Scottish Steam, Malt & Ale Trail

DAY 1

On arrival in Perth, we make our way to our hotel for five nights, the Royal George Hotel, where we enjoy our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

After breakfast today, we head northwards to explore the beautiful Trossachs Range by coach, and we enjoy a cruise on Loch Katrine on board the 'Lady of the Lake', named after the famous poem by Sir Walter Scott. We complete our day with a tour of the Glenturret Distillery where we discover the history, heritage, and traditional art of making single malt whisky at Scotland's oldest working distillery finishing with a dram of their superb whisky.

DAY 3

One of Scotland's great rail journeys awaits us today as we head north into the Cairngorms, passing dense forests and wild moors, flanked by the Grampians, on our way to the mountain resort of Aviemore. Here we enjoy a return steam excursion from Aviemore to Broomhill on the preserved section of the Highland Line known as the Strathspey Steam Railway passing through woods and alongside the meandering River Spey on a nostalgic journey. We enjoy free time in the charming town of Aviemore before returning to Perth by rail.

DAY 4

This morning, we travel by private coach to Bo'ness & Kinneil Steam Railway for a return ride along the scenic line past waterfalls and travelling over the Avon Viaduct. Whilst here we will visit the Museum of Scottish Railways, Scotland's largest railway museum, which illustrates the history of railways in Scotland through fascinating displays. We journey onwards to the Bridge of Allan Brewery where we are joined by one of their guides for a unique presentation of the brewery learning the secrets of their brewing techniques before sampling their wonderful ales.

DAY 5

After breakfast this morning, we travel to Stirling by private coach enjoying free time and a visit to the stunning Stirling Castle to discover a world of colour, splendour, and glorious craftsmanship. Following our visit, we travel to The Kelpies where we enjoy a brief tour of these magnificent equine sculptures discovering the intricate details, complexity, and engineering that created these fantastic pieces of art. We reboard our coach for the short transfer to the nearby Falkirk Wheel, an incredible feat of engineering and design, where we experience a ride on the world's only rotating boat lift being lifted 35 metres before sailing seamlessly onto the Union Canal. On our return to Perth, we will enjoy our final evening meal together.

DAY 6

We bid farewell to Perth as we make our way homeward.

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner