Scotland: Highlands
and the West

Your journey begins at Edinburgh Waverley, where the Royal Scotsman is waiting with its elegant Edwardian interiors and contemporary Scottish touches. The train pulls away in the early afternoon and afternoon tea is served as you head north through Perthshire, with the farmland slowly giving way to the hills and glens of the Highlands.

Beyond Aviemore the Cairngorms fill the windows, and the train comes to rest for the night at Boat of Garten, a quiet village on the heritage Strathspey Railway. Dinner celebrates the best of Scotland's seasonal produce, and afterwards there is live entertainment in the Observation Car, with a local dram to toast the start of the trip.

The morning is spent on the Rothiemurchus Estate in the Cairngorms National Park, in the company of food writer Ghillie Basan and her son Zeki. Between them they share a real love of Scottish wildlife, Highland traditions and local food, and lunch is a barbecue on the estate. Afterwards you can choose how to spend your time, with fishing, clay pigeon shooting, a guided hike or a foraging walk all on offer.

Back on board, the train runs through Inverness and on towards Keith, where there is an optional visit to Strathisla Distillery, founded in 1786 and the spiritual home of Chivas Regal. The line then follows the Aberdeenshire coast south. Dinner is served on board and the evening ends with live jazz in the Observation Car, before the train stables overnight in Dundee.

Breakfast is served as the train crosses the Tay Bridge and heads south through Fife to Edinburgh. From here you visit the Royal Yacht Britannia at Leith, where a guided tour takes you through the State Apartments, the Crew's Quarters, the Engine Room and the Bridge of the royal family's former floating home. Afterwards there is a light lunch at Brasserie Prince in The Balmoral, or you can use the time to explore the city on your own.

The train leaves again in the early afternoon and heads west to join the West Highland Line. Afternoon tea is served as you pass Gare Loch, Loch Long, the rocky summit of Ben Arthur (better known as The Cobbler) and Loch Lomond, before the line climbs through Glen Falloch and its waterfalls. Beyond Crianlarich the train crosses the vast, empty wilderness of Rannoch Moor. Dinner is served on board, and local musicians provide the evening entertainment in the Observation Car before the train settles at Spean Bridge for the night.

Heading west through Fort William, Ben Nevis rises above the town, and the line follows the shore of Loch Eil before crossing the curving Glenfinnan Viaduct. At Arisaig you leave the train for a stroll along the Silver Sands of Morar, where the views stretch across the Sound of Sleat to the Isle of Skye and the jagged Cuillin mountains. Lunch is served as the train makes its way back towards Fort William.

The afternoon offers a choice. You can join a guided visit to historic Glenfinnan, where local stories bring Scotland's Jacobite past to life, or, weather permitting, take a guided hike through Nevis Gorge to the spectacular Steall Waterfall. Everyone rejoins the train at Fort William for dinner as it travels south to the small village of Bridge of Orchy for the night.

The train travels south through the Highlands to Wemyss Bay on the Firth of Clyde, where a short ferry crossing takes you to the Isle of Bute. Your destination is Mount Stuart, the extraordinary Victorian Gothic mansion created for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. Afternoon tea is served in the Drawing Room, and then there is time to explore the house, with its striking interiors and fine art collection, and the gardens, including the Lime Tree Avenue with its views out over the water.

Back on the mainland, a gala dinner is served as the train travels to Kilmarnock for the final night. The evening winds down in the Observation Car with coffee, liqueurs and traditional Scottish music.

The train leaves Kilmarnock early, so you can enjoy a leisurely breakfast as it heads east to Edinburgh Waverley, arriving at around 9:40am. Your journey ends here, and the Train Manager will be happy to help with onward transport or a hotel in Edinburgh if you need it.

Itineraries and timings shown may be changed for seasonal or operational reasons.