Weaver Junction (en route from Euston) – Inverness – Kyle of Lochalsh – Inverness

I didn’t sleep very well. For all the room looked the part, the bed and particularly the pillows were very hard. I did get some rest but woke up quite often, sometimes when we were moving and sometimes not. I looked out of the window at Preston and again at Edinburgh where the shunting process as the train splits into three was quite convoluted.

I’d set my alarm to 7am, as the last breakfast call was 7:30. It was still pitch dark outside but my GPS told me that we had just left Dalwhinnie, so were just about in the Highlands.

Showering on a train is an odd experience. The en-suite is a small space but very well thought out. A lid closes away the toilet and the shower head is above it, but directed into the standing area. The water flow is light, and it wasn’t terribly hot, but it did the job. I was glad that I chose a time when we were on the move fairly smoothly. I found myself wondering whether the water is collected in a grey tank or dropped onto the tracks. Unlike the sleeper in Italy a couple of weeks ago, the toilet certainly goes to a holding tank!

Like last night, the dining room was very quiet. Strange when I knew that the service was sold out. Maybe other people had chosen to eat earlier on. I was brought a glass of orange juice and a mug of tea, then the “Scottish cooked breakfast” that I’d ordered the night before.

First reaction – I wonder how they do those eggs? Never seen one that shape before! I’d describe the breakfast overall as adequate, but not more than that. It would have been nice to have had something fresh on the plate alongside half a dozen fried items, but maybe that is what Scottish food is best known for these days!

As I walked back to my room I got the first hint of daylight in the east over the Cairngorms. So close to midwinter it gets light very late here; I’d forgotten.

I packed my bags, and was ready to go before we pulled into Inverness, a few minutes early. On the adjacent platform the morning HST to Glasgow was about to leave.

I’d arranged to drop my big bag at my hotel, which adjoins the station, to avoid the need to carry it with me for the day. There was no-one else at the counter, and with two staff on hand, I was in and out in a couple of minutes.

Back at the station I bought a return ticket to Kyle of Lochalsh, in the ticket office (use them or lose them!) The train was due to leave shortly so I found myself a seat and settled down.

I immediately noticed how filthy the windows were. I really don’t think it is too much to ask for the train to be clean, is it? On such a grey morning with a touch of rain in the air, I struggled to see much of the lovely run along the Beauly Firth.

The line runs through a couple of small towns then at Dingwall the Far North line heads up the Cromarty Firth towards Tain, and we turn inland to head for the west coast.

I know this area reasonably well and the scenery is lovely though on an increasingly wet morning it was all but impossible to get photographs. Fortunately became a bit brighter as we approached the west coast. One of these days I’ll explore the area around Loch Carron and Plockton, which I haven’t visited, but today I was pressing on to Kyle.

It’s a lovely terminus. The station stands on a man-made peninsula where cargoes from Skye and the Outer Hebrides were loaded directly onto railway wagons. from the ships that moored alongside. Today any cargoes go into lorries and barring the very occasional charter, all the trains are two-car stopping services like the one I’d arrived on.

It was good to see that the visitor centre was open. It had been closed when I previously visited a couple of years ago. They now open up as the morning train arrives from Inverness and close after the mid-afternoon one departs.

I spent quite some time looking around. It tells the story not only of the railway but also of the bridge which replaced the ferry to Skye, almost exactly 30 years ago. I’d forgotten about the uproar that was caused when the bridge (which initially had what was reputedly the most expensive road bridge toll in Europe) had opened, with the ferry service closing the same day. This BBC article summarises that near decade-long campaign of civil disobedience.

With the weather having brightened up I decided that it would be fun to walk to the bridge. I’ve passed over it several times, but never stopped for a look. It’s a little under a mile and a half from the station and I had plenty of time.

I really should have predicted what happened next. As I was crossing the smaller bridge before the main one, it started to drizzle. I put on my hat, zipped up my fleece and pressed on. I wasn’t going to give up when it was just a few minutes away. As I reached the highest point, the drizzle turned to a mix of torrential rain and hail. The views still made it worthwhile though. I just hope no water got into my camera phone!

