Things to do on a Scotland rail holiday

Railway holiday operators more than make up for the lack of food on board Scottish trains by booking you into hotels and guesthouses along the way where local produce and lots of it is most definitely par for the course. Don’t underestimate this. Caledonian cuisine is top class these days and whoever thinks that it is all haggis and deep fried everything is an eedjit, to use the local language. First of all, there is the seafood, which is world famous and, thankfully, no longer all exported around the world. Get off the train along the west coast and seek out mussels and langoustine, oysters and fresh fish.

Of course there are some colossal castles in Scotland, and railway holidays will take you to some of the greats. These include Urquhart on Loch Ness, Blair Castle near Pitlochry, and urban greats such as Inverness Castle and, of course, Edinburgh Castle, the magnificent overseer of the capital city. For battle sites, you don’t get much more dramatic in terms of history than The Battle of Culloden site near Inverness.

You don’t have to go too far from the train to explore some of the country’s finest distilleries. Myriad malts to be savoured on tours include Talisker on the Isle of Skye, Dalwhinnie distillery which is the highest in the country and just ten minutes walk from Dalwhinnie train station in the Cairngorms or Edradour, near Pitlochry.

Look down at your fellow rail travellers’ feet. Hiking boots nearly always win over work shoes or high heels. One of Scotland’s many glorious aspects is that walking is enshrined not only in its culture but in law, too, with walkers given the right to roam wherever they like. Accommodations show off their ‘Walkers Welcome’ signs, and even in the haughtiest Highland hotels, they will serve you a whisky in a crystal glass and want to hear all about your route. Talk to your holiday company about including a few good hikes in your railway holiday itinerary. Even better, use the services of a local guide to explore the likes of Old Man of Storr on Skye, Ben Nevis from the railway town of Fort William or up myriad monros in and around Aviemore station in the Cairngorms National Park.