Royal Scotsman luxury train - fab food, whiskey, Highland scenery

The meat, seafood and whiskey are the highlights of this train trip, none of which I touch, so I cannot write my own report. So welcome to the Royal Scotsmanby Jeremy Seal. It runs an extensive range of luxury tours from Ap-Oct, when the days are long. The train trip was as leisurely as it was luxurious; the twin cabins have two fixed lower-berth single beds, dressing table, wardrobe, heating, fans, opening windows, shower, washbasin and toilet.

The dining was as rich in the best Scottish produce, the culinary mir­acles executive chef Marc Tamburrini and his team conjured from their tiny galley: Isle of Gigha halibut, Pentland lamb, Uist crab and Shetland lobster. So it was that Royal Scotsman, with its 10 el­eg­antly refitted 1960s Pullman carriages, travels in the day, pas­sing the night in quiet sidings at towns and cities like Keith or Dundee.

We joined our fellow guests at Edinburgh’s Balmoral Hotel where the iconic tower clock still ensures pass­en­g­ers don’t miss their trains at the adjacent Waverley Station. A short walk to platform 2 was where Royal Scotsman, in handsome maroon livery with gold lettering, awaited us. A piper in full Highland kit: bagpipes, kilt, plaid cloak, bonnet and sporran, drew a crowd as he plays us aboard.

Guests were piped aboard the Royal Scotsman in Edinburgh.

The Observation Car was decked out with sofas, tartan throws and side tables topped with chessboards and lamps, like an elegant drawing room. Travellers enjoyed views of lochs and rivers, and moors clad in yellow gorse beneath the snow-capped peaks of the Cairngorms range. Host Mark Nash introduced himself over Champagne and strawberries from nearby Arbroath. Then canapes.

As the train left Edinburgh, we chatted, window-watched or went to the open Observat­ion Car for fresh air. We crossed the iconic Forth Bridge, once the world’s longest single-span bridge, be­fore fields of yellow rape and golf links stretched to the east coast’s golden beaches. Villages of grey granite clustered atop rocky outcrops.

North of Aberdeen, in light fading, we made for the dining cars where the guests, mostly from Europe and the US, continued their mixing over Scottish salmon served with a Salt River sauvignon blanc from South Africa followed by Gressingham duck. It was a terrific dinner, followed by a rousing set from a visiting folk duo who played music in the Ob­servation Car. There were accompanying whisky drinks at Keith from the Strathisla Distillery, home of Chivas Regal.

It was no accident that Royal Scotsman’s crew included a ded­ic­at­ed whisky ambassador who introduced us to the ext­en­s­ive selection of blends and single malts. The whiskey hostess made it her business to bring a sample bottle from whatever dist­illery we were passing.

romantic Ballin­dalloch Cast­le
Historic Houses  

No surprise that there should be takers for the pre-breakfast walk each morning eg a walk around Keith or over the bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh to Skye on the west coast.

Excursions punctuated the tour, giving insights into Scottish High­lands life. There was a guided walk along the Gar­ve River banks, and an C18th droving route with High­land historian Andrew McKenzie in per­iod droving dress. There were visits to romantic Ballin­dalloch Cast­le, and to Glamis, with its strong connections to the British monar­chy. At the Rothiemurchus Estate we did fly fish­ing and clay pigeon shooting. At Pitlochry’s Blair Athol distill­ery, people loved the taste of a 23-year single malt. And at the lovely gardens at At­tadale on Loch Carr­on, Joanna Macpherson showed off the fernery, Japanese gard­en, stands of subtropical rhododend­ron and lichen-clad birch woods. The Scottish Highlands can be tree­less and bleak, or green and verd­ant, a reminder of this country’s magnificently varied scenery.

Then it was back on-board to Dundee where some had booked massages in Royal Scotsman’s Dior Spa treatment rooms. The last evening was a gala dinner, and many of us entered into the occasion, with women in kilted skirts, men in full Highland dress. After feasting, Mark announced there were some traditional Scottish dance moves to learn. He showed us, to the accompaniment of accordion and fiddle. Guests and staff joined in, performing the Flying Scotsman and the Virginia Reel. A late-night ceilidh broke out on Dundee Station’s platform 4, a rousing finale to what had proved an exceptional experience.

Belmond’s Royal Scotsman offers tours ranging from 2-7 nights. New for 2023 are themed options, including A Taste of Scotland with Mich­elin-starred Edinburgh chef Tom Kitchin. The four-night Scotland’s Classic Splendours journey is expensive - check the 2023 prices.

A warm thank you to Jeremy Seal.