Caledonian Sleeper Train Accessible Review

When you think of travelling between London and Scotland Flying is a pretty sure bet, as a disabled traveller I’ve done this hundreds of times as both a wheelchair user and a guide dog owner but if you want a hassle-free and luxurious way to travel in style from London to Scotland then the Caledonian sleeper train has got you covered.

The Caledonian Sleeper train is a sleeper train which runs from London Euston to various Scottish destinations six nights a week, trains do not run on Saturdays. There are 2 services from London: the Lowlander which serves Edinburgh and Glasgow including stations; Carlisle, Carstairs and Motherwell, as well as the Highlander which splits into 3 separate services at Edinburgh: terminating at Inverness, Fort William, and Aberdeen.

With the Caledonian sleeper train having an upgrade in 2019 I was keen to check out the decor and facilities as a disabled traveller. I travelled from London Euston to Inverness.

London Euston station and facilities

London Euston has step-free access, induction loops and audio and visual guides. Accessible bathrooms (including changing places toilets) and staff were on hand to assist me on the outbound journey. Passenger assistance meeting point.

There is an external help point at the taxi rank staffed from 7 am to 11 pm with an Internal – dedicated assistance reception on the main concourse from 7 am to 11 pm.

Inverness Caledonian sleeper train station and facilities.

Inverness has step-free access, induction loops and audio and visual guides. Accessible bathrooms (including showers) and staff were on hand to assist me for the return leg of the journey. Although I didn’t personally use it at the time, there is an RNIB REACT Guidance system in operation which is an audible direction system for visually impaired customers wanting to know the timetable and platform for the upcoming Caledonian sleeper train. If a subscription is purchased, you can get turn by turn points and sound beacons to guide you to the guest services or platform.

Book your Caledonian Sleeper Train tickets here:

Lounge access.

Customers travelling in the Club Rooms: the Caledonian Double and the accessible cabins can access the station lounges. At London Euston, this is the Virgin Trains lounge on the first floor at Euston station. It is a very spacious lounge with access to a bar where you can purchase alcoholic drinks. Complimentary snacks, hot and soft Drinks and in lounge WiFi is available. The lounge has a standard disabled toilet with a shower.

Inverness Caledonian sleeper train lounge is located outside the station, on the corner across the road from the main station entrance.  You can use it from 1½ hours before your sleeper leaves, or on arrival in Inverness for up to an hour after your sleeper arrives. Complimentary hot and cold drinks, Wi-Fi and guest services are available with accessible bathrooms.  

You can board up to 45 minutes before departure and prices start from £99 per person with a Railcard, booking in advance and fixed tickets can definitely reduce the price.

Caledonian Sleeper Train Experience

Outbound journey London Euston to Inverness double accessible room.

The accessible room is accessed by sliding electric doors and a key card, upon entering the room I could tell it was extremely spacious giving ample turning circle space for wheelchair users, and lots of legroom for Ida!

On the bed, there was a protector cover allowing you to place your suitcase and unpack without getting the bed dirty, with ample space under the bed to tuck your luggage aweigh. There was a goodie bag included for guests, an eye mask, earplugs, pillow spray, shampoo conditioner and body cream along with a bottle of water. These were lovely touches especially if you were only carrying travel-sized items.

Menus and safety instructions were included and you can request large print, access the menus and safety guides online or alternatively ask a member of staff to read them to you. Above the headboard is a call bell, reading lights, USB plugs and thermostat controls.

I personally think they should be lower down for those with limited upper-body mobility, from a blind person’s perspective when I knew where they were it was easy enough to find. I did notice that there were no grab rails for ceiling track hoists, so unless a disabled person can self-transfer without support the accessible room maybe isn’t as accessible to all.

There is also a secondary call Bell situated by the door if you do need to request assistance.

The accessible bathroom is outside of the bedroom situated to the left, I would’ve preferred the accessible rooms to have ensuites particularly as Ida being the escape artist she is, shot off down the corridor every time I opened the doors! An outstanding feature of the accessible toilet which I’ve not seen before is the assist function button: allowing discrete access for A PA to support the disabled person in the toilet, and enter and exit without needing to open the door fully. This is not only a great addition to the sleeper train but I think would be wonderful for all accessible bathrooms.

I slept incredibly well in the double bed and the Caledonian sleeper train was a lot quieter than I anticipated so I was pleasantly surprised by that. At 4 o’clock in the morning, I had a slight panic to myself wondering if Ida needed the bathroom as our room was particularly warm, she had drank a lot of water to hydrate herself and we weren’t pulling in until 08:40 to Inverness. We were coupling at Edinburgh and I asked the staff if there was any possibility I could take her onto the platform to go to the toilet, they were truly fantastic and supported me perfectly, guiding me off the train safely and getting me back to my room in one piece.

At breakfast I opted for A bacon roll and cup of tea which also came with a banana muffin; served in my room, not only was the food delicious but the service was excellent. They were extremely prompt and helped me with the little touches like clearing the desk and unfolding it for me, making my cup of tea and adding my brown sauce to my bacon roll. I really appreciated the small gestures because although doing it independently wouldn’t have been an issue, it took away any stress I may have had trying to do this on a moving train.

Inverness to London Euston Club Room Caledonian Sleeper Train

Unfortunately luck was not on my side on the return journey. The torrential rain caused flooding across the Highlands meaning that we had to get a bus transferred down to sterling. The staff were great at escorting me off the bus and onto the sleeper train which eased any anxiety I may have had in getting to the train at an unknown station. Due to a mixup on the system, I was not given the double room on the return journey, instead of being put in the club room, I was offered to travel the following evening in the accessible double but I had to decline due to work commitments.

We boarded the train in sterling at midnight, the sliding electric door was broken meaning I had to manually open them, A tough feat for my weak little arms! The staff were excellent, very apologetic about the doors and told me to use the call bell if I wanted them to open the door or needed anything else. Although not a shy person I felt a bit strange using the call button to get them to manually open the door so I just feebly struggled instead. The joys of being a nighttime toilet user.

The biggest drawback to the accessible twin club room was having no access to the club cart if you are a wheelchair user. Given that the Caledonian sleeper train was refurbished in 2019, access requirements should have been at the forefront of making the club cart accessible from all ends of the train.

I slept incredibly well on the journey home and opted for the full Highland breakfast in the club cart. The service once again was fantastic and the food was incredible. I’m sure if I could see I would very much have appreciated the splendour of the scenery, decor and presentation of the food but not being able to see doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the journey and the interaction with the staff, who could not have been more helpful or engaging.

There’s nothing quite like going to sleep in one destination and waking fully rested to a yummy breakfast in another, ready to explore and see where the adventure takes you. Whether it’s a business trip or a touch of luxury you are looking for travelling from London to Scotland on the Caledonian sleeper train is an absolute must and I would definitely recommend giving it a go for yourself.

You can travel with pet dogs on the Caledonian sleeper train, a £30 cleaning charge each way is applied. Guide Dogs are not subject to the cleaning fee, and if rooms are available you can even be upgraded free of charge to a standard room to give you and your assistance dog more space. Bikes can also be taken and stored on the Caledonian sleeper train, you do need to enquire beforehand to make sure there is space available to store them in the bike rack.

What did you think of this Caledonian sleeper train review? Leave your comments below and check out the YouTube video for a blind girl audio described tour!

*This post is in collaboration with Caledonian sleeper trains but all thoughts and opinions are my own.