By the time I had come down from the bridge, the rain was flooding from the road onto the pavement. I walked along the edge of the road back into Kyle.

By the time I got to the Co-op to pick up some lunch I was a drowned rat. The hat and fleece had helped but my trousers and shoes were saturated. I made my way back to the station, where there was a small heater in the waiting room. By the time the train arrived my top half was pretty much dry again.

The windows on this train weren’t as filthy as the one I’d arrived on so I managed to get a few decent shots as we made our way out of Kyle.

In light of the my earlier experience, I was particularly amused by a conversation between the train manager and two passengers in the next bay to me, as we passed beside Loch Carron. She’d been helping them solve an online ticketing problem when suddenly she pointed out of the window and said, “Look, a rainbow. You’re very lucky to see that, it almost never rains up here!” Hmm…

It was dark by the time we reached Inverness. I checked in, collected my bag and went for a soak in the (huge) bath. I hung up my wet clothes and shoes to dry and headed out for a look at Inverness. I learned some time ago that you should always take an extra change of clothes and footwear on a trip of any duration, and that advice paid off in this moment.

I’ve been In Inverness in winter before and always loved the way they decorate the river through the town. I was therefore a little sad that there were no lights on the footbridge this time, which had been a specific highlight when I was here before.

By way of contrast, this shot was taken during a visit in November 2019

A favourite stopping off point in Inverness is the Black Isle Bar. I first came in here some years ago, and have returned on pretty much every visit to Inverness since then. They produce organic beers a few miles away and all their pizza ingredients are sourced locally. Everything is done with care and attention and it really shows.

What they don’t do is deserts, but a few doors down the same road is a very highly rated ice cream shop. Yes it may be December, but who cares?

I had some work to do, so back at the hotel I collected my laptop and settled down in a very comfortable chair downstairs. I had the feeling of being watched from above as I worked! The staircase in this hotel reputedly inspired the staircase in the Titanic, and you can see why.

I turned in relatively early by my standards, but it had been a long day.

The Caledonian Sleeper

An early night gave me the chance to reflect on this. Overall, it had been an OK rather than the fabulous experience I’d hoped for. Was it the best sleeper I’ve used so far? Undoubtedly, but they set a very high bar in their own marketing.

There are lots of positives – the welcome lounge is a good way to start, especially given the misery that is the Euston concourse. The train is spotlessly clean, inside and out, and the staff were excellent. Most of the sleepers I’ve been on before were the poor relation of the day stock. This was the opposite. Yes there were details that could have been attended to (part of the shower head holder was damaged, as was the door frame into the en-suite) but they were insignificant and didn’t affect my experience.

The journey timings going northbound are excellent, though I’d have no great desire to do it southbound and be turfed out at Euston very early in the morning (and 5am in Crewe is just not happening!) I suppose it suits those coming to London for work meetings though.

I’d certainly be tempted to do it again, in summer so I can enjoy the view as we travel, and I’d go to Fort William, which has a very civilised 10am arrival time. Indeed I would have done that this time but for the fact that I’ll be staying there in 3 weeks time.

On a different day it would have been more sociable in the club car, but that is luck of the draw. I’d certainly like them to work on the menu. Both evening and morning experiences were less than I could reasonably have hoped for. As we have learned from the wonderful Midland Pullman, attention to small (and not necessarily costly) details are what elevate a decent experience to a memorable one. For example, some toast with the breakfast would certainly have been appreciated. A second cuppa would have been nice as well, but it wasn’t offered.

I may be wrong but thought the bed was narrow compared to other sleepers I’ve used. In a perfect world I’d take one of the double bed rooms for a comfortable night (though I might want to bring my own pillow!) I really can’t justify the cost though. Looking at a randomly selected date well into the future (my birthday next year) the double room is £475 for single occupancy. I’d paid £200 for my single club room, on offer so I guess they might come down by a third, but even so, it’s a lot of money.