Luxury Castles of Scotland by Rail

Pitlochy is a popular destination in the Highlands of Perthshire, straddling both banks of the River Tummel. Use your hire car to explore the local area but don’t miss the opportunity to explore on foot too if you can. The famous ‘Queen’s View’ (named after Queen Victoria) over Loch Tummel can be accessed by car but there are plenty of walking trails for all abilities starting from here. More ambitious walkers may like to scale the local peaks of Ben Vrackie or Schiehallion for breathtaking panoramas over the surrounding peaks and Rannoch Moor.

You may also like to visit the Atholl Palace Museum, charting the history of the grand Atholl Palace, once a Victorian hydropathic establishment and now a stunning hotel which is now another option for your stay in the Pitlochry area.

It’s only a 90-minute drive from Pitlochry to Fort William on the fastest route, so you might like to take a few scenic detours and explore more of the Cairngorms National Park or pay a visit to Urquhart Castle, overlooking Loch Ness. Along the route, there’s also the famous Dalwhinnie Whisky Distillery, where you can enjoy tours and tastings.

On arrival in Fort William, head for Inverlochy Castle, where you have a 3-night stay. Queen Victoria spent a week at this 19th century castle and declared ‘I never saw a lovelier or more romantic spot’. Facilities at the hotel include an award-winning restaurant and the possibility for outdoor pursuits including clay-pigeon shooting, fishing, tennis and cycling.

Largely unchanged in structure since its development in the 13th century, Inverlochy Castle sits in the shadow of the mighty Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest peak at a height of 4,413 ft. During your stay, you might like to visit the Ben Nevis Whiskey Distillery, hike around beautiful Glencoe or take the stunning Glen Etive road just south of Glencoe which takes you down 12 miles of  single-track road to the banks of Loch Etive, a huge saltwater loch which connects to the sea north of Oban.

On one of your free days, you’ll enjoy a day trip (travelling in First Class) on the famous Jacobite steam train, which takes you along the famous West-Highland line, across the Glenfinnan Viaduct to the fishing village of Mallaig, just across from the Isle of Skye.

After breakfast this morning, it’s time to leave Fort William and make the 4-hour drive south to the Ayrshire Coast. Your route takes you through Glencoe and along the banks of Loch Lomond. You can make a day of it and stop for a cruise or photo opportunities in the stunning Trossachs National Park or have lunch in the pretty resort town of Ayr.

Further down the coast, you can visit the majestic clifftop Culzean Castle or stretch your legs along Girvan Beach before you turn off the A77 onto a single track road which will take you to Glenapp Castle, your home for the next 3 nights.

Completed in 1870 and opened as a hotel in 2000, Glenapp is one of Scotland’s finest castle hotels. In a prime, remote location on the Ayrshire coast, the castle boasts spectacular views across to the Isle of Arran and Ailsa Craig. Out and about, you can take a coastal hike, visit one of the many castles in the area, find out more about Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, who was born in the area or take in a round of golf at a choice of nearly 50 courses. A short ferry ride across the Firth of Clyde will take you to the unspoilt islands of Arran or Cumbrae.

Leave your last hotel this morning and take the 3-hour drive back to Glasgow. You can drop your car off at the station before boarding a rail service which will take you back to London. Alternatively, if you’d like to add a couple of nights in Edinburgh to your stay, why not take the train here instead? We can add travel and accommodation to your package – please call for details and prices.