Following the tracks of Queen Elizabeth
01/06/2022 · By Karen Overend
Follow in the tracks of Queen Elizabeth on a majestic journey with Great Rail Journeys. Read our blog for insights into this fascinating royal adventure.
Read moreSave up to £200pp on selected British Isles 2025 departures, when you book by 16th December 2024.
No Single Supplement subject to availability on selected departures.
2025 Tour code: SHS25
About the tour
Majestic lochs and glens await on this Scottish escape as we explore Edinburgh and cross the Highlands. Travelling on the scenic West Highland and Kyle railway lines, we discover historic castles, sail along glistening lochs, and stay in vibrant cities.
Wander the rainbow streets of delightful Tobermory, stand at the foot of Neptune's Staircase, and admire the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct. Scotland's beauty and culture pave the way for a range of amazing experiences and memories.
Unforgettable experiences
What’s included
Itinerary
Your holiday begins today as you arrive in Edinburgh independently and check in to our hotel where you are greeted by our Tour Manager. Afterwards, you're at leisure to start exploring Scotland's capital.
The heart of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with the Old Town's Royal Mile and the New Town's award-winning Georgian architecture continuing the contrast between traditional and contemporary. As you admire the grand neoclassical buildings of the New Town or stroll up Calton Hill to view the National Monument of Scotland, modelled on the Greek Parthenon, it's easy to see why Edinburgh came to be regarded as the 'Athens of the North'. There are so many great sights to see in Edinburgh, from renowned museums to picturesque streets and the historic delights of the Royal Mile. Outside the National Museum of Scotland, you can find a small fountain commemorating Greyfriars Bobby, the terrier who guarded the grave of his owner for 14 years.
This evening, we gather at our central hotel for our first dinner together as a group.
Additional information
Hotels
Clansman Hotel, Loch Ness
Trains
Enhance your holiday
Upgrades
Reviews
4.4 / 5 · 700 reviews
Arthur MacKie
Submitted 21/Nov
It could/should have been an outstanding trip, but our tour guide, altho personable, was not knowledgeable about the tour. He left us to "enjoy the scenery/ride" while not informing us what we were "enjoying" -- no explanation of what we were seeing. Each day we received our daily itinerary (i.e. "today we visit Neptune Staircase, visit Fort William, cruise on Loch Linnhe, and visit Glencoe"). There was no further explanation of history, or what we were seeing.
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NEWHART, KENT
Submitted 30/Oct
The trip and scenery and food were fantastic. As well as the accommodations! Our guide, Rosie is what really pulled the trip together...she was wonderful!! Improvements: The roads are very winding and too much time on the coaches, sometimes made us out of sorts. Drivers were excellent and knowledgeable and entertaining, but too much time on coaches. Also, the whiskey tastings were at the end of long days and not well attended. Passed numerous distilleries, why didn't we stop there instead and get a full immersion of the whiskey process.
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Dorcas Holzapfel
Submitted 19/Oct
Our Tour Manager, Andrea Kinnear, was perfect for this tour! Warm, friendly, well informed, approachable and a great sense of humor.
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Theresa Knox
Submitted 18/Oct
Scheduling left free time chopped up with too little time to do anything. Also seemed we repeatedly covered the same route to arrive at different destinations. Accommodations were really good but with better planning, could have been a 6 day tour
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Pauline
Submitted 18/Oct
Tour was good apart from no tour of Edinburgh, and unfortunately no tour of islands as ferry cancelled. So was really a tour of just Highlands which are beautiful. Tour manager was great and we did something else when ferry cancelled but still very disappointing. Glenspean lodge was a superb accommodation, can’t fault it!
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