A Taste of Scotland
with Tom Kitchin

The Royal Scotsman departs Edinburgh Waverley in the early afternoon, and the city gives way quickly to the rolling hills of Perthshire. Perth itself is well named as the Fair City, and the countryside beyond it becomes more dramatic as the train heads north through the Highlands towards Aviemore, the gateway to the Cairngorms National Park. These mountains are among the oldest in Britain, and the views from the train on a clear day are considerable.

The train stops for the night in the peaceful Highland village of Boat of Garten on the private Strathspey Railway. Before dinner, the evening begins in the Observation Car with something rather special. L'Art du Vin, whose passion is organic and biodynamic wine from artisan and ethical producers, host an exclusive tutored wine masterclass with food pairing ideas and discussion. It is the kind of event that turns what could be a straightforward pre-dinner drink into something genuinely absorbing.

Tom Kitchin's dinner follows: four courses built around the Scottish larder he knows and loves, prepared with the skill and precision that earned The Kitchin its Michelin star. The ingredients reflect his belief that nothing should be wasted and that Scotland's natural larder, used properly, is among the finest in the world.

After breakfast, a short coach journey takes you to Rothiemurchus Estate in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. This is one of the finest sporting estates in Scotland, and the morning offers a proper choice of Highland activities. Clay pigeon shooting across the estate, fly fishing on the river, a guided estate tour or a hike with one of the park rangers all make for an excellent morning in surroundings that few visitors ever reach.

Afterwards, Tom Kitchin hosts a barbecue lunch at The Drumintoul Lodge, set against a backdrop of Highland peaks that would be difficult to improve on. The quality of the cooking is what you would expect from the man, and the setting makes it something rather more than just lunch.

The train collects everyone at Carrbridge and heads south for a whisky tasting as the journey takes in the east coast of Scotland through Aberdeenshire and Angus towards Dundee, the City of Discovery, on the banks of the Firth of Tay. The gala dinner this evening is a formal occasion and dress accordingly. Tom joins guests in the Observation Car afterwards for music, farewell drinks and toasts, which tends to be one of the livelier and more memorable evenings of any Royal Scotsman journey.

A final breakfast is served as the train leaves Dundee and travels south through the former Kingdom of Fife. The countryside here has a gentler character than the Cairngorms, the farmland of the east coast giving way to the coast as the train approaches the Firth of Forth. The crossing of the Forth Railway Bridge is one of the great moments of Scottish rail travel: a Victorian engineering masterpiece that looks as extraordinary now as it must have done when it opened in 1890. Edinburgh Waverley arrives shortly after, bringing a thoroughly enjoyable two nights to a close.

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