Picturesque Highland Seasons

Your holiday begins with a scenic rail trip from your home station to Inverness, travelling through the centre of Scotland on the wonderfully picturesque Highland Main Line.

Along the way, the train passes through the historic city of Perth, the charming Highland town of Pitlochry, and climbs through the Grampian Mountains to reach the dramatic scenery of the Cairngorms National Park.

On arrival in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, we transfer to the welcoming Palace Hotel, where we will stay for the next two nights.

After checking in, there is time to relax or enjoy a gentle stroll into the city, or along the banks of the River Ness. Tonight, join your fellow passengers for a welcome dinner served in our hotel.

Today, we experience one of Scotland’s most scenic rail journeys as we board the train on the famous Kyle Line. This route is often described as one of the world’s great railway journeys, this remarkable route carries us coast-to-coast through some of the most dramatic landscapes in the Highlands.

Wild scenery accompanies us to Achnasheen, then through Glen Carron, passing the remains of the ancient Caledonian Forest. On the far side of Loch Carron, the spectacular Applecross mountains can be seen alongside Loch Kishorn.

One of the most memorable sights along the route is the picturesque harbour village of Plockton, famous for its surprising palm trees and sheltered bay.

As the railway approaches the west coast, the scenery becomes even more dramatic as we travel through the vast Balmacara Estate. The line eventually reaches Kyle of Lochalsh, where sweeping sea views open across the Inner Sound toward the majestic Isle of Skye and the Cuillin Hills.

Here we pause for a light lunch at the welcoming Kyle Hotel, perfectly positioned to enjoy views across the water to Skye. Afterwards, we board the train once more and retrace our spectacular route through the Highlands back to Inverness.

This morning, there is free time to explore the Highland capital of Inverness at your own pace. Compact and easy to explore, the city straddles the River Ness, so a wander along the banks to visit the Ness Islands is the perfect activity after breakfast.

You may wish to visit the elegant Inverness Cathedral, enjoy the views, and discover more about Highland culture at the newly opened Inverness Castle Experience, or explore the Victorian Market, which is full of independent traders and welcoming cafés.

Later this morning, we bid farewell to Inverness and begin our journey south along the shores of Loch Ness. This famous loch stretches 23 miles and is famed for its deep waters and, of course, the legend of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. We’ll make a pause for photographs and a chance for some monster-spotting!

Travelling further through the spectacular Great Glen, our travelling companion is the Caledonian Canal, a feat of engineering designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1822. Of its 60-mile length, only 22 are man-made. The remainder ingeniously uses the lochs of the Great Glen - Dochfour, Ness, Oich and Lochy, as we will discover.

After passing towering Ben Nevis, Britain’s tallest mountain, we reach our destination, Fort William, where we check in to the centrally located Alexandria Hotel. Tonight, dinner is served in our new Highland home.

After breakfast, take a short stroll over to Fort William station, where the Jacobite Steam Train awaits to take us on a magical journey along the West Highland Line to Mallaig.

As the train departs, the landscape quickly opens into classic Highland scenery of lochs, forests and mountains. After travelling along the banks of Loch Eil, the highlight of the journey comes as the train sweeps across the graceful arches of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, offering magnificent views over Loch Shiel and the Glenfinnan Monument, built to honour the highlanders who died for the Jacobite cause.

This spectacular setting gained worldwide fame after appearing in the Harry Potter films.

The journey continues westward along the shores of Loch Eilt, where the small wooded island of Eilean na Moine is another Harry Potter location.

Soon, the train reaches the silver sands of Morar, where the Atlantic coastline opens out and distant views across the sea to the islands of Eigg and Rùm appear.

Our destination is the historic fishing harbour of Mallaig, overlooking the waters toward the Isle of Skye.

After time to explore the harbour and enjoy the coastal scenery, we board the train once more for the return journey to Fort William, arriving in time for a relaxed final evening meal together.

After breakfast, we head to Fort William station to join the train bound for Glasgow’s Queen Street Station.

Strangely, our journey starts by heading northwards towards Spean Bridge and then Tulloch, where the train turns southwards and follows the banks of Loch Treig as it makes the steady climb towards remote Corrour, the highest station on the British rail network.

Rannoch Station sits on the edge of Rannoch Moor, a vast wilderness that took the railway 5 years to conquer. It took a workforce of 5,000 men to build the tracks on a floating bed of brushwood, earth and gravel. Soon you’ll be travelling across this bleak moorland of peat bogs, lochans and ancient forests.

Leaving Crianlarich, the train descends through Glen Falloch to reach Ardlui, almost sitting at the edge of Loch Lomond. The next section of the journey provides wonderful views of the “Bonnie Banks” as well as Ben Arthur (known as The Cobbler), the Arrochar Alps and Ben Lomond.

From Helensburgh we follow the banks of the River Clyde to Dumbarton, then through the suburbs of Glasgow to journey’s end at Glasgow Queen Street Station.

Onward connections are available via Edinburgh to stations on the east coast and by transferring to Central Station to destinations on the West Coast.