If the words Scottish Highlands Train Tour makes you exhale a little wistfully — imagining moody skies, cinematic glens, perhaps a trace of Outlander romance — I’m here to confirm: it’s every bit as atmospheric as you imagine.
For my husband’s birthday, I booked us aboard the Royal Scotsman, Belmond’s storied luxury train, for a five-day journey through the Highlands.
This is not just any train.
It’s The Train.
Romantic landscapes are one thing. Watching them unfurl beyond your window from the polished, Edwardian elegance of a mahogany-paneled carriage? That’s something else entirely.
The Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train Experience
After three days in Edinburgh, we walked from The Balmoral to Waverley Station for what felt like the true beginning of our UK adventure.
You know you’re embarking on something exceptional when a kilted Drum Major leads guests through the station by bagpipe, onto a red carpet rolled out exclusively for your train.
The Royal Scotsman has operated since the 1980s, though many of its carriages predate that era. Originally Pullman cars from the 1960s, the dining carriages — Raven and Swift — retain their historic names, now restored in polished wood, indulgent upholstery, and crisp white linens.
In 2019, Belmond joined LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), placing the experience firmly within the highest tier of global luxury hospitality. The service reflects it.
Warm, intuitive, deeply professional. The staff anticipate needs before they’re voiced. Within hours, they know your name, your preferred cocktail, and whether you take coffee before or after dessert.
And the food.
Executive Chef Mark Tamburrini, a Glasgow native who has led the culinary program since 2010, works from a kitchen smaller than many apartment galleys — producing multi-course menus that celebrate Scotland’s land and sea with remarkable finesse.
Every meal felt celebratory. Thoughtful plating. Balanced flavors. Dishes so visually composed you hesitate — briefly — before surrendering to the aroma and taking that first bite.
All meals and beverages, including wine and spirits, are included. For those who travel for food, the dining experience alone justifies the journey aboard this Scottish Highlands train tour.
Traveling with Inspirato
While the Royal Scotsman can be booked directly through Belmond, we experienced this journey through Inspirato as part of their Inspirato Only Experiences collection.
It was, quite simply, seamless.
From pre-arrival logistics to curated excursions and private access moments, every detail was handled with precision. The beauty of traveling this way is that you relinquish the mental load of planning while retaining all the richness of discovery.
For this five-day journey, that meant stepping off the train into private guides, reserved tastings, exclusive lunches, and experiences layered thoughtfully to complement the landscape rather than rush through it.
Inspirato’s team crafted an itinerary that balanced activity with ease — something far more difficult to achieve than it appears.
For a milestone celebration, it felt like the ultimate gift: not an object, but shared time orchestrated exceptionally well.
Scottish Highlands Train Tour Stops
Isle of Skye
Arriving in Kyle of Lochalsh in the early morning light, we crossed the Skye Bridge under a moody gray sky that felt quintessentially Highland.
At Sligachan, with the jagged Cuillin mountains rising behind us, we hiked through moorland stitched with tiny wildflowers and peat-darkened streams that pooled into topaz-blue basins.
Our guide pointed out bog myrtle (nature’s midge deterrent) and the iridescent sheen of peat in the wetlands — details easily missed without local expertise.
A pub lunch at the historic Sligachan Hotel, bagpipes playing in the background, sealed the moment.
Tip: Weather shifts quickly here. Waterproof layers and proper hiking boots (or at least sturdy sneakers) are worth the effort.
Isle of Raasay
If Skye feels cinematic, Raasay feels intimate.
With a population hovering just under 200, the island sits quietly between Skye and the mainland, reached by a short ferry from Sconser. From the upper deck, the Cuillin mountains stretch dramatically across the horizon, while the “Five Sisters of Kintail” rise in the distance — jagged and mythic.
As you approach, Raasay House commands attention — once home to the Macleod clan chief, now a 20-room hotel — but our destination was perched just beyond it: Raasay Distillery, the island’s first legal distillery, opened in 2017.
