A ‘COMPASS TOURS’ DAY EXCURSION
BY SPECIAL TRAIN
BY SPECIAL TRAIN
BRIEF ROUTE COMMENTARY: - The train journey starts on the West Coast route via Cumbria and climbing over Shap Fell heads up through Carlisle and Lockerbie, where we take the scenic climb over Beattock summit. At Carstairs we continue north through South Lanarkshire. On arrival at Motherwell, we skirt round the outside of Glasgow and into Cumbernauld. From there we skirt round Falkirk and head up through Stirling and into Perthshire. As we pass the mountains near Gleneagles we enjoy some further fine scenery.
We then take the Inverness line, noted for its fine scenery. On from here the train has no shortage of steep climbs, and scenery entirely unique to the region. After Stanley Junction much of the route is single track and we pass several forests before Dunkeld. Another similarly good leg takes us to Pitlochry with expected arrival at a time of around 12:00.
PITLOCHRY: The town was created by the Victorians because of its beautiful location reflected all over by the style of the town. The Atholl Palace Hydro with its white turrets sits elegantly above the thickly wooded hills around Pitlochry and provides a stunning sight for those approaching the town from the south. Over the years with its wealth of unique shops, eateries, pubs and local visitor attractions which include its well known Dam and Fish Ladder, plus 2 extremely welcoming whisky distilleries in the area the town has grown in popularity. You can also take some time enjoy the many walks and woodland trails the area has to offer and the famous Killiecrankie area where ancient battles were fought between Highland soldiers. Departure is expected at around 16:00.
BLAIR ATHOLL: Or stay on board to enjoy a pleasant run through ancient battle site and home of the Jacobite rebellions along the pass of Killiecrankie to this little corner in the ‘Heart of Scotland’, Blair Atholl situated at the meeting point between the Tilt and Garry Rivers and also famous for the beauty of its scenery, at first heavily wooded but later becoming dramatic and precipitous. It is also a well-known glen for its marble in shades of light grey and green. On a walk into the village you may enjoy a working Corn Mill, Country Museum, Churches and an interesting array of shops. Another superb area for walks and not too far away is the popular visitor attraction of Blair Castle, noted for its white exterior and home to the Duke of Atholl for many centuries. A stroll up into its pleasant grounds, with beautiful gardens and you can enjoy 700 years of local history and battles through the 32 rooms open to the public as well as a shop selling gifts from all over Scotland. Arrival into Blair Atholl is expected to be 12:15 with a departure at around 15:45.
DRUMOCHTER & DALWHINNIE: We are offering this third option for those of you after something a bit different. You may stay on the train for the steep 1:70 climb up to Drumochter summit then down to the edge of Loch Ericht to the extremely remote outpost Dalwhinnie where we should have an afternoon break of a little over 2 hours. It should be noted that this is home of the highest malt whisky distillery in the country (a little bit of a walk from the station) which has a visitors centre and guided tours (for over 18’s only) – and not included in the advertised fares. Passengers are pre-warned that the only place that meals are available nearby is the Loch Ericht Inn situated around 10-15 minutes walk south on the A889 main road. This may however not suit everybody so some of you may prefer the idea of taking a picnic as if the weather permits this is a beautiful mountainous area that could be enjoyed with a short walk (perhaps to the edges of Loch Ericht). We must point out that all activities during our short stay at Dalwhinnie involve a fair amount of walking therefore its strongly advised that passengers with poor mobility or walking problems don’t choose this option!
RELATED WEBSITES:
ESTMATED TIMINGS: *PLEASE NOTE times are only those that have been requested. Confirmed final times will be sent out with your tickets around four or five days before the tour when Network Rail advise us of them.
http://www.visitscotland.com
http://www.perthshire.co.uk/
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/pitlochry/pitlochry/
http://www.scottish-towns.co.uk/perthshire/pitlochry/
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/blairatholl/blairatholl/index.html
http://www.blairatholl.org.uk/
http://www.scottish-towns.co.uk/perthshire/blair-atholl/index.html
http://www.blair-castle.co.uk/
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dalwhinnie/dalwhinnie/index.html
CHILDREN UNDER 5 YRS can be brought on the train free of charge only if not taking up a seat and sharing seats with accompanying adults.
REFRESHMENTS: A buffet service of snacks, hot and cold drinks, and alcoholic beverages is available to all our passengers throughout the day – as well as an at seat trolley service in first class seating areas, operating at occasional intervals.
THE TRAIN: The train is hired in and operated through licensed UK rolling stock providers and train operating companies and formed entirely of traditional intercity carriages hauled by heritage British Built diesel traction throughout. First class passengers are seated in tables of 2 or 4 seats with curtains, larger more deeply cushioned reclining seating. Standard class is seated mainly in bays of 4 seats around a table (but some trains convey a little standard class accommodation with private ‘airline’ style bays which have 2 seats together with folding tables – please contact our office though if you are unsure as to whether they are specifically available). If you have specific seating requests or type – please give us plenty of notice, ideally when booking.
Many of our recent Railtours have been very busy or fully subscribed so early booking is advised!
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