I stepped from the platform in Edinburgh in the 21st century and was transported for a few hours to an altogether different time – one where opulence, good taste and exquisite dining reign supreme. I was aboard the world-famous Orient Express travelling to Oban on one of their specially planned day trips within Scotland. It might have been a miserable day outside but inside the welcome was warm and I was treated to a real one-off experience.

I must admit to a certain cynicism before my trip. After all, how special could a train journey be? I was to discover, however, that it wasn’t only the mode of transport that makes the Orient Express unique, but the manner in which you travel. The journey itself is the experience not the route or destination although some of the scenery was magnificent.

Stepping aboard on a red carpet and being met by welcoming liveried staff, trained to appreciate where they work and intent on making your journey the once-in-a-lifetime experience it often is, was a good start. Seeing the interior fittings and lavishness of the

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