The Best Train Journeys in the UK for Leaf Peeping, Ocean Views, and a Seat on the Hogwarts Express

Condé Nast Traveler

24-06-2025

To the skirl of pipes, a string of burgundy carriages sails into Edinburgh Waverley, drawing curious stares as it comes to a halt, a red carpet rolling out to welcome its guests on board. Stepping inside what feels like a long and narrow Edwardian country house, you'll find sage green sofas draped with herringbone throws, and light cream curtains belted back to reveal the lowlands, which are soon rushing past the windows as the train barrels north towards the Firth of Forth. Belmond offers a number of itineraries spanning up to seven days, but the two-night Taste of the Highlands journey is enough to experience the wildness of moors mottled with patches of purple heather, deer darting by the River Tay, and the train running so close to forests flooded with lime green light that their twigs snap off through the windows. There are excursions to Culloden Battlefield in Inverness, clay pigeon shooting at the Rothiemurchus Estate, and whiskey-tasting at the Strathisla Distillery in the town of Keith, where the air smells of warm malt. The dress code is informal, and passengers dine at long communal tables, making friends over an extraordinary menu created by executive chef Mark Tamburrini, who sources his ingredients as the train twists and turns, collecting scallops in Kyle of Lochalsh, kippers in Loch Fyne, and Angus beef in Aberdeen. But the highlight is the observation carriage at the tail end of the train, where passengers can stand in the open, the wind whipping their cheeks while watching the tracks curl into the sunset.