If you are thinking of taking a vacation in Scotland and want to do it in style then you couldn’t do better than spending a few days travelling on the ultimate in luxury rail transport – the Belmond Royal Scotsman.
Not to be confused with the Royal Scot or the Flying Scotsman, both scheduled passenger services, the Belmond Royal Scotsman is a chartered luxury tourist train which tours Scotland from April to October each year.
Owned by the same people who own the world-famous Orient Express, a byword for luxurious rail travel, the Belmond Royal Scotsman has been placed third in travel magazine Wanderlust’s list of ‘best rail journeys in the world’ close behind The Imperial Russia (Moscow to Beijing) and The Canadian ((Toronto to Vancouver).
Starting and finishing in Edinburgh the Royal Scotsman has a choice of journeys from two days to seven days duration and as you travel through Scotland’s spectacular scenery the opportunity to experience traditional Scottish culture and activities presents itself with regular stops and organised tours to whisky distilleries, castles, country estates and places of interest.
A PALACE ON WHEELS
All meals and beverages are included and here we are talking the best of the best in Scottish cuisine with the finest local ingredients sourced throughout your journey along with fine wines and first-class service. There are never more than 36 guests in private cabins and, with an open-deck observation car bringing up the rear, this is an unforgettable experience which you will reminisce about for a long time afterwards.
The Belmond Royal Scotsman is the epitome of luxury rail travel – a five-star hotel on tracks. As well as enjoying the best of Scotland’s scenery, food and culture you will be cosseted, pampered and treated like royalty. You will be made to feel very special – honoured guests, not tourists – and you won’t want your journey to end.
All this luxury is, of course, very expensive but we all deserve a little special treatment now and then and it’s definitely on my ‘to do’ list. Perhaps I’ll see you on board!
THE BELMOND ROYAL SCOTSMAN
FOR MORE INFORMATION, TARIFF AND BOOKINGS VISIT THE ROYAL SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
Main image courtesy Wayland Smith/Geograph UK CC BY-SA 2.0
The three images above by Simon Plelow/Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
Bill Kasman
A Scotsman born and bred I love to roam Scotland’s hills and wild places taking photographs and writing about my travels around the country and all things to do with my homeland.