Young, yes — but ambitious. Co-founder and master distiller Alasdair Day has built something that feels both modern and deeply rooted in place. Even for someone who approaches peated whisky cautiously, their single malt (over a large cube, for me) was remarkably balanced. The gin — double-distilled and crisp — was equally compelling.
The bottle alone is worth admiring: textured glass inspired by island rock, fossils, and juniper.
If you have time, book a stay at Borodale House — the six-suite whisky hotel on site. It’s the kind of remote luxury that feels discovered rather than advertised.
Rothiemurchus Estate
Some places you visit.
Others stay with you.
In the heart of Cairngorms National Park, Rothiemurchus Estate has been stewarded by eighteen generations of the Grant family for over 450 years. It doesn’t feel curated for tourists — it feels lived-in, cared for, and quietly proud.
Our morning began with falconry — and not the ornamental kind. Johnny introduced us to Armando the Harris Hawk, Loco the Caracara, Steorra the Sea Eagle, and Glen the Barn Owl. There is something grounding about feeling the weight of a raptor land confidently on your gloved arm, meeting its steady gaze.
Later, after an incomparable lunch prepared by the Royal Scotsman team, we drove through the estate as mist lifted from the hills. We hand-fed red deer (a moment that felt suspiciously Disney-princess adjacent) and stood within arm’s reach of Highland cattle — the beloved “hairy coos,” shaggy and improbably endearing.
The estate house radiates Highland country warmth: wool tartans, fireplaces, windows framing endless green. It’s easy to imagine days spent outdoors followed by evenings wrapped in blankets before the fireplace, recounting the day over whisky.
What makes Rothiemurchus especially meaningful is that profits from activities directly support conservation of the land and wildlife. Luxury here feels responsible — and that matters.
Glamis Castle
No Highland journey feels complete without a castle — and Glamis delivers on every expectation.
Parts of the castle date to the 14th century, with most of its grandeur shaped in the 17th. It famously inspired Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It was where a young Queen Elizabeth spent happy childhood days. And Glamis remains the ancestral seat of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne — still home to the Lyon family today.
Inside, the rooms are richly layered: tapestries, portraits, ornate ceilings, and stories that drift easily between history and legend. My favorite? Earl Beardie, said to have gambled his soul to the Devil in a card game and condemned to play eternally in that hidden chamber. Allegedly, you can still hear them playing in the room that was walled in.
Ghost lore aside, the grounds deserve time. The formal knot garden alone would justify the visit — symmetrical, manicured, and quietly magnificent.
Plan for extra time outdoors if possible. The gardens are expansive and beautifully maintained — not an afterthought, but part of the experience.
The town of St. Andrews
After the grandeur of Glamis, St Andrews felt like a soft landing.
Yes, it’s synonymous with golf — the Old Course stretches toward the sea in iconic fashion — but even for the golf-indifferent (guilty), the town is deeply charming.
We lunched overlooking the course in a sunlit dining room arranged by the Inspirato team — one of those behind-the-scenes touches that elevate an already special trip.
But the real joy was wandering.
Ruins of St Andrews Cathedral rising against the sky.
The remains of St Andrews Castle perched near the shore.
West Sands Beach stretching wide and windswept.
And yes — Jannettas Gelateria. Despite being decisively full from lunch (and dessert), skipping it would have been irresponsible. The texture was flawless. The flavor worth the detour.
If your schedule allows, St Andrews deserves at least an overnight stay. It’s an idyllic seaside town with countless diversions.
Our Scottish Highlands Train Tour comes to an end. .
Five days passed in a rhythm of polished silverware, mist-softened mountains, castle corridors, falconry fields, and seaside towns.
The Highlands are extraordinary no matter how you experience them — by car, by foot, by ferry.
But to watch them unfold slowly from the window of a Belmond carriage — to dine well, sleep in Edwardian elegance, and wake somewhere entirely new without lifting more than a teacup — is a particular kind of romance.
And for a milestone birthday, it was exactly the right one.
. . .Continue the journey with us to London.
