Scottish Steam, Malt & Ale Trail

DAY 1

Arrive in Perth and make your way to our hotel for four nights, the Royal George Hotel. Tonight, we enjoy our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

Today we head northwards to explore the beautiful Trossach Range by coach, enjoying a cruise on Loch Katrine on board the 'Lady of the Lake'. We complete the day with a tour of the Glenturret Distillery, Scotland's oldest working distillery where we get to sample a superb single malt Scotch whisky.

DAY 3

One of Scotland's great rail journeys awaits 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. Back in Aviemore, we enjoy free time before we return 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 line. Following our visit, we travel to The Kelpies where we enjoy a brief tour of the world's largest equine sculptures and get to go inside to marvel at the complexity and engineering that created these fantastic pieces of art. We reboard our coach for the short transfer to the nearby Falkirk Wheel. The Forth & Clyde Canal was originally built to link sea to sea across Scotland’s central belt however, not long after its construction, it was usurped by the railways. After falling into disrepair, volunteers began restoring the canal to its former glory with similar vigour to the pioneers of railway preservation. The Falkirk Wheel is the final piece in the jigsaw, an incredible feat of engineering and design. Our boat is lifted 35 metres by the world’s only rotating boat lift, before sailing seamlessly onto the Union Canal. We finish our day at the Bridge of Allan Brewery where we are joined by one of their guides for a presentation of the brewery and brewing process, before we enjoy a taste of their wonderful ales.

DAY 5

Our hotel in Perth bids "haste ye back" as we make our way home.

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner