From the detailed marquetry to the handwritten names of guests above each door, our suites are an ode to the golden age of travel. Our Observation Car is the train’s social hub. It’s all plush lounge chairs, conviviality and complimentary drinks—the bar carries some 30 types of whisky. Head onto the open deck for fresh Highland air and panoramic views. Deer lift their heads as the train ambles by. Onboard, passengers raise a glass in response. Days are filled with travel and excursions. Enjoy a morning clay pigeon shooting or fly fishing. Take a Highland safari before lunch and later visit a laird’s estate or a whisky distillery. Onboard, retreat to our airy, wood-clad Bamford Haybarn Spa car. Unwind with botanically inspired holistic treatments as the drama of the Scottish landscape unfolds outside.
Dinner is an elegant, candlelit affair. Men often wear tuxedos—or a kilt, of course. Over plates of world-class, regional cuisine—oysters from the Kyle of Lochalsh, Aberdeen Angus beef, Inverawe smoked salmon—stories are swapped and songs sung among merry passengers.
‘Life is the train,’ wrote Paulo Coelho in his novel Aleph, ‘not the station.’ We couldn’t agree more.
