Discover Scotland: Highland Wildlife & Majestic Mountains

If you're based in the south we've included an overnight journey on the famous Caldedonian Sleeper from London Euston, departing in the evening to maximise your time in the Highlands. With brand new trains introduced in 2019, you'll enjoy the best in onboard comfort, from Glencraft mattresses to that all-important breakfast, served in your cabin. Go for a Club or Caledonian Double and you'll benefit from an en-suite toiler and shower room as well. Remember, if you live elsewhere in the UK, speak to our specialists who'll tailor-made your trip to your specific requirements.

Arrive in Inverness just after breakfast and collect your hire car for the short drive to your accommodation at the Beat Western Palace Hotel & Spa. With views over the River Ness and the city centre on your doorstep, it’s a wonderful setting, made all the more enjoyable by the indoor pool and leisure club. 

But you’ll want to get out and explore, perhaps taking in the older parts of the city, which date back to the completion of the Caledonian Canal in 1822 or driving out to nearby Loch Ness for an optional cruise and the chance to spot that fabled monster. Alternatively, the Moray Firth is also close at hand, where boat trips offer the chance to spot whales and dolphins.

Stay: Best Western Palace Hotel & Spa

Drive deep into the Scottish Highlands, perhaps pausing at the Culloden Battlefield – the site of the bloody end to the 18th-century Jacobite rising. It’s then on to your base at the Grant Arms in Grantown on Spey, a hotel known for hosting talks by some of the UK’s most acclaimed wildlife writers, photographers, filmmakers and presenters.

You’ll have three days to explore, taking trips out into the surrounding Cairngorms National Park to take in its myriad flora and fauna, all set among some of Scotland’s most dramatic landscapes. Look out for everything from red squirrel and golden eagles. And, of course, you’ll return each day to superb dinners based on the very best local ingredients. Think succulent Highlands steaks and fresh River Spey salmon.

Stay: Grant Arms Hotel

Your Highlands journey continues with a scenic drive to Fort William where you’ll check into the canal-side Mooring Hotel. It’s a superb base for exploring the town and surrounding region, where highlights include the Jacobite Steam Train heritage railway and Road to the Isles, both wonderfully dramatic routes which connect Fort William to the coastal town of Malaig. You might recall the train route’s famous viaduct from a certain Harry Potter film.

Alternatively, take a hike on the Great Glen Way, which runs right across the Highlands, 73 miles back to Inverness. Designated as one of Scotland’s ‘Great Trails’ its route passes vast lochs and towering peaks, including Britain’s tallest mountain – Ben Nevis. Whatever you choose, you’ll also have all of Fort William on your doorstep, with its cafés, restaurants and loch-side strolls. 

Stay: The Moorings Hotel

Drive back to Inverness today in time for your onward journey, taking the overnight train south.

Arrive refreshed in Euston and continue your journey home. As with the outbound journey, if you require travel to anywhere else in the UK, our specialists will be on hand to help with your arrangements.