Belmond Royal Scotsman: Scotland’s Classic Splendours

With a night in one of Scotland’s most iconic properties – The Balmoral – you’ll have all of the Scottish capital’s highlights on your doorstep. So, after returning from the city-wide views of Arthur’s Seat or Edinburgh Castle’s century-old battlements, you’ll return to the sweeping staircases and Victorian extravagance that plays across your hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, spa and superb accommodation.

Stay: The Balmoral Hotel (Deluxe)

Today, with Waverly Station next-door to your hotel, you’ll board the magnificent Belmond Royal Scotsman in the early afternoon. You’ll be greeted by your personal steward, who’ll be able to show you between the observation car, open bar and spa carriage. It all comes dressed in fine wood panelling and lush fabrics – the trappings of a historic Highlands estate. Your journey will then start with the landmark Forth Railway Bridge and its spectacular estuary views before you venture towards the Highlands. Along the way, afternoon tea will be served, backdropped by the coastal towns of Arbroath and Montrose before the church spires of Aberdeen see you onto the idyllic Highlands town of Keith for your first four-course dinner. Expect fine dining of local seafood and game paired with traditional Scottish entertainment.

Stay: The Belmond Royal Scotsman (Deluxe)

After the first of your gourmet breakfasts, you’ll enjoy the coastal views of the Moray Firth inlet as you pass by Inverness, capital of the Highlands. A three-course lunch is then served as you cross coasts to Kyle of Lochalsh – a historic peninsular village. You’ll be travelling what is arguably the UK’s most impressive railway route, mapping Highlands scenery as you climb to the Luib summit and the Achnashellach Forest before descending to the riverside hamlet of Strathcarron. Here, you’re invited to visit the postcard-perfect Attadale Gardens. Or, stay onboard to the picturesque village of Plockton, where a boat trip will bring you between a colony of wild seals and stunning bay views of the Applecross Mountains. You’ll also be able to enjoy a woodland walk, ending at the idyllic waterside setting of the Plockton Hotel. Back on onboard, dinner is formal, proceeded by coffee and liqueurs in the observation carriage.

Stay: The Belmond Royal Scotsman (Deluxe)

Perhaps join your onboard host for an early-morning walk over the bridge to the Isle of Skye before breakfast is served as you retrace part of yesterday’s route. Look out for the white-washed cottages and fishing boats of Plockton before the train threads its way north – the perfect opportunity to join the onboard whisky connoisseur for an informal tasting in the observation car. Lunch is served before you arrive in Carrbridge, where you’ll have a choice of an exclusive look at Scotland’s only single-estate distillery or a private tour of the 16th-century Ballindalloch Castle. The train continues on to Boat of Garten, a small post town on a private railway where, after an informal dinner, you’ll be regaled with Highlands tales and weaponry displays onboard.

Stay: The Belmond Royal Scotsman (Deluxe)

After breakfast, an overland transfer will see you up into the fells of the Cairngorms National Park, where you’ll have a choice of fishing, clay pigeon shooting or an estate tour. You’ll rejoin the train for lunch, served on the journey south through the Cairngorms’ fells to Dunkeld. Here, you’ll disembark to visit Glamis Castle. With a history dating back nearly a thousand years, its grand turrets were the childhood home of the late Queen Mother. You’ll return to the train in river-side Perth for a formal dinner and entertainment as you end the night in Dundee on the grand Firth of Tay waterway.

Stay: The Belmond Royal Scotsman (Deluxe)

After a last indulgent breakfast, the train heads south to Edinburgh where you'll disembark and make your onward journey home. Alternatively, speak with your Wexas consultant about extending your stay in this great city.