Wild Spirit
of Scotland

The Royal Scotsman departs Edinburgh as the afternoon begins, heading north through the central belt and into the Highlands at a pace that encourages paying attention to what is outside the window. Afternoon tea is served as the train passes through Perth, Dunkeld, Pitlochry and Blair Atholl, where the castle sits above the valley with the kind of confidence that comes from having been there for several centuries.

The Perthshire hills give way to more dramatic country as the train approaches Aviemore and the gateway to the Cairngorms National Park. The highest, coldest and most arctic landscape in Britain opens up on all sides before the train settles for the night in the village of Boat of Garten on the private Strathspey Railway, surrounded by the quiet of the Cairngorms in the evening.

Dinner on board is followed by entertainment in the Observation Car, where musicians join the train to mix Gaelic songs with livelier folk melodies. With a maximum of 38 guests on board, the evening tends to develop its own warmth and character, best measured in drams of local whisky.

The train departs Keith in the morning, heading north towards Inverness before turning west onto the Kyle of Lochalsh line. This route is consistently rated among the most scenic railways in Britain, and the claim holds up. The train passes through Achnasheen, climbs to the Luib summit, crosses Achnashellach Forest and descends to Strathcarron, where lunch is served as the mountains close in on either side.

Three excursion options are available this afternoon, each suited to a different kind of traveller. The first is a visit to Attadale Gardens, a 30,000-acre estate that has been in the Macpherson family since the 1950s. The Water Garden, Japanese Garden and Sunken Garden are all worth taking time over, and light refreshments with your hosts round off the visit pleasantly. The second option is to stay on the train to Plockton, a village on the shore of a sheltered sea loch with a colony of wild seals visible from the waterfront and magnificent views across the bay to the Applecross Mountains. A traditional welcome and a dram or two at the seafront Plockton Hotel follow. The third is a guided afternoon hike near Kyle of Lochalsh through woodland and open hillside, with red deer and golden eagles a realistic prospect and the freshwater loch as the destination. All three options return to the train at Kyle of Lochalsh, which stables overnight as the gateway to the Isle of Skye.

The train leaves Kyle early in the morning, retracing part of yesterday's spectacular route back towards Inverness. Disembarking at Aviemore, the morning is spent at Rothiemurchus Estate in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. The activities on offer cover a wide range: clay pigeon shooting, fishing, wild swimming for those who have pre-booked, or a forest bathing experience, which is a guided sensory walk through the estate's extraordinary woodland with mindfulness at its heart. Refreshments in the hunting lodge conclude the morning with a chance to learn about the estate's long history.

Lunch is served back on board before the afternoon brings a visit to a renowned Speyside distillery for a private tour and tasting. Speyside is the heartland of Scotch whisky production, and a private tasting in a working distillery gives the kind of access and depth that is simply not available on a standard tour. For those who prefer to spend the afternoon differently, a leisurely cycle ride from the village along the River Spey or to one of the nearby lochs is an excellent alternative.

The train rejoins at Boat of Garten in the early evening and heads south towards Perth for the final night on board. The last dinner is a celebration of the journey, and the Observation Car provides the setting for dancing and whatever follows.

Breakfast is served as the train leaves Perth and crosses the Tay Bridge into the former Kingdom of Fife. Three nights in some of Scotland's most remote and rewarding landscapes, a distillery, a Victorian garden estate, a seal colony, a forest bathing session and the Kyle of Lochalsh line make for a considerable three nights. Edinburgh Waverley arrives in the mid-morning and the journey is over, though the memories take rather longer to fade.

Itineraries and timings shown may be changed for seasonal or operational reasons. Planned engineering works may cause some route amendments on late October departures.