Scotland: The West
and the Highlands

The Royal Scotsman leaves Edinburgh Waverley in the early afternoon and heads west towards Ayrshire. Afternoon tea is served as the city gives way to open countryside, and you have the rest of the day to settle in and get to know your fellow passengers. Dinner is served on board and the train spends its first night at Kilmarnock.

The train makes for Wemyss Bay on the Firth of Clyde, where a short ferry crossing takes you to the Isle of Bute and Mount Stuart, the extraordinary Victorian Gothic mansion created for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. Afternoon tea is served in the Drawing Room before you explore the house, with its striking interiors and fine art collection, and the gardens, including the Lime Tree Avenue.

Back on the mainland the train heads north into the Highlands, passing Gare Loch, Loch Long and Loch Lomond on the West Highland Line. Dinner is served on board on the way to the small village of Bridge of Orchy, where the train stops for the night.

This morning the train crosses the wild, open expanse of Rannoch Moor on its way to Fort William, with Ben Nevis rising above the town. From here the line follows Loch Eil and crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct on its way to Arisaig, where you can stroll along the Silver Sands of Morar and look across the Sound of Sleat to the Isle of Skye and the Cuillin mountains.

There is also a choice between a guided visit to historic Glenfinnan, where local stories bring Scotland's Jacobite past to life, or, weather permitting, a guided hike through Nevis Gorge to Steall Waterfall. Lunch and dinner are served on board, and the train spends the night at Spean Bridge.

The train heads south across Rannoch Moor, past Crianlarich and down through Glen Falloch and along Loch Lomond, before continuing to Edinburgh. Here you can join a guided tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia at Leith, taking in the State Apartments, the Crew's Quarters, the Engine Room and the Bridge, or spend the time exploring the city.

Later the train crosses the Forth and travels through Fife and over the Tay Bridge to Dundee, where it stays for the night. Dinner is served on board, followed by music in the Observation Car.

The train follows the Aberdeenshire coast north, with an optional visit to Strathisla Distillery at Keith, founded in 1786 and the spiritual home of Chivas Regal. From there it travels west through Inverness and south into the Cairngorms.

At the Rothiemurchus Estate in the Cairngorms National Park, food writer Ghillie Basan and her son Zeki share their knowledge of Scottish wildlife, Highland traditions and local food, with fishing, clay pigeon shooting, a guided hike or a foraging walk to choose from. The final night is spent at Boat of Garten on the heritage Strathspey Railway, with dinner and live entertainment on board.

An early start allows a leisurely final breakfast as the train runs south past Aviemore and through Perthshire to Edinburgh Waverley, where your journey comes to an end. The Train Manager will be happy to help with onward transport or a hotel in Edinburgh if you need it.

This is an indicative itinerary based on the reverse of the Highlands and the West route. Belmond has not yet published a day by day programme or departures for this direction, and the final itinerary may differ.