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Agent of the Year 2007 |
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Nominee: 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007
Finalist: 2004 & 2006 |
TIPTO Awards 2004 Finalist |
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 Scenic
Scottish Railways...
Scottish Rail Tours main
menu - call us on 0845 003 2218 or 01543 258631
Now booking for 2009
The north of Scotland is blessed with some
wonderfully scenic railway lines. The challenge of building railways through
some of the most difficult terrain in the British Isles was taken up by the
great engineers of the Victorian age. Their legacy is in the sweeping curves and
majestic viaducts of the single-track lines which cross wild moors and lonely
glens and continue to provide important links to the north and west Highlands.
We will travel northwards to Wick, following the
coast as far as Helmsdale before sweeping inland through the wild and empty
country of Sutherland and Caithness, and westwards to Kyle of Lochalsh, by
Strath Bran and Strath Carron to the shores of Loch. We have the added
attraction of steam haulage for our two other journeys. The ‘Jacobite’ ensures
that the haunting sound of a steam whistle continues to echo around Glenfinnan,
as the train crosses ‘Concrete Bob’ McAlpine’s magnificent viaduct on its way
from Fort William to Mallaig. At Aviemore we take the train to Boat of Garten on
the preserved Strathspey line, which provides an authentic taste of the Golden
Age of rail travel in the Highlands.
Itinerary...
Day 1
Depart from your chosen pick up point and travel by
coach to Aviemore and the Strathspey Railway.
We will board the maroon-liveried coaches which will evoke memories of train
journeys in the 1950s and 60s and the train will be hauled by a lovingly
restored steam locomotive from the collection which is housed in the engine shed
adjacent to the station here. The line crosses heather covered moorland with the
Cairngorm Mountains beyond, scenes which have changed little in the last hundred
years. The train stops at Boat of Garten, a village created by the former
railway companies that served the area, before continuing to Broomhill, which
doubles as ‘Glenbogle’ in the popular BBC TV series, Monarch of the Glen. The
train will then return to Aviemore, and we continue our journey by coach to our
accommodation in Strathpeffer, where dinner will be served on arrival.
Day 2
Today following breakfast we will travel the short
distance to Dingwall where we board the morning train to
Wick. The line takes
us along the shores of the Cromarty and Dornoch Firths, looping round by Lairg
and back to the coast, passing the former junction with the Dornoch branch at
The Mound. From Golspie the line follows the spectacular coastline as far as
Helmsdale, where it turns inland, pausing at remote stations such as Forsinard
and Altnabreac, before reaching Georgemas Junction, the most northerly railway
junction in Britain. Here the train divides, with one portion heading to Thurso
and our portion continuing to Wick. On arrival here we will re-join our coach
and return to our hotel by the more direct but equally scenic coastal route.
Dinner will be served in the evening, after which there will be a video
presentation on railways in Scotland in the 1950s and 60s.
Day 3
After a leisurely breakfast today we will return to the
station at Dingwall, this time heading west to
Kyle of Lochalsh. Our
route takes us through Strath Bran and the isolated little station at Achnasheen,
on into Strath Carron to the head of Loch Carron, passing Stromeferry, the
one-time terminus of the line, before we reach the current terminus at Kyle of
Lochalsh. We have time here to stretch our legs and enjoy the views across Loch
Alsh to the Isle of Skye before re-boarding the train for the return journey to
Dingwall. We return to our hotel for dinner.
Day 4
After an early breakfast we check out of the hotel and
travel through the Great Glen to Fort William, where we join ‘The
Jacobite'
steam train and experience one of the most memorable and spectacular railway
journeys in the world – to Mallaig on the famous ‘Road to the Isles’. ‘The
Jacobite’ combines the romance of the steam era with the opportunity to drink in
the stunning views of this wild and historic part of Scotland. From the slopes
of Ben Nevis the line runs through rugged mountains, past sea and inland lochs
and onto the shores of the Atlantic at Mallaig. The route takes you over the
massive Glenfinnan viaduct overlooking Loch Sheil, where Bonnie Prince Charlie
raised his standard in 1745. After some free time in Mallaig we rejoin the train
and return to Fort William. Thereafter we continue by coach to our original
departure points where we expect to arrive late evening.
Departures and prices...
2009: 5,
19 Jun, 17 Jul, 21 Aug
4
Days from £325 per person
Departure Points
Aberdeen - Skene Street
Dundee - Outside Discovery Point
Perth - Bus stop in Canal Street at Tay Street end
Kinross - Moto Services, M90
Edinburgh - Outside front entrance Marriott Hotel, Glasgow Road (formerly Royal
Scot Hotel)
Glasgow - Outside Millennium Hotel, George Square
Dunfermline - Bus stop layby outside Lauder College
Arbroath - Railway Station
Montrose - Outside Railway Station
All pick-up-points are subject to minimum numbers
What’s Included
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3 nights dinner, bed and
breakfast at the comfortable Highland Hotel, Strathpeffer (or similar). All
rooms have private facilities.
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Comfortable coaching
throughout.
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Rail journeys from Dingwall
to Wick (single) and Kyle of Lochalsh (return); from Fort William to Mallaig
(return) on the Jacobite and from Aviemore to Broomhill (return) on the
Strathspey Line.
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Services of a representative.
Not included (per person)
-
Single room supplement
£45.00
-
2009 supplement £30.00
-
Insurance
-
Overnight accommodation in
Glasgow, Edinburgh or Perth before or after the tour available on request
PLEASE NOTE ALL PICK UP POINTS ARE SUBJECT TO
MINIMUM NUMBERS
PLEASE NOTE, FOR
ANYONE TRAVELLING ON ANY FLIGHT, PHOTOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION IS REQUIRED BY THE
AIRLINES AT CHECK-IN - THIS EVEN RELATES TO DOMESTIC FLIGHTS WITHIN THE UK
How to book...
Call Robert Broad
Travel on 0845 003 2218 or 01543 258631
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Now booking
for 2009 |
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