 I've used it to get up to Inverness once. I enjoyed the experience but some of the others I was travelling with had real dificulty sleeping in a moving vehicle. It was far more pleasent than return journey taken on a daytime train. One of the other reasons for the timetabling is to allow some extra time for overnightengineering leading to diversions and speed restrictions without endlessly changing the timetables.
You should never bed down on a sleeper train without swallowing a sleeping draft first. 
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 I'm with geekinthesticks.....
I just can't help but feel its really sad. I've a number of times tried to use the sleeper but the prices have just been outrageous/extortionate etc.
BUT on the other hand someone must be paying up!
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Out of interest I just checked the prices for 2 adults (it won't let me do children on line), for a mid week trip in Feb. Cost for return with rail card was £262.30. I think children travel for 50% of adult fare, so for three children that's an extra £197, so total is around £459. Going in the pickup would use around 100 litres of diesel, allowing for about an extra 100 miles driving round. So total cost for 5 of £140. No wonder people don't go by train. So one adult by train at £131.15 is cheaper than your pickup!
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Use the Bargain Berths - I've bought tickets at £29 one way - I don't think I managed to find the £19 fares yet. If travelling with family, use a Family Rail Card - brings the prices down to not so painful. I don't think it is really viable unless you are travelling to/from Scotland/London - even Dundee or Perth, not being termini, mean a late boarding to London (c11pm) and an early arrival from (6:30ish), though they do suggest routing you with a change in Edinburgh - that works well if, for instance, you want to come straight home from the theatre (saving on a hotel night, factored into the cost comparison, it balances things a bit).
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I am pretty sure I tried Bargain Berths when I first wanted to book a couple of years ago. However, the bargains seemed very infrequent and as far as I can remember you can't book children using this method, unless you pretend they are adults. The price I quoted was using a Family Railcard.
In reply to padro: the whole point was that there would be five of us travelling, so it was way more expensive.
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| Edited: 24/12/11 18:25 |
I was responding to your statement No wonder people don't go by train. For a single person train travel is often cheaper than car.
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I've only travelled four times by sleeper, thrice in the 60s when it cost me nowt (RN) and once in 2008 when it cost me £104 return. The only downside of the latter was that we had the company of Aneka Rice and her travelling companion who had her puppy with her...there and back! How unlucky can you get? 
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Thinking about it, after a few festive drinks, £250 return for a family of five (compared to £140 by car), wouldn't be unreasonable. You get 2 nights accommodation and breakfasts, plus not having to drive 8hrs each way. However, £450 is way too expensive.
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Breakfast is a bit of a stretch to describe the shite you get.
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 Breakfast is a bit of a stretch to describe the shite you get. I wouldn't describe it such, although I'll agree it's not 'breakfast'. 
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 Went to the Gorms in August (it was soooo hot, even at night), the Air Con wasn't working, so the man (who seemed to be) in charge explained it was OK, he'll simply open the window at the front of the carriage. I was lucky enough to be moved to the seat facing the window as it was empty and I had a horrible backward facing one with less legroom than bird cage. It was nice for me as the wind raced in a cooled me down so much I was all layered up, I just whacked in my ear plugs to drown out the noise (and the old man opposite me who seemed dedicated to talking to me all night) and I was set... The whole situation was a bit daft really, as I had paid £135 for a return ticket (booked wayyyyy in advance) I wasn't too bothered. But for the poor souls that paid on the day; value for money i think not! They don't need to upgrade it, but rather make it work in the first place, as it would do a great job if it did! and ohhh my head and belly hurt on boxing day...... 
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 I've used it and it's great, but it really annoys me that although it stops at Crewe and Preston on the way, the Bargain Berth fares are not available for those stations. Why???
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| Edited: 28/12/11 18:23 |
 I use it, I think it's great. Business and pleasure trips, particularly for work where it saves me half a day of travelling and makes me less tired than flying.
I'm really pleased to see the upgrade funding come through as this might enable them to improve it enough to make the service viable in its own right, at present I think the subsidy is about 17k per train per day! The rolling stock is pretty old and better ventilation would help a lot.
I'm confused by the number of people who think its extortionate; this usually seems to involve comparing the full cost of the sleeper with the marginal (fuel) cost of driving. Real motoring costs tend to be north of 40p per mile even for the cheapest of cars ( see http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/advice/advice_rcosts_petrol_table.jsp) which on a 900 mile round trip (london to fort bill) implies close to £400 to drive, a very similar price to the sleeper, but without the opportunity to sleep, read the paper and drink beer.
I'm taking the family on it in feb, 2 adults 2 kids on normal (not bargain berth) tickets is 410 return.
Ps children are more like 10 percent of adult fare, not half. It's cheaper to take a child than to pay the additional supplement for sole occupancy!
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and is there any comeback if the child fails to turn up ?
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and where can you get one? borrow a friends? hire one for the day? 
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