This tour would have had a far higher rating if the highlight of the holiday had not been missed due to poor planning.
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Brand: Great Rail Journeys
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Very bad experience on this holiday. Jacobite train completely missed due to poor admin and planning. Hotel in Carrbridge not up to 4* standard and food served was very poor. Many other issues resulting in lots of wasted time and rushed visits. Would not recommend.
I have already written to you about this and am waiting for a reply We missed Jacobite train and food at hotel in Carrbridge was not 4 star standard.
Poor hotel too far away from the places we were due to visit.
Great time in Glasgow and Scottish Highlands with very good local guides on Loch Ness, and exhibition center, Culloden Battlefields , Strathspey Railway But missed best train tour from Fort William to Mallaig ( Jacobite Steam Train ) Hotel in Glasgow Voco Grand Central very good Hotel in Carrbridge below average
Th trip was very enjoyable, largely because the participants were such a congenial group. The Glasgow element was a bit misplaced, since no activities were programmed there, although many of us extended our stay in order to discover the city on our own. The hotel was a bit soulless, but adequate. The hotel in Carrbridge which served as a base for the Highland part of the holiday had more personality, but it was shocking to be served canteen level food in a 4* hotel. I hope that this is not the standard of catering to be found on GRJ holidays generally. The excursions in the Highlands were mostly satisfactory and I even enjoyed those about which I had most doubts, the Culloden battlefield tour and the Loch Ness monster experience. It was a real shame that the rail trip to Mallaig which many of us looked forward to as a highlight, was not with a steam loco, but the scenery was still marvellous. Getting to and fro for this excursion involved a very long coach trip, and ideally a hotel would be found that was more central for all the activities in the Highlands.
The main purpose of booking was to go on the Jacobite steam expereince, as we were unable to get a private booking by ourselves and you were advertising it as part of your itinerary. Knowing now how the situation was you should never have advertised it in the itinerary in the way you did, we were totally misled, which put a downer on the tour. The rest of the tour was OK but we wouldn't have gone on it just for the other trips. The hotel was obviously low budget with loads of coach parties and while the food was varied and served effectively my wife succumbed to chilli, the kitchen just did not pay attenmtion to her allergy, she was ill all night and suffered the next day. The train to Inverness and coach back to Carrbridge was a waste of everybody's time and expense. As the luggage was tramnsported to the hotel anyway everyone was capable of the 1/2 mile walk (no more than in Glasgow or Edinburgh) and a taxi could have taken those unable to walk. We booked an paid for the Inverness castle expereince on the last day which was really good. The tour should have included that than spare time in Carrbridge on the last morning. We really feel cheated that you did not market the holiday truthfully and that you got our booking under false information. We intend to make a claim accordingly, we feel cheated over the whole event which we wouldn't otherwise have booked with you. We also felt the Strahspey railway would have been much more attractive if we had had afternoon tea included. So all in all a big disapointment and let down. Great Rail Journeys have done themselves no favours here at all! Diane and Michael Faarup
Did not live
The whole trip was very good, although I couldn't see any point whatsoever in going to Glasgow at the start and end of the trip. It should have been an Edinburgh and the Highlands Adventure, giving Glasgow a complete miss.