Scotland's historic houses and gardens 5 days/4 nights

The luxurious Belmond Royal Scotsman train departs Edinburgh Waverley Station in the early afternoon. Heading north, it crosses the Firth of Forth using the magnificent Forth Railway Bridge. An impressive bridge, with a total length of over 2,5 km. built in 1879–1890. Its huge trusses are 110 m high. In 2015, the bridge was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In Montrose, guests will disembark to visit the 4th century formal gardens of Brechin Castle, considered one of Scotland's most beautiful private gardens. The castle itself was built of stone in the 1696th century, but most of the current buildings come from the reign of the 1709th Earl of Panmure, James Maule, who in XNUMX-XNUMX commissioned the reconstruction of the castle by the architect Alexander Edward. The castle was the seat of the Maule clan since the Middle Ages. In the XNUMXth century, the Maule and Ramsay clans united under one leadership and the castle is now the seat of the Earl of Dalhousie, who is the chieftain of the Maule clans of Panmure in Angus and the Ramsay of Dalhousie in Midlothian.

While guests enjoy breakfast, the luxury train reaches the capital of the highlands, Inverness, and from there north to Invergordon, where they will disembark to visit the 1154th century Foulis Castle - the seat of the Munro clan. Here they will be welcomed by Mrs. Munro and her son - Hector, who is the head of the clan. After being welcomed, they will be able to explore the castle gardens or join their host, Hector, in the living room for a whiskey tasting. The oldest mention of Foulis Castle dates back to the 1746th century, although it is believed that the original Foulis Tower was built in 6. During times of wars between clans, a fire was lit on the highest tower of the castle to summon members of the Munro clan to fight. This tradition gave rise to the clan cry "Caisteal Foghlais na theine!" (Foulis Castle is burning!). The castle survived until the Jacobite attack in 1754. During the Battle of Falkirk Muir, the 1792th baronet, Sir Robert Munro, was killed and the castle was captured and burned. His son and successor, Sir Harry Munro, returned from captivity to find the castle in ruins. Shortly thereafter, the Jacobites were defeated at the incredibly brutal Battle of Culloden. Sir Harry Munro began rebuilding the clan seat. However, the Battle of Culloden marked the end of the clan system of the Scottish highlands. As a result, the castle was rebuilt as a classical residence that has survived to this day. The works lasted from XNUMX to XNUMX.

For lunch, the guests return to the train, which sets off towards the Kyle of Lochalsh, passing along the way some of the oldest mountains in Great Britain - the Torridon Hills (whose rocks, according to geologists, remember times before life appeared on Earth), the Achnashellach forest and the Loch fjord Carron. In the charming fishing village of Plockton they will disembark to visit Attendale House on the west coast, built in 1755 by Donald Matheson. This huge (over 12 ha) wonderful estate boasts beautiful gardens - the most prominent of which are the Japanese Garden and the Water Garden. The train will stop at Kyle of Lochalsh overnight. An informal dinner will be served here, after which guests can relax with coffee and liqueurs in the observation car.

After breakfast, the guests will get off to drive through the mystical Isle of Sky to the gardens surrounding the ruins of Armadale Castle - the estate of the Donald clan, who boast descent from the King of the Isles, who ruled the Hebrides in the mid-800th century. The huge estate - covering over 1546 hectares - houses the Donald Clan Center and the award-winning museum of the Scottish highlands and islands - Museum of the Isles. Guests reboard the train at Kyle of Lochalsh and enjoy a delicious lunch on the way to Dingwall. Via Inverness, the train reaches Carrbridge, where travelers will disembark to visit the "Pearl of the North" - the romantic Ballindalloch Castle rising over the River Spey. From the very beginning, when the first tower was built in XNUMX, the castle has remained the property and home of the Macpherson-Grant family. Here, guests will visit the wonderful castle garden hidden behind the walls. Guests will spend the night on a train on the private Strathspey Railway at Boat of Garten.

After breakfast, the coach will take guests on a tour of Rothiemurchus Estate, located in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. There will be opportunities for fishing, testing your shooting skills during a clay pigeon shooting competition, and exploring the wonderful surroundings with a guide. . After guests board the train at Kingussie, it heads south to Dunkeld. They will then disembark to visit Ruthven House and the famous Pitmuies Gardens, located near Forfar, dating back to the 16th century. After the tour, guests return to the train waiting for them in Dundee. A delicious dinner awaits them on board.

In the morning, the luxurious Belmond Royal Scotsman train departs Dundee, returning to Edinburgh, where the extraordinary journey comes to an end. Guests will be served breakfast on the way to the final station.