West Highland Line to Skye
Skye Mountain Range
Travel on the "Greatest Railway in the World" and stay in an historic hotel on Skye.
Readers of Wanderlust travel magazine regularly vote for the West Highland Line as the best railway journey in the world. We created this unique holiday so that you can relax and take in the glorious scenery from Glasgow to Fort William, before enjoying the final section in first class style as the Jacobite Express steam train meanders its way from Fort William to Mallaig. But that’s not your final destination: from here you take the ferry ‘over the sea to Skye‘ to a beautiful, cosy hotel in a tiny village with stunning coastal views and excellent local walks.
Sustainable Travel
This holiday is part of our ever-growing collection of public transport based holidays, enabling you to reach destinations around Scotland without the need to drive – including the Isle of Skye. We feel strongly that true sustainability also means promoting and helping to maintain a way of life in areas where the economic benefit of tourism can make a genuine difference to the local community, which is why we have used locally-owned small accommodation and a local guide on this holiday.
This twin-centre holiday features Spean Bridge and the Isle of Skye. The holiday starts and finishes in Glasgow normally but we can also arrange a tailormade trip to start the tour in Edinburgh, or finish in Inverness.
We can also arrange travel from London by Caledonian Sleeper or other daytime services.
£1155 per person for April & October and £1240 for May through September.
The price for a single traveller is £1805 for April & October and £1895 for May through September, based on single occupancy of double/twin rooms.
Prices based on two people sharing a room for four nights, two with dinner, bed & breakfast and two on a bed & breakfast basis. This includes train travel from Glasgow to Fort William on the regular Scotrail service, travel by Jacobite steam train from Fort William to Mallaig first class, a full day guided tour in small group of the Isle of Skye, return ferry to Skye as foot passenger and return taxi transfers to the hotel on Skye. The return from Mallaig to Glasgow will be on the regular Scotrail service.
We can also arrange a private tour to allow you to tailor your visit to your exact requirements.
We can also arrange car hire on Skye, collected from and returned to the ferry port. Ask us for a tailormade quotation if this is of interest.
Before your departure, you will receive personalised holiday information including full directions, recommended routes, and suggestions on places to visit depending on your interests and our local knowledge to help you get the most from your holiday.
All itineraries and room types are presented subject to availability at specific hotels.
We work hard to make sure the unexpected doesn’t affect your trip. On rare occasions, changes or cancellations may occur, affecting accommodation, transport or excursions, including the Jacobite Express Steam Train. We are committed to informing you of any such circumstances and will use our knowledge and resources to offer suitable alternatives wherever possible.
Sustainable Travel
This holiday is part of our ever-growing collection of public transport based holidays, enabling you to reach destinations around Scotland without the need to drive. We feel strongly that true sustainability also means promoting and helping to maintain a way of life in areas where the economic benefit of tourism can make a genuine difference to the local community, which is why we have used locally-owned small accommodation and a local guide on this holiday.
You are requesting availability for
This holiday can be arranged from April to October. In 2024, the Jacobite Steam train will run from the 28th March until the 25th October. Outside these dates the same route can be booked, but a standard train service operates.
First class always sells out and the whole train is often fully booked in advance, so please do contact us as soon as possible to secure your seats for this wonderful trip.
Availability is individually checked for a hand-picked selection of smaller hotels, guest houses and other independent businesses, so please bear with us and we will respond in 1-2 working days.
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All our holiday prices include a service charge of £9 per person per night towards the costs we incur in researching, planning and designing your holiday.
We guarantee to refund this service charge if you believe that arranging your holiday through McKinlay Kidd has not met your expectations for value. All we ask is that you write to us within 7 days of your return and explain your reason for claiming the refund. This will ensure that we can improve the experience for all our future guests.
“Somewhere along the Scottish coast An emerald island lies So I will steer my sailing boat Unto the Isle of Skye” [Andrew Peterson] I take a...
The combination of rail and ferry through the glorious Highlands was terrific. The railway journey in both directions was spectacular.Ann & Donald, New York, USA
I was very much impressed with the attention to detail on our holiday which meant that everything went very smoothly.Mervyn & family, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Thanks for a very well organized trip. Really enjoyed all aspects...a good way to see some of Scotland in a short time.Mick & Merriel, Melbourne, Australia