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To celebrate the launch of Specialist Journeys, enjoy 15% off our 2027 tours with code Curious15. From archaeology and ancient history to remarkable gardens, follow your curiosity somewhere extraordinary. Book by 20 October 2026.
Our rail and steam tours combine spectacular scenery with remarkable feats of engineering. The Jacobite steam train runs out of Fort William and over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, nearly 1,250 feet of curving concrete overlooking Loch Shiel - a pioneering feat of Victorian engineering that still carries trains more than a century later. Boat of Garten the Strathspey Line keeps the sights and sounds of steam alive in the Cairngorms. And beyond the railways there is water: the paddle steamer Waverley, the steamship Sir Walter Scott on Loch Katrine, and the Falkirk Wheel lifting boats between canals.
You travel with expert Tour Managers who know these lines and the engineering behind them, adding insight to each journey while taking care of the timetables and connections.
Browse tours by interest, from archaeology and gardens to wildlife, astronomy, history and rail.
Explore the world by destination, from Scotland and Europe to Africa, the Middle East and further afield.
Choose with confidence. Our activity levels show the pace, terrain and walking you can expect on each tour.
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No; the heritage lines are shorter sections rather than a complete network, so coach travel links the routes and takes you to the places between them. You get the journeys worth taking without having to build an itinerary around a timetable.
Expert Tour Managers who know these railways and the engineering behind them. Scotland's railway history is a genuine Victorian achievement, from the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879 to the Forth Bridge that answered it in 1890, and travelling with someone who can explain what you're crossing adds a good deal to the crossing.
Not at all; plenty of guests come for the engineering and the locomotives, and plenty come because these lines run through some of the finest landscape in Britain and a train is the most comfortable way to see it. Both get what they came for.
Yes. Time is built in at stations and viewpoints rather than assuming everyone is happy to watch through a window. Steam draws photographers, and the itineraries are planned by people who know that.
Stations, platforms and heritage sites involve steps and some uneven ground, and older rolling stock is not always easy to board. Each itinerary carries an activity level of light, moderate or active so you know what to expect before you book.
Very much so, and many guests travel solo. Shared interest naturally leads to easy conversation, and a group with a common enthusiasm for the line you're all riding tends to fall into conversation quickly.
Spring through autumn, when the heritage lines are running their fullest timetables and the landscape the routes were built to show off is at its best. Steam services are seasonal by nature, and each tour is timed around when the lines it uses are operating.
If you would like to become a partner agent with Specialist Journeys please contact, agents@specialistjourneys.com
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