Fantastic way to see Strathspey Strathspey Steam Railway Review

The steam Railway follows a disused railway line from Aviemore, through Boat of Garten to Broomhill (or to fans of the TV show Monarch of the Glen - Glenbogle). The intention is eventually that the line will connect through to Grantown-on Spey. My father is a real steam enthusiast, so I took him, my parents, and sisters family on a Boxing Day 'Santas Express' special. We arrived and showed our tickets which had pre allocated seats and made our way to our carriage. Unfortunately, someone else had also been allocated our seats and we ended up sitting on rickety chairs in the cafe car. Not really the experience I wanted. That said, it should be remembered that this was probably one of the busiest days and the railway is staffed solely by volunteers.

The journey was great, it follows the route of the Spey through Pine Forests before a stop in Boat of Garten (you can embark/disembark here) and then at Broomhill, where the tender manoeuvres to pull the carriages back to Boat. This gave my father a great opportunity to speak to the driver and have a look at the engine - he was a happy man!

The cafe on board sold drinks and light snacks. We had brought our own mulled wine and mince pies and it was allowed to consume these.

The carriages are not heated so you need to wrap up well in winter and although there is a toilet, it has a bucket of water to flush it (to stop frozen pipes).

The main train station at Aviemore is right next to the Strathspey Steam Railway platform, there is a taxi rank outside and also a bus stop. There is also plenty of parking if you go over the Old Bridge, turn left and go up behind the station..