The Highlands · Region
Pinewood, high plateau and the river.
The great inland Highlands: Britain’s largest national park, the old pinewoods of Rothiemurchus and Glen Tanar, the Dee and the Spey. This is where the estates are.
The Cairngorms and Speyside
The Cairngorms plateau is the highest, coldest ground in Britain. Below it are the remnants of the Caledonian pinewood, red squirrels, capercaillie and the rivers that make Deeside and Speyside.
It is the region for an exclusive-use house: a Highland estate with a cook, a ranger and a ghillie on the river. Stalking happens on many estates in season, and we never assume it is wantedverify.
Speyside has more distilleries than anywhere else in Scotland. It pairs well with a few days on an estate, and it is the end of the sleeper line at Aviemore.
Only if you ask for it. Many estates offer it in season; we plan walks, fishing and wildlife by default.
Very. Space, rivers, ponies, and a house where nobody else is staying.
Routes
10–12 nights · Sleeper · Orkney · Shetland
One sleeper · Three NorthLink crossings · No flights
Suggested10–12 nightsTailored to your dates · no package price
View route: Sleeper to the Northern Isles
6–8 nights · Edinburgh · Deeside · Speyside
One estate · One river · The sleeper home
Suggested6–8 nightsTailored to your dates · no package price
View route: Estate and pinewoodExperiences
London to the Highlands
The overnight train from Euston to Inverness, Fort William or Aberdeen.
The Highlands
Salmon or sea-trout fishing on a private beat with a ghillie.
The Highlands and islands
A whole Highland or island estate house for a family or a group of friends.
Where to stay
Placeholders: the kind of place we would suggest, until our specialists confirm the houses and hotels we use.
Estate
Sleeps eight to sixteen, with a cook and a ghillie.
Hotel
For the pinewoods and the sleeper home.
Estate
For a larger party, with a river beat.
Best time to visit
All year. Spring and autumn for walking; summer for families; winter for snow and fires. Daylight shown for Inverness, the nearest Light calendar station; the best months are in bold.
The Cairngorms and Speyside
They range from a lodge for eight to a castle for twenty. What matters is the people: the cook, the ghillie, the ranger. We know which ones have them.
Salmon fishing on the Dee and the Spey is let by the beat and the week. Seasons and catch-and-release rules vary by riververify.
Aberdeen and Inverness airports are both within about an hour and a half. Routes and operatorsverify pending a specialist check.
Photographs
Speak to a specialist
Tell us when, who’s coming, and what you’re hoping for. One person plans it and looks after you.
Want to see it on the map?
Build a route with the Crossings