Full Steam Ahead To Christmas!
Strathspey Railway’s Santa Express pulls into the festive season in style
THERE are many seasonal activities arranged to entertain and engage people at this time of year, but what families want at Christmas is Santa! Well, the Strathspey Railway is only too happy to oblige with their seasonal Santa Express.
So it’s full steam ahead for some festive fun. During the two-hour journey to Boat of Garten and on to Broomhill and back aboard the traditional steam train, all the children onboard will have a chance to meet Santa and receive a present appropriate to their age.
Christmas-themed snack boxes are also served on the journey, and a glass of mulled wine for adults.
“We’ve been running the Santa Express since the early 1990s,” says Strathspey Railway’s Maureen Cuthbertson. “People come from far and wide to enjoy the run, from as far afield as America and Europe.”
And it’s not just clients who enjoy the ride. Maureen herself has taken part, as one of Santa’s little helpers.
If you can tear yourself away from the fun there’s much more to be enjoyed on the 32km (20-mile) journey. You’re travelling through some of Scotland’s most beautiful countryside, across moorland, through forest and along the meandering River Spey.
The Santa Express – in fact, the whole Aviemore Christmas experience – gives a boost to the local economy, one that many Highland towns of similar size would dearly welcome. Visitors make a few days or a weekend of it, but the Santa Express is as much an attraction for locals as it is for visitors.
For Sarah Caird, from tourist centre Visit Cairngorms, it’s on the family calendar just as much as Christmas itself.
“My group of friends have children of the same age as my kids so we go as a party. It’s a great social day out and the kids get the same thrill every time they go. There is such a friendly welcome from all the elves and Santa.
“I’m sure that if we missed out one year, Christmas wouldn’t really be the same and there would be a
number of disappointed boys and girls in and around the Aviemore area. I remember once going with my cousin who was only three or four, and it was the same Santa – a local face – as it was a couple of years ago!
“It might be targeted at families but you do see couples, maybe even older people, enjoying the experience. The railway makes everyone welcome, young and old.”
The Strathspey Railway Association, which runs the service, relies on volunteers to continue this much-valued attraction. And while December is a particularly busy time of the year, the steam service runs throughout the year.