THE FAR NORTH LINE
While other Scottish stunners, most notably the West Highland Line, deservedly enjoy fanfare, this fourhour adventure from Inverness to Thurso is agreeably unsung – and wild. Venturing north, you’ll board among trekkers and anglers, many of them bound for the sort of heathery peaks or salmon rivers you’re about to see repeatedly. From small harbours to seal-spotting around Brora, the highlights are many, but two things especially stand out: the half-timbered halt at Dunrobin Castle (left), and Caithness’s empty Flow Country, a hinterland of lochs, pine groves, deserted crofts and peat bogs.
Sit on: Coastal views are on the right. Stay overnight: Lots of tweed sets an appropriate tone at Inverness’s stylish Glenmoriston Town House (from £72 B&B, glenmoriston townhouse.com)