Rail tours through the Scottish Highlands

“Rail is hardly the fastest way to travel the Highlands. But then, that’s not the point.” Robert Kidd, co-founder of our Scotland train vacations partner, McKinlay Kidd, is a strong advocate for slow travel, in not trying to fit in too much to your journey. Focus instead on a handful of memorable experiences, whether that’s a jaunt on the historic Jacobite steam train, or a morning out with a local fisherman pulling in creel baskets loaded with crab and lobster. “Take your time, don’t think of it just as a way to get from A to B. And do add a stop somewhere, even if it’s just a night, because it’s well worth it.”

One of the main advantages to going by train is that you can relax and enjoy the journey all the way. “There aren’t many routes but the most well-known – Edinburgh to Inverness via Glasgow, the North Highland Line and the West Highland Line – are different to any other in Britain. And they often veer away from the road, giving you a completely different perspective on the landscapes.”

But rather than picking through the timetables yourself, and only getting a skin-deep appreciation of the places you’ll see along the way, you’re far better off opting for an organised rail vacation in Scotland, whether an escorted small group trip or a tailor made tour where you’re traveling alone to a pre-agreed itinerary. These routes use locally-owned accommodations, while guides have been handpicked for their knowledge of the region.

Considered by many to be one of the finest rail journeys in the world, the West Highland Line departs from Glasgow and finishes at the small fishing port of Mallaig on the west coast. During the summer, you can also take the Jacobite steam train between Fort William and Mallaig. And it’s just ridiculously scenic. Robert Kidd is a fan: “The West Highland Line, once it gets beyond Loch Lomond, is basically floating on the bog. It was built by hand and carves through some truly awe-inspiring landscapes, stopping at very remote places. There’s something quite fabulous about that.”

Out of Glasgow, you pass Glencoe and the Bridge of Orchy. It’s all waterfalls and streams, hills and forests, and about as wild and romantic as you can get. The sort of scenery that sends Hollywood location scouts into a frenzy. A typical West Highland Line rail vacation might also take you to the foot of Ben Nevis where you can pause for a couple of days to climb the UK’s highest mountain.