Railtrail Tours Ltd : Highland Rail Roamer

Highland Rail Roamer

Departs: 13 October 2010
7 April 2010
21 April 2010
20 October 2010

Spectacular Highland scenery
An “All-Rail” holiday
Caithness - the land that time forgot
The famous railway line to the Kyle of Lochalsh
Afternoon tea overlooking the Isle of Skye
The remote ‘Far North’ line to Thurso
Inverness - the Capital of the Highlands
Services of experienced Railtrail Tours Manager
Hotel Porterage


See FARES table below the itinerary for full details, including your choice of Standard or First Class rail travel from your Home Station to the Tour Base. (Please note: some local and regional train services are standard class only; First Class tour fares take this into account.) National Rail Card holders may also deduct the minus amount. Tour Fare includes: 4 nights bed, breakfast & Table d’Hôte evening meal Rail travel & seat reservations from your Home Station to Tour Base (Standard or First Class) Rail & coach travel, with transfers as described All excursions and admissions as detailed Services of Railtrail Tours Manager Hotel Porterage
Extended stay per night:	£85
Single Room Supplement: £72

We roam the glorious Highlands on this all rail escorted holiday. Relax as magnificent vistas glide past your window; contrast the great swathes of wilderness en route to The Far North, with the majestic mountains as we head westwards to the Kyle of Lochalsh. Enjoy our lovely Inverness hotel in the heart of the Capital of the Highlands, with free time to cruise Loch Ness if you wish.

FIRST class with Railtrail: Start your holiday in style; travel First Class from your Home Station to the Tour Base, and return. Upgrades from as little as £40. See the Fares table below.

Day 1

Travelling by train across the border and climbing high into the mountains along the glorious Highland Line through Stirling, Perth and Aviemore to the city of Inverness and the Royal Highland Hotel adjacent to the station. (D)

Day 2

Today’s scenic rail journey is one of many contrasts. Initially scurrying along the shores of the Beauly & Cromarty Firths and on past the fairy-tale Dunrobin Castle, then along a seashore of glorious sandy beaches to the heritage town of Helmsdale. Here the train turns inland through the Strath of Kildonan, where gold is still panned for in remote streams, whilst we head for the ‘Far North’ through Caithness, one of the last true wildernesses in Europe, to Thurso on the most northerly shoreline of Britain. A two hour break gives time to stretch your legs and stroll along the seafront before re-boarding our train back to Inverness. Caithness is a land of no roads, no civilisation, just wild moors and streams. It really is a land that time forgot and its remote beauty may well leave you spellbound. (B,D)

Day 3

A day free to relax, shop and sightsee at leisure in Inverness the Capital of the Highlands; perhaps, if you wish, take a cruise out onto mysterious Loch Ness (not included in tour fare). (B,D)

Day 4

Probably the highlight of your holiday - travelling by train on one of the world’s finest coast-to-coast railway journeys to the Kyle of Lochalsh, immortalised in Michael Palin’s original ‘Great Railway Journeys of the World’ TV series. In this land of legend the train climbs steeply from sea level to mountain plateau. Circumnavigating great lochs and passing through wild mountain passes with mysterious names like Raven’s Rock before bursting out onto the high moorland pastures the source of fresh clear water rivers where great herds of deer quench their thirst. The train stops briefly at the tiny townships of Achnashellach and Achnasheen before descending through forest and glen to Loch Carron and the west coast of Scotland. As the train clings to the rocky shoreline you are rewarded with dream-like vistas across this mighty sea loch to the skyline of the dark Cuillin Hills, majestically dominant on the Isle of Skye, before we slowly draw into Kyle of Lochalsh, our journey’s end. Here we take refreshments at the Lochalsh Hotel, with time to relax and view ‘across the watter’ to Skye – a view described by Michael Palin as ‘one of the great breakfast table views of the world’. We then re-board our train for the return journey to Inverness and enjoy views that may have been missed in the excitement of the outward journey – the palm trees of Plockton, perhaps? (B,L,D)

Day 5

After breakfast its time to bid farewell to the Highlands and return by train southwards, past the Cairngorm Mountains and down through the Lowlands to Edinburgh and homeward stations. (B)

Fares Table

Fare Region First Standard RC

London £575.00 £515.00 -40

South of England £595.00 £525.00 -40

East Anglia £590.00 £525.00 -40

South West £670.00 £560.00 -50

Heart of England £595.00 £525.00 -40

Midlands £595.00 £515.00 -40

Yorkshire £570.00 £510.00 -30

North East £545.00 £495.00 -20

North West £580.00 £505.00 -20

South Wales £640.00 £540.00 -45

North Wales £610.00 £520.00 -40

South Scotland £515.00 £480.00 -15

North Scotland £505.00 £465.00 -10

Royal Highland, Inverness

A classic Scottish ‘station hotel’. the Royal Highland offers guests the charm and elegance of a distinguished past, combined with modern splendour. The bedrooms have been tastefully contemporised whilst retaining their unmistakeably traditional feel, including satellite television and even a choice of pillows.

Railtrail Tours Ltd, 43 St. Edward Street, Leek, ST13 5DN
E-mail: enquiry@railtrail.co.uk
Tel: 01538 38 23 23 - Fax: 01538 38 25 25

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