Up to Fort William on the Caledonian Sleeper.

I had taken the sleeper once before, up to Inverness. This time, I opted for Fort William, considered (so I’ve now been told) to be the rainiest town in the UK. But also beautiful.

The sleeper train has undergone some major improvements since the the last time. For one thing, they now have a dedicated lounge at Euston, with snacks, drinks, food for purchase and hot showers.

The lounge was small, but spotlessly clean, comfortable and friendly. After traipsing around London all day, I was very happy to have the option of a hot shower before boarding the train. The attendant gave me a huge fluffy towel and there was soap, shampoo and body lotion provided. And they had an accessible shower with extra room and safety bars for balance-challenged individuals like me. I took my time!

After I was presentably clean and in my traveling clothes, I had a glass of wine and ordered a ham and cheese toastie and a bowl of soup. I also swiped some complementary cookies for the journey. Then they called my train car and I boarded. I had upgraded myself to a “club” room which had an attached bathroom. The room was tiny, but had a surprisingly large sink, and all toiletries and etc were provided.

There were also two bars of excellent Scottish chocolate on the beds. Since I was the only occupant, I took both of them! (Yes, it was milk chocolate…but it was really good!)

“Club” tickets meant you got admission to the on-board “club car” and I took myself up there and had a lovely glass of Scotch whisky, while I watched the scenery until it got too dark.

I returned to my cabin and settled in for the night. The train had WiFi, so I caught up with the news and my email and then fell asleep to the rhythm of the train. I woke up around 3:00am, when they were switching engines and splitting the train. The next time I woke up, it was 8:00am! I had overslept my breakfast time! Luckily, they still served me!

Soon the train was pulling into Fort William. As predicted, it was raining. I had originally planned to walk to my little guesthouse, but I wasn’t sure of the way and had forgotten my rain poncho. 🙄 So I grabbed a taxi.

The “Distillery Guest House” turned out to be less than half a mile from the train station. And even though I was three hours early for check-in, my room was ready and I could get myself settled.

I had booked their one “single” – a tiny, but cozy room on the first floor. There was a modern bathroom, plenty of outlets for charging devices, a reading light and a mini coffee/tea bar with a kettle.

I decided to have a cup of tea, a brief nap, and then go explore. And buy a rain poncho!

Let me tell you that I love you and I think about you all the time
Caledonia you’re callin’ me and now I’m going home
And if I should become a stranger
You know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia you’re everything I’ve ever had