Day One - Heading to the Highlands
We set off from Edinburgh in the early afternoon across the Forth Bridge and on through the beautiful Perthshire countryside to Aviemore and arrived at the pretty village of Boat of Garten. The beautiful weather, not to mention Champagne and canapés, enticed guests out onto the platform.
Dinner was served as we travelled along a private railway track to Broomhill, with great views across to the forested Cairngorm mountains. Railway fans particularly appreciated this stretch as it is normally reserved for steam train trips. The well-known Scottish historian and television personality Ray Owens then came aboard to tell stirring Highland legends and explain local lore.
Day Two - Out, About and Action-Packed
After breakfast we disembarked at the Rothiemurchus Estate. Guests were offered four different activities: clay pigeon shooting, fly fishing for brown trout, an estate tour to see Highland cattle and activities such as feeding wild red deer, and a wildlife walk. I accompanied guests on the walk, passing through part of the old Caledonia forest where a ranger pointed out red squirrels, deer and a mass of flowers including wild orchids and gentians. After lunch back on board, we continued to the site of the Culloden Battlefield where Ray Owens rejoined us - in full Highland regalia - to bring the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite uprising to life.
There was only one way to follow this dramatic tale - a whisky tasting at Strathisla Distillery, one of the most beautiful in Scotland, with its distinctive pagoda roofs silhouetted against a backdrop of trees. A wee dram put everyone in good spirits for the tour of the giant stills - the perfect aperitif before dinner back on board. Coffee was served in the Observation Car as musicians struck up some Scottish reels that saw guests up on their feet. When the train pulled into Dundee station for overnight stabling the dancing continued out on the platform, in an impromptu ceilidh.
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Edinburgh
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