Inspirational S cotl and

From Highland peaks to Lowland shores, Scotland is a canvas of stirring landscapes. Tour your g roup through the majestic, unique, unforgettable nature of Caledonia .

Getting high in the Lowlands

On the excitimometer, where does your calibrated adrenaline le vel lie ? Are you rig ht up their with ‘junkie’ or somewhere nearer to ‘occasional user for recreation purposes ’ Where else but in Scotland can you experience so much in one day, the hig hs and lows, all in one manag eable, exciting trip ?

Take the South West. It’s where Scotland beg ins for so many visiting g roups. Standing on the shores of the Solway Estuar y, with the wide open tidal flats in front of you. Behind you, the Galloway hills and g lens, e ver y bit as dramatic as the Hig hlands. All around, surrounded by fertile g reen fields and welcoming towns, each with their own character and attractions, there’s a land to discover that really should take your attention

Dumfries and wildlife

From the parks of Dumfries, where Robert Burns spent much of his life, to the book shops of Wig town, there are places throug hout South West Scotland that make it a unique visit Seafood suppers in a traditional inn can be a charming way to experience the reg ion Maybe your g roup will enjoy the g ardens of Castle Doug las, or the art works of Kirkcudbrig htthe home of artist E A Hornel and his coterie of ‘Glasg ow Boys’ Ever y thing and e ver y where paints a picture of Scotland that is unique to you ere are plent y of accommodation options - so we’ll pick just one Holiday Inn Dumfries has a spot of character to g o with a recent refurb Enoug h rooms for a coach part y too

Wildlife thrives here, as it does throug hout Scotland Encounters with eag les, discoveries with deer, sig hting s with squirrels (red ones)it’s all possible in Scotland Among the ag encies with a remit for the wild, R SPB Scotland have a rang e of g uided walks on offer providing something for e ver yone as well as an abundance of fresh air From early morning sunrise g oose walks at Loch Lomond, to leisurely hig h-tide g uided walks at Crook of Baldoon Nature Reser ve in Newton Stewart, there are opportunities in abundance to explore the rang e of wonderful natural landscapes and wildlife in Scotland

Devilish explosion

A colossal explosion lig hts up the sky to the north. Moments later, a cacophony assaults the ears It can mean only one thing e nig htmare of a hug e accident at the big g est munitions factor y in the world. Fortunately, it’s a nig htmare that was ne ver realised Yet, your g roup can visit e De vil’s Porridg e Musuem, bet ween the towns of Gretna and Annan, and learn about the explosive past of this corner of Scotland

Hidden away, out of reach of Z eppelin raids, this was the unlikely source of British munitions in the Great War Take your adventurous g roup for a de vilish delve back into the early years of the t wentieth centur y. Explore this little known slice of Scottish histor y Not only is this reg ion famed for its g ardens and its pints of prawns You may be eloping to Gretna , but e ven the hammer on the anvil would be as nothing to the unending toil of the war effort.

You’ll find no explosives in Gretna Gateway, but you’ll find shopping g oes down a bomb at the famous outlet mall. Not to be confused with the nearby villag e and perennial betrothal spotGretna Gateway satisfies your lasting love with the barg ains of fashion If your g roup are the sort who find a hag g le in the aisles preferable to being walked down one, this is a marriag e made in heaven.

West Coast Wizardr y Move the canvas further up the West Coast, and the picture remains just as breathtaking , thoug h not quite as explosive Subtract the chemistr y of war, and add the alchemy of warlocks and wizards Maybe e ven introduce a young sorcerer too.

Yes, amid the fair y g lens and mag ical mountains, what inspiration it was to place the young Harr y Potter in such spellbinding surrounding s. ere has been mag ic in the land and waters of Scotland for g enerations, and for g enerations before that Wave the mag ic wand of time travel, and before your ver y e yes, you can journe y way back, to when the ice ag e sculpted a landscape that makes modern day Scotland such a dramatic canvas

Perhaps nowhere is that more so apparent than in the g reen and blue and hazy vista of Glenfinnan. Take in the view, from the picture windows of a West Coast Trains Jacobite express, steaming over the famous viaduct, looking out on the sea loch that once bore the would-be air to the British throne, the rebel Bonnie Prince Charlie. His monument, in the valle y below, the only such memorial to a g enuine rebel on British soil, is testament to the deep histor y that per vades this mag ical landscape Yet, as your part y cruise by, behind an authentic steam locomotive, it is likely the fictional young wizard, rather than the Young Pretender that will be e voked most oen

Ben Nevis views

As the line t wists and turns, rises and falls, hug g ing the shores of lochs and skirting round munros, including the mig ht y Ben Ne vis, the drama of the landscape equals any thing on screen ere will be time to ponder at a station or t wo, as the reg ular ser vices pass by, carr ying folks from Mallaig to Fort William and on to Glasg ow. Your part y can settle back into the rela xed surrounding s of your own special train, named Jacobite aer that rebel prince. Its appearance on screen as the Hog warts Express may have broug ht new fame to the train, but you’ll know it more for the journe y and the destinations.

L ike e ver y where in Scotland, e ven Mallaig need not be the end of the line. For sure, it’s as far as the rails travel, but that just means it’s time to chang e to another mode of transport From Mallaig , that almost always means a ferr y Not quite the ‘ g rand central’ of ferr y traffic represented by Oban, this terminal is ne vertheless busy with traffic to a whole array of destinations One exciting option looms larg e on the horizon, literarily

Isle of Skye castles

e mist y Isle of Skye has plent y of reasons to visit. From Mallaig , it’s a g entle crossing over the Sound of Sleat to the southern pier at Armadale. Astute travellers will have spotted that of Armadale there is a surfeit in Scotland. Whate ver the one in West Lothian, or the one in Sutherland may have in abundance, this island Armadale - or ‘elong ated valle y ’ as the name derives - is the only one with a Gaelic lang uag e universit y, notable g ardens, a clan centre, and a fabulous ruined castle. Well worth the sea crossing .

Making Armadale the start of an inspiring adventure on Skye is an astute choice e fourth big g est island in the British archipelag o commands more than a day to visit It’s over sixt y miles, around the foothills of the challeng ing Cuillin mountain rang e, to Dunveg an, the next most notable fortification on the island Home to the historic Fair y Flag of the Clan

Macleod, leg end has it that the unfurled standard will protect the clan and their allies in times of g reat dang er.

is power is said to persist for three occasions and, in the centuries since the flag came to reside at the castle, it has only been so displayed t wice in the face of g rave dang er, or the approach of an invading army Who knows when it mig ht be unfurled for a final time, that its charm may save the day one more time ?

Private army at Blair

Invading armies may not be a threat these days, but Scotland is not without armed castles - e ven today Blair Castle, ironically built as a baronial mansion in the fashion of a fortress, but without any real militar y pediments, is home to the only private army in Britain.

You’ll find Blair Castle about ten miles north of the victorian spa town of Pitlochr y. You can ’ t miss it, e ven as it nestles in the coniferous woodland of the Caledonian Pine Forest. en ag ain, built not as a fort, but as an ostentatious display of feudal financial power, isn’t conspicuous display the whole point

Meanwhile, back on the train, there is more to the timetable than the fishing villag e and ferr y port of