Scotland Rail Express - 8 Days

Welcome to the start of your Scotland rail vacation. Where better to start than the capital of Scotland? Edinburgh is a beautiful city known affectionately as Auld Reekie (Old Smoky) due to the coal smoke and smell that used to linger over the city in the 18th and 19th centuries. While the smoke cleared, the name stuck! Arrive in the city and meet your tour leader and travel companions in the afternoon. This evening, join your tour leader for an orientation tour. Look forward to visiting the famous Calton Hill which offers magnificent views of the city and Arthur’s Seat. Later, enjoy a welcome dinner at an Italian restaurant in the heart of the city.

Edinburgh is such an amazing city and today you have the whole day to explore. Discover famous sights such as the Royal Mile, Grassmarket, George IV Bridge, St Giles’ Cathedral and Greyfriars Bobby. Or even take a hike out to Arthur’s seat. You have the option to join your tour leader on a brilliant optional excursion this morning, where you dive into Edinburgh and explore the main highlights around the city. Visit Falkirk, Calton Hill, Princes Street Gardens and enjoy a couple of hours to discover Edinburgh Castle. This evening, choose to join your tour leader for a truly Scottish evening of great food, dancing, singing, bagpipes and haggis!

Today, hop aboard for the first rail journey of this trip! Heading north into Perthshire on the Highland Main Line, enjoy the views and look out for the famous Forth Bridge while crossing the Firth of Forth. Later arrive at the Victorian town of Pitlochry. Enjoy an orientation tour of this small but charming town, which was much favoured by Queen Victoria, Robert Louis Stevenson and Alexander MacKenzie, the second Prime Minister of Canada. Then, sit down for an included lunch. Pitlochry is on the banks of the River Tummel, which you will see when visiting the Dam and Salmon Ladder, before arriving at the Blair Athol distillery for a tour and Scotch whisky tasting.

Today it’s time to set out on the second rail journey of the tour. En route to Inverness, travel through the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, the largest national park in the UK. Be prepared for spectacular views of mountain passes, hilltops and heathland, and look out for the viaducts at Culloden and Tomatin. Arrive in Inverness and head out on an orientation tour of the city. Inverness means the Mouth of the River Ness and is considered to be the Gateway to the Highlands. See highlights including Inverness Castle and St Andrew’s Cathedral! This afternoon, choose to visit Brodie Castle in the Scottish Highlands before an included dinner in Inverness tonight.

No trains today - instead, the group will be riding on road transport to Fort William along the entire length of Loch Ness, the largest body of water by volume in the UK, and home to the mythical Loch Ness monster! Arrive in Fort Augustus and enjoy an included lunch. Next, jump on board a Loch Ness cruise where you can try and spot Nessie! Afterwards, enjoy an orientation tour of Fort Augustus before continuing on by bus to Fort William. Located in the shadow of Ben Nevis, the UK’s largest mountain, the group will spend two nights in Fort William. Your tour leader will orientate you around Fort William before a free evening tonight.

Enjoy an entire free day at your leisure today. Fort William has wonderful outdoor activities on offer, from hiking Ben Nevis, to cycling and mountain biking. Join the highly-recommended optional Jacobite Steam Train excursion from Fort William to Mallaig, which has been described as one of the greatest railway journeys in the world! You may know this train better as the Hogwarts Express, and when you ride over the 21 arches of the engineering wonder of the Glenfinnan Viaduct you will be transported back to that famous scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
*Please note that The Jacobite Steam Train does not operate between mid-November to mid-May. Outside these dates, we will travel on Scotrail's scheduled service.

It’s time for the final train journey as a group and it’s definitely a memorable way to finish off a week of wonderful railway trips! Take the West Highland Line south to Glasgow. This journey is the highlight of the day, with fantastic views of the moors, mountains and lochs. Keep an eye out for Loch Treig, Laidon, Tulla, Lomond, Long and Gare before arriving in Glasgow. The route between Tulloch and Rannoch stations is not connected by roads, so the train will pass through true wilderness! On arrival into Glasgow, check into the hotel and then take an orientation walking tour with your tour leader before enjoying a farewell dinner together. This is the time to celebrate the great times you’ve had this past week.

Today marks the end of this Scotland rail tour. Enjoy a hearty breakfast and allow yourself enough time to enjoy more sightseeing in Glasgow before you continue with your travels. From Glasgow, you can easily return back to Edinburgh, or both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports are within easy reach. Be sure to swap contact details with your new travel friends. We hope you enjoyed your scenic train journey through Scotland!