Romantic Highland Railway Journeys

The Kyle Line

The Kyle Line is one of the world's most scenic rail journeys. It goes from Inverness on the east coast of Scotland through to Kyle of Lochalsh on the west. The views from the window are worth the fare alone but no matter where you are along its 80 miles, historic Scotland is only a few metres away. The terminus at Kyle of Lochalsh is the crossing point for the Isle of Skye. Nowadays there is no ferry, however the bridge can be crossed on foot or by bus and is only a short distance from the station.

 

Skye

The Isle of Skye, connected to Scotland's northwest coast by bridge, is known for its rugged landscapes, picturesque fishing villages and medieval castles. The largest island in the Inner Hebrides archipelago, it has an indented coastline of peninsulas and narrow lochs, radiating out from a mountainous interior.

 

Strathspey Steam Railway

The Strathspey Railway runs between Aviemore, Boat of Garten and Broomhill in the Cairngorms. This attraction is run by a group of volunteer train enthusiasts, who have recreated a nostalgic experience of the 1950’s with great attention to detail. The experience takes you back 50 years in time, with train guards in period dress, quaint old fashioned wagons and traditional restaurant carriage. Although a relatively short train journey, the route does pass through lovely countryside and it is a treat to travel by steam train. The journey takes about 40 minutes to go from Aviemore to Broomhill which was used as the station for Glenbogle, in the BBC series 'Monarch of the Glen'.

 

Loch Ness Cruise

Starting from Dochgarroch, this 2 hour cruise will transport you along Thomas Telford’s famous Caledonian Canal and of course, across the legendary waters of Loch Ness where you will enjoy the stunning scenery of the Great Glen together with panoramic views of Aldourie Castle, Bona Lighthouse and the spectacular Urquhart Castle. You will hear about the colourful history of the Loch, including the crash site of a World War II Wellington Bomber and not forgetting some stories about the world’s shyest monster.

 

Jacobite Steam Train

Described as the greatest railway journey in the world, this train trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. Starting near the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis, it visits Britain’s most westerly mainland railway station, Arisaig, passes close by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain, Loch Morar and the shortest river in Britain, River Morar, finally arriving next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe, Loch Nevis! The train stops en route to Mallaig at the village of Glenfinnan, beyond Glenfinnan are the beautiful villages of Lochailort, Arisaig, Morar and Mallaig. From here, on a clear summer’s day, you can see the 'Small Isles' of Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna and the southern tip of Skye. The train continues on from here passing Morar and the silvery beaches used in the films 'Highlander' and 'Local Hero'. The route is also the same as shown in the Harry Potter films. The company running the Jacobite service provided Warner Brothers with the train used as the Hogwarts Express in all of the movies and allowed them use of the Jacobite's route for filming. The locomotive used to pull the Hogwarts Express in the films is presently located at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden.

 

The Highlander Hotel

 

Set in the stunning location of the Cairngorm National Park, the Highlander Hotel is renowned for it's good food and warm welcome. It is an ideal base to enjoy the spectacular scenery that the north of Scotland is famous. Based in the village of Newtonmore, the Highlander Hotel offers guests a warm welcome and true highland hospitality.

 

The hotel prides itself on the varied menus that take full advantage of the excellent, fresh Scottish produce available. The well stocked bar gives you the perfect opportunity to sample many of the malt whiskies for which the area is famous.

 

The Highlander has 83 en-suite bedrooms and family rooms, equipped with walk-in showers. There are also guest bedrooms on the ground floor.

 

Guests can expect:

 

• Freeview TV

• Tea and coffee making facilities

• Hairdryer

• Complimentary WiFi in the hotel lounge

• Direct dial telephones in every room