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THE ROYAL SCOTSMAN
Edinburgh Round Trip
6 Days/5 Nights
One night Edinburgh: Balmoral Hotel
with breakfast – Four nights aboard the
Royal Scotsman – All meals, alcoholic beverages
and gratuities on board the train – Round
trip private car transfers from Edinburgh Airport
to downtown hotel from Waverly Station to Edinburgh
Airport – All service charges and taxes
DAY 1 – Arrival in Edinburgh
Independent arrival in Edinburgh. Private car transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day on your own. Overnight
at the Balmoral Hotel.
DAY 2 – Edinburgh to Taynuilt
Morning at leisure. Check-in
for the Royal Scotsman at 1:00PM in the lobby of the Balmoral Hotel. The
train departs from Waverly Station at 2:00PM and heads west, skirting
Glasgow along the northern bank of the Clyde to Craigendoran, starting
point for the majestic West Highland Line. Then
we travel north, along the edge of Gare Loch, to Dalmally, where we
visit Inverawe Smokehouse. Afterwards
the Campbell-Prestons invite us into their home to sample locally smoked
fish and enjoy a glass of wine. Return
to the train at the Victorian station of Taynuilt where we stable overnight. Informal
dinner followed by local entertainment. (B,D)
DAY 3 – Taynuilt to Boat of
Garten
Leave Taynuilt early this morning and follow the narrow shelf carved
from the hillside between the slopes of Ben Cruachan and the River
Awe. Pass the magnificent
castle in Stirling, on our way to Blair Atholl where we visit the House
of Bruar, Scotland’s most prestigious “country store”. Alternatively,
take a walk to the spectacular falls of Bruar nearby. Continue
north through Dalwhinnie and Aviemore to Cambridge for a visit to one
of Scotland’s most romantic castles, Ballindalloch. We
return to the train at Boat of Garten on the private Strathspey Railway
for our formal dinner and overnight stay. (B,L,D)
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DAY 4 – Boat of Garten to Kyle
This morning our motorcoach takes us to the Highland Wildlife Park,
set in 260 acres of beautiful Strathspey. We
rejoin the train at Aviemore and head north to Inverness before turning
west towards Kyle of Lochalsh, on what is arguably the most scenic
route in Britain. At Kyle
we disembark to visit Plockton situated on the shores of Loch Carron,
known for its lovely art gallery. After
our formal dinner, Mary Strachan entertains us with her clarsach in
the Observation Car. Overnight
in Kyle. (B,L,D)
DAY 5 – Kyle to Dundee
After breakfast our motorcoach takes us to Skye,
the “Misty Isle”, which is the largest
of the Hebridean Islands. Learn about the island’s harsh history and Gaelic culture. We
rejoin the train for lunch as we head east to Keith. Then
we are off to a traditional visit at Strathisla distillery,
and to sample some of the products! We
rejoin the train for dinner as we head south to Aberdeen,
the “Granite City”, then follow the coast
on our way to Dundee, where we remain overnight. (B,L,D)
DAY 6 – Dundee to Edinburgh
We leave Perth during breakfast this morning and cross the Firth of
Forth over the Forth Railway Bridge. We
arrive at Edinburgh’s Waverly Station at 9:25AM where our
extraordinary journey ends. A
private car transfer is available to Edinburgh Airport or to
your hotel should you wish to remain in Edinburgh. (B)
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