World’s top paracycling riders pit themselves in the time trials and the mixed relay races.

Eleven events make up the track championships, held at the Chris Hoy Velodrome between 3rd-9th August, where cyclists reach breakneck speeds and offer up some of the most thrilling races of the championships.

You can find the full schedule of events here.

Book your tickets for UCI World Championship here.

Our Glasgow and Fort William services will take you right to the heart of your destination and allow you a whole day to take in the events, so make sure to book with us now to make the most of the UCI World Cycling Championships.

Franchise Update

Posted on March 2, 2023March 2, 2023 by Mark Johnson

Today is has been announced that the Scottish Government have decided to appoint a public body to manage and operate Caledonian Sleeper, known as Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH).

This follows the announcement on 5 October 2022 of the Scottish Government’s decision to terminate Serco’s Franchise Agreement on 25 June 2023.

Over the coming months Serco will work closely with the Scottish Government to ensure a smooth and successful transition of the ongoing operations and management of Caledonian Sleeper to the new public body operator.

Caledonian Sleeper’s services will continue to operate as normal, and Guests will be able to experience the excellent service that our dedicated onboard teams are recognised for delivering.

If you have booked to travel with us or are thinking of travelling with us before or after the 25^thJune there will be no impact to your booking or our service.

FAQs

Will my booking be affected by this announcement?

No. There will be no impact to your booking. The Caledonian Sleeper services continue as normal regardless of the operator

Is my ticket still valid after the 25^{th of} June?

Yes, absolutely. The Caledonian Sleeper service continues as normal regardless of the operator.

Does the same cancellation policy remain after 25^th June?

There will be no change to the cancellation policy.

Will your current staff remain?

Our staff are protected by TUPE regulations and will transfer across to the new public operator effective 25th June.

Is this the end of Caledonian Sleeper?

No. Caledonian Sleeper services will continue as normal. The only difference will be that it is governed, managed and operated by a public operator (Scottish Rail Holdings) instead of Serco.

Will there be any change to pricing?

No. Our ticket prices remain the same.

If your prices are reduced, will I get a refund?

There are no plans to change our ticket prices.

Will you be reintroducing bargain berths?

No. There are no plans to change our current product offering.

Will the ban on alcohol currently in place on Scotrail services apply to the Sleeper service?

Our onboard offering includes the option of selected alcoholic beverages. There will be no change to this part of our service offering.

Win a trip to find Nessie!

Posted on February 14, 2023February 14, 2023 by Mark Johnson

We have partnered with Visit Inverness Loch Ness to offer you the chance to win a fantastic family city break to the stunning landscapes of the Highlands to find the Loch Ness monster!

Travelling by Caledonian Sleeper, the lucky winner will be based in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, for two nights with a full itinerary of fantastic experiences and activities, including a trip to catch a glimpse of the famous Loch Ness monster, Nessie.