9 independent reviews for Grand rail tour of Scotland
Reviews for Grand rail tour of Scotland
Patricia Lumsden review 12 Jul 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The scenery is beautiful and the excursions were well done. Accommodation was great. Some of the meals provided were gourmet; unexpected and wonderful. The weather didn’t cooperate though.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
We thought that the seats on scotrail were reserved but it’s essentially find a seat and sit. Apparently seat reservations aren’t honoured. And we didn’t know where to find the coach number/letter. Not a tour operator problem but it would have been nice to know.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Tourism is a big business and we found people friendly and helpful. So yes, it benefits local people.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
I have travelled with the tour operator before and I’m impressed with their quality. The Vamoos application with all the trip details is very helpful especially the detailed summary. Concise and accurate. I would definitely recommend them to others.Donna Lindsay chidlow review 11 Jul 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The hospitality and food at Spean Bridge and at Carcrossrelax…2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don’t worry about reserved seats on most of the trains….no one seems to pay attention to them…even the conductors!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes! Most places were proud of the environmental things they were doing and the taxis and owners of B&Bs were very glad to have the tourist dollars.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
VERY GOOD. …comfortable, relaxed and casualMary McKay review 26 Jun 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The fact we travelled from town to town by train, seeing the country side and getting into a town where we had time to ourselves to look around. Another highlight was the variety of B &B’s we stayed in and the hospitality of these places.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Beware of weather conditions (be prepared for rain, wind and cooler temperatures). Travel lightly as always getting on and off trains. Also most accommodations do not have elevators and one has to carry luggage up stairs.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Reduced our use of highways and buses.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was wonderful. For us, we enjoyed the more layback pace of the trip and the fact we had time to ourselves. The local people were friendly and always willing to help.Elsie Perez review 18 Jun 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Isle of Skye.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
you need to be at the correct door when trying to exit the train. You only have two minutes and the door will stay shut and the train will continue to the next stop.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes everyone was very friendly and helpful.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
5 stars and would use this service again on future travels.Paul Krissel review 15 Jun 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The smaller towns and countryside. Fishing villages. Ancient ruins and archeology.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Minimum 2 night stays, 1 is too brief.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Not sure. In some of the smaller towns and locally run BnBs yes, in the bigger cities not so much.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Terrific, the tour operator was there when we had glitches and eased our minds.Sue Henczel review 21 May 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Travelling with longtime friends that live a world away from us.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Customise it so that there are fewer gaps between checkput and travel. Consider taking a car for some of the legs as you don’t see enough from the train.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It definitely benefited the guest house hosts. No to environmental impacts or conservation.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was good but too many communication irregularities by the tour operaror- this tour needs a rethink to be e optional.Read the operator's response here:
Thank you for your feedback Sue.
The Grand Tour of Scotland by Train has been one of our most popular trips for many years, especially for travellers who wish to explore by rail, rather than by car, often because they recognise that train travel is one of the most sustainable means of transport available. Our carefully curated itinerary covers a broad selection including some of Scotland’s most scenic and popular locations, as well as providing time away from the beaten track to engage with local people and culture. We are more than happy to tailor make this and all of our trips, to ensure that personal preferences are catered for. As well as locally-owned guest houses and small hotels, we work with hand-picked local guides. This adds a great deal of enjoyment for our travellers. It also means that local communities enjoy direct economic benefit, which is at the heart of responsible tourism. As a family-owned Scottish business, this has remained a core principle since we were founded in 2003.
Many thanks
Robert
Jean Elwell review 23 Sep 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The people we met were amazing!2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Learn how Scottish showers work!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, all 3, we lived the places we stayed and the local people we met and talked with.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent! Thanks to the people at the tour operator. They arranged everything and answered all of our questions.Lynda Matchullis review 24 Jul 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We really enjoyed the self-guided aspect of our tour. Our accommodations and transportation were worked out in advance, with some local tours. That approach gave us the flexibility to explore the local areas where we were staying at our leisure and book other activities as we saw fit. Factors like weather could be taken into consideration. The backbone of our self-guided tour was travelling by rail and that was a great way to travel. Making our connections was straightforward and we rarely travelled more than a few hours at a time. Travelling in June 2023, the trains were on time, clean, and we had our choice of seats.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Our tour was set up with two or more nights in one stop, in most cases. We liked this approach. On the first day we would travel to a new site and generally arrive just after lunch. Often we could get into our accommodations early or store our luggage. That fact left us free to go out and explore. The next day we did not have to travel so we continued our local hiking and touring. The third day we were usually heading back to the rail station in the morning. We found this plan to be the right pace for us. If you are choosing rail travel, consider using travel backpacks. As a senior and an adult travelling together, we were able to manage the various walks, stairs, and escalators with greater ease carrying our belongings on our backs. If you cannot carry a backpack, keep your suitcase small and make sure you can lift it. Spaces to store luggage on the trains are limited and there will be stairs to manage at many stations.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We ate out in all the communities that we visited. Usually we used local taxis to get to and from our accommodation when we were not walking. Local tours and shopping rounded out our local expenses. Travelling by public transport (rail, boat, and bus ) was the primary mode of transportation - a sustainable approach.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Our trip was excellent. Travel nowadays can be hectic and often disrupted. What we look for in a travel company is how well they prepare us and then, when we are on the tour, how well they respond to disruptions. Responsible Travel connected us with the tour providers. The tour provider kept us updated in a very timely manner by phone, email, and through their online app. As an example, when rainstorms took out part of the rail line, they immediately rebooked us on a bus for the last day of our tour and were in contact right away. This company doesn't just sell you a package, their staff keep track of how you are doing on tour. We would definitely book with them again.Liz Hobbins review 29 May 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Odd as it may seem, the best parts were when we were further away from people. We loved our hikes in Glen Nevis, Kingussie, and our tramp through the hills and woodlands above Pitlochry.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Book your restaurants at least one week ahead; we saw many walk-in parties turned away in many of the places where we ate. Trains and buses were too warm; dress in layers. Northernmost climes were REALLY cold; dress in layers.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Of course. We stayed in local establishments, ate at local restaurants, and didn’t drive (so no additional fuel).4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Great trip. Good introduction to Scotland. My husband says it was a good “tasting menu” LOL.Holiday Reviews
You can trust Responsible Travel reviews because, unlike many other schemes, reviews can ONLY be written by people who we have verified have been on the holidays. In addition, we don't run these holidays ourselves - our only interest is giving you the best independent advice.
