AS REGULAR readers of this column will know, there’s nothing quite like the Caledonian Sleeper. Since my first proper trip north of the border as a kid, I’ve been a fan. I’ve done all five routes — the Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William portions which make up the Highlander, and the Glasgow and Edinburgh carriages which divide at Carstairs after a later departure from London Euston. From the random conversations in the lounge car, to the wealth of literary invocations that overnight trains conjure, even regular trips can’t help me shake off a sense of adventure.

The sleeper has been in the headlines of late — initially in what could only be considered a PR’s wet dream. The introduction of shiny new carriages has allowed for a thousand and one puff pieces to grace Britain’s national media, with the promise of a new golden age of travel.

The transition to the new sleeper started badly for me, with the advent last summer of a new pricing structure. The abolition of shared compartments meant the cheapest berth almost doubled in price. The overnight train could no longer be my default mode of transport between my home in Glasgow and my old London haunts. But could its new status in my life as a rarity to savour send it even further in my estimation?