Taking The Sleeper Train From London To Cornwall – Is It Worth It?

Last Updated on 15th July 2025

As many of you will know, I’ve been visiting one of my favourite places in the UK – Perranporth – every year since I was about 8 years old. It holds a special place in my heart.

What doesn’t hold a special place in my heart, however, is the A30 and M5 traffic.

After taking two trips down to Perranporth last year, both – either incoming or returning – ended up by long, 7-hour traffic-filled journeys. Which is pretty shit.

So this year I decided to take a look at the sleeper train option from London to Cornwall. A friend of mine was in Truro for work, so I could get a lift back, so a one-way, single journey was an ideal opportunity to test out the GWR Night Riviera service from London Paddington to Truro.

TLDR; The sleeper train is a great option…if you can sleep anywhere. It allows you to travel overnight between London and Cornwall (Truro in my case), and is pretty reasonable in terms of price and service. Oh, and I tried it with a dog, because the Night Riviera service allows dogs. My TikTok video sums the journey up nicely.

Booking Your Ticket

Important bit – when booking your sleeper train ticket, it’s not entirely obvious that your train journey ticket is separate to your cabin / bed ticket. My single ticket ended up being £210 – that was £90 for my single journey from London to Truro, AND £120 for the single cabin. When booking with GWR, it’s not particularly obvious your sleeper cabin is not included until you add…so watch out for that one.

Also if you’re planning to take a dog, note that they will charge you a £30 fee for cleaning the cabin (payable on the train by card or cash).

The Night Riviera sleeper train currently runs 6 days a week (except Saturdays), giving you ideal flexibility.

What’s Included?

If you book a cabin, then you get a very comfy single bed, as well as a breakfast option in the morning. I opted for a sausage bap, coffee and orange juice.

There are various hooks and charging points in your cabin room, as well as various lighting options, a sink and space under your bed for a dog.

You also get 2 free bottles of water (in the wardrobe), and there is also a room service bell where you can ring for snacks and drinks throughout the journey.

You also get access to the First Class lounge at Paddington Station (sadly this was closed for me due to a flood), as well as the use of showers in the lounge at your destination, allowing you to freshen up in the morning. All this is communicated to you by the friendly on-board team.

You can usually get access to the sleeper train around 1 hour before departure. As the lounge was closed, I headed to the train and me and Pip (the dog) dropped my bags in the room then headed to the on-board lounge for a beer and packet of crisps (payable at the bar).

How Does It Work With A Dog?

Firstly, let me point out that I trust my dog and her bladder 100%. I know how long she can go without a wee. If you don’t trust your dog 100%, don’t take them 🙂

I travelled into London Euston station, and used the little bit of grass out the front of the station for a quick wee stop.

I then got the bus to Paddington (quickest, easiest route with a large bag and a dog and takes 15 minutes). Shortly before boarding the train, I headed towards the Grand Union Canal exit of Paddington Station. Here you can walk a long the well lit bars and restaurants, cross the footbridge, and then there is a small, tree lined grassy area where we made wee stop number too. This was at around 11:00pm.

Pip and I then boarded the train at around 11:15pm, and she was brilliant. Slept nicely under the bed all night! Although it says on the website dogs aren’t allowed in the on-board lounge, the on-board team said she was more than welcome, and became the centre of attention!

Upon arrival into Truro the first task was to hit the patch of grass just to the left (East) of the station for a morning wee stop.

I then got the 1 hour bus to Perranporth, and again, upon arrival headed straight to the beach where it was wee stop number 4 (and a nice beach poo on this occassion!).

So overall, it worked out pretty seamlessly!

If you book a cabin, then you get a very comfy single bed, as well as a breakfast option in the morning. I opted for a sausage bap, coffee and orange juice.

The Night Riviera sleeper train on-board lounge

Did You Actually Sleep?

In short, yes! But I can sleep anywhere really. Once the train gets moving (my train departed Paddington at 11:45pm) it takes a little while to get used to the sway of the carriage and the various train noises, but I soon got used to it and fell asleep. It was nice to walk up before Truro feeling pretty refreshed!

There is a lot of shunting and stopping a long the journey though, so if you are a light sleeper I’d recommend some noise cancelling earphones for the journey, just to take the edge off.

What Happens On Arrival?

Your breakfast order is taken the night before, and usually the train staff will give you a knock around 1 hour before your arrival time. This is to serve you breakfast, but also give you time to wake up, freshen up (and enjoy the views out of the window!).

When boarding you are also given the option of using a shower at Truro / Penzance. If so, you then book this with the cabin manager. Complimentary towels are also provided. However, showering and leaving the dog in the lounge was a bit of a risk for me, so I didn’t take the shower option.

You can take your bag and belongings into the lounge to get a better view of the surrounding Cornish countryside, and then hop off the train as you normally would.

In Summary

With a dog, obviously the easier option is to drive and stop when you want. That said, I found the journey and experience pretty seamless and a lovely experience. If you live in or around London, the sleeper train is a great option to get to Cornwall.

The only issue I found was that in my apartment later in the day I found I had a swaying motion like I’d spent a few days on a boat! Nothing that a beach walk and a pint of Rattler couldn’t fix 🙂

Find out more about the GWR Night Riviera sleeper train service here.