A Little Something Extra

With time ticking down until this trip of mine, I'm just getting a few more things in order. One of those things was rearranging my sleeper train plans. No, I'm not cancelling (perish the thought!); I'm upgrading! Since I ended up going with the First Class Britrail Pass instead of the Standard Class I had originally intended to buy, I'm entitled to a better berth.

From The Man in Seat 61,
an excellent website about train travel
found at www.seat61.com

So, what's the difference? Well, as you can see in the picture, the most obvious difference is that First Class cabins have only one bed instead of bunk beds. I like the extra headroom, to be sure, but I'm not really certain of where I'm going to put my suitcase now! I was planning to use the extra bed. Another difference is that First Class passengers get a complimentary breakfast in the morning, as well as a complimentary pack of toiletries and something called a "sleep kit" (not exactly sure what that is--guess I'll find out soon enough!), which is a nice little touch. First Class passengers are entitled to use the First Class Lounge to sit and eat, while Standard Class cabin passengers might have to eat in their cabins if the lounge is occupied (people who spend the night in reclining seats can't use the lounge at all and must use a separate buffet service). Fun fact: the Sleeper is the only train in England with real leather couches! Finally, First Class cabins are also air-conditioned and each cabin has its own climate controls, though I doubt I'll have to use them to keep cool, considering the average temperature in the UK around the time of my trip is 15 degrees Celsius (60F) or so.

I'm still a little nervous about having to pick up my ticket in London rather than just having it in my bag when I get on the plane to go to the UK, but that's just the way it works for overseas travellers. I'm sure it'll go fine, but it would be nice to just have the physical ticket and know that everything's in order before I get to London. Still, I'm excited about this train ride, and it'll be even nicer and more comfortable now that I've got a nicer cabin to stay in! To keep the excitement alive, here's another favourite video of mine. It shows a lot of the visible (as in, not in total darkness) journey from Edinburgh (not London, unfortunately) to Fort William and some beautiful scenery. Skip towards the end in order to see the beauty of Scotland! My favourite bit starts at 35:00.