GREAT SCOTS
With Harry Potter back in the news with the new play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opening in London and the subsequent book that’s flying sans broomstick off shelves – and did we mention the Potter spinoff film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them starring Oscar-winning Eddie Redmayne? – we can’t help but get a bit nostalgic for the storied Hogwarts Express and its schoolstart journey from King’s Cross in London to the wilds of Scotland.
This year, you can take it to the tracks in equally fantastic ways: After a decade-long hiatus, the Flying Scotsman, a historic steam engine that’s just undergone a 4.2 million pound overhaul, has several routes across the U.K. It’s a novelty, though, considered more a roving museum exhibit, with some tours offering great food experiences, so don’t expect the locals using it as a passenger train. It was so popular that most of the 2016 departures are already sold out, but organizers already have itineraries in the works for May to October of 2017, so book now for next year. www.flyingscotsman.org.uk
If you’re looking for more of a bespoke experience, the Belmond Royal Scotsman (that’s the same Belmond behind travel icons such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Venice’s Belmond Hotel Cipriani and Cape Town’s Pink Lady – the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel) is adding land excursions throughout Scotland. Coined Action Stations, it’s like a private charter with a custom itinerary featuring Scottish country diversions (shooting, riding, fishing and more). Along with the bespoke offerings, there are assorted other journeys, from golf-focused to whisky, out of Edinburgh’s Waverly Station, from two nights (which covers the Highlands) to seven (which encompasses Scotland, England and Wales). With a maximum of 36 passengers, it’s like a boutique hotel on wheels. www.belmond.com/royalscotsman
IF YOU GO www.visitscotland.com. Air Canada offers direct flights via its Rouge airline to Glasgow and Edinburgh ( www. aircanada.com) and WestJet has been flying to Glasgow via Halifax since 2015 ( www.westjet.com). —VV