The Caledonian Sleeper is an overnight sleeper train that connects Scotland to London. They have quite an extensive list of destinations in Scotland but today I was going from Glasgow to London Euston. With boarding starting at 10pm, departure at 11:40pm and arrival at 07:07am, this isn’t a quick journey. The alternative flight with easyJet, is only 1 hour long. And on top of this Caledonian Sleeper review I’ve also reviewed the easyJet flight I took from London to Glasgow here. But at the expense of speed you get a comfy bed and full night’s sleep.

Usually there would be a proper first class lounge for Caledonian Sleeper passengers who have booked club or double rooms. However, due to strikes it was closed so instead we waited in a small waiting area. This was mildly annoying but not really an issue, especially as, unlike at airports, you’re shouldn’t have to wait around for too long. You can just wait in a pub in central Glasgow or something.

Both the Club and Caledonian Double rooms include a private en-suite toilet and shower. Whilst the Classic and seated areas have shared toilets. This is a great feature and instantly wins points over the crowded toilets you’ll find on a plane. That being said, London to Glasgow is such a short flight anyway that your unlikely to need the toilet so it’s not really a fair comparison.

The toilet was great, but the shower’s design is significantly flawed. First, the water pressure is terrible, understandable on a train but still annoying. Most annoyingly however, the folding bench which covers the toilet when showering isn’t fully water proof meaning the toilet seat got soaked after showering. Not to mention a pool of water forming on the floor and taking a few hours to fully dry.

The Club room on the Caledonian Sleeper is essentially the standard sleeper room. Both the Classic and Club room share the same bunk bed and sink layout. However, the Club room has an en-suite toilet/shower whilst in the classic room this is shared.

The bunk bed is actually surprisingly spacious but a bit hard. Fine for an overnight train, but not comparable to a proper bed. The room itself feels very cramped and if you’re on the top bunk it can be pretty hard to maneuvre. For full details of the features check out my video review linked above. Every room has a large window too, but being an overnight train there was not much to see.

Finally, included in every room you’ll get some Scottish Mackie’s chocolate, bottled water, a wash kit, sleep kit, breakfast menu and room service menu. There’s also a bag filled with extra towels and toilet paper.

The double bed is comfy enough for a train but still much harder than a hotel bed. If you’ve ever flown Cathay Pacific business class, it’s similar to the mattress topper they use on their lay flat seats. The pillows were worse though. Not very soft and lumpy. I’ve flown business flights with much better pillowsPersonally, I would much prefer an uncomfortable 1 hour flight if it meant I could get home to my own bed quicker.

We booked breakfast for 6:30am, thinking we would have plenty of time before arriving in London. However, the train actually arrived 45 minutes early so we pulled into the station just after sitting down for breakfast. Annoyingly this meant we had to wait for our food to arrive before we could leave. But, despite the wait, the food was good. Portion sizes were on the small side though. I had salmon fritatta with hollandaise sauce. Coffee and orange juice to drink. You can find a list of all the Caledonian Sleeper menus here.

This was my first sleeper train journey so there was a certain novelty to it. However, in the future I will be flying instead. It’s just far more convenient being able to hop on a 1 hour flight than a 7 hour train. Even considering travel to/from the airport the flight is still twice as fast and much cheaper.

That being said, I do like to see a train like this exist in the UK and hope it is successful in the future. I think a day time trip through the highlands on this train would be epic.