Ways2Travel: June 2009

A wine train is a great way to taste and travel without getting tired. Why don't we have one in India too?

THIS is both a holiday suggestion and a hope! While channel surfing earlier this week, I chanced upon a rather nifty documentary on the 'Wine Train' — a ride through the vineladen valleys of Napa in California. The carriages looked like a cross between the Orient Express and a modern first class bogey and the kitchens appeared to be fabulous.
    The star attraction, of course, was wine. Much of Napa's best was there on offer for tasting and buying. The sight of miles and miles of green and serene vineyards stretching onto the Californian horizon only increased the temptation to taste and buy apparently! That made me wonder where else such train rides were available.
    Delving into the net I found a few others in the same mould as the Napa train, notably in the happening South American wine destination of Chile. According to what I could gather, after a short bus ride to the railhead at San Fernandez, the guests board a train whose vintage carriages are named after the grapes that have catapulted Chile to the near-top of the New World wine list — Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
    The route is not long — just 42 km to Santa Cruz — through the vineyard-lined Colchagua Valley. On board are sommeliers and wines by the glass
and there is an option to dine as well on a menu crafted to complement the wines of the region.
    Napa's wine train is arguably the most successful, having run for 20-odd years. And for us Indians it affords an opportunity to see vast tracts of vineyards (and taste their produce!) without straining our feet. That's something I learnt the hard way when tromping through countless chateaux in Bordeaux some years ago! Besides, if the weather doesn't hold up, the trip still continues, so we get our money's worth.
    Of course, not all wine trains area surefire success. One in Australia called the Barossa Wine Train, has had a patchy history, being called off in the middle, then shakily revived. Still the idea of covering distances in style cannot be disregarded. Especially by us Indians, who are not generally known for our enthusiasm to hoof it through miles of countryside!
    Now comes the second part of my contention. Considering that many New World wine countries have tried the wine train experiment — even cautious Canada — either as a seasonal or permanent attraction, isn't it time to consider it in India too? That would be an option that I can see many urban dwellers taking to.
    Nashik is not far from Mumbai and the route is scenic. There are trains galore already running between the two places. A day trip to and fro, with wine and winerelated food on board and a dekko of the v i n e y a r d s (maybe a couple of wineries) would be ideal!
    That would bring tourism to the area, popularise a growing industry in Maharashtra (viticulture) and also offer yet another international style travek option right here in India. In fact, even Karnataka can consider it! The stumbling block is glaringly obvious: how can liquor be allowed to be served (legally) on board trains? Well designate the train as a hotel, whatever. The idea deserves at least a thought!

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Nivedita Choudhary got her fill of great Scottish produce and traversed its picturesque straths and lochs, but didn't get a glimpse of Nessie, alas!

HE SCOTTISH Highlands offer the best of all worlds. For peace and quiet, you can't beat the wide-open spaces of the Cairngorm National Park and Sutherland. If you want some action – be it retail or adventure – the capital city of Inverness offers shopping, dining and clubbing experiences to rival any of Scotland's major hubs. From ancient cairns, standing stones and iron-age fortresses to romantic castles, bloody battlefields and clan histories, there is something for all ages to marvel.
    We left our hotel in Edinburgh early in the morning and made our way to the office of our tour company on the High Street. I had earlier booked a five-day Highland expedition with the company. Most of the people who would be travelling with us had arrived and were raring to go. It was a motley group comprising people from Colombia, Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, Russia and even Wales! Our guide-cumdriver Donald was a cheerful and enthusiastic fellow who carted our heavy suitcases and loaded them at the back of the bus.
    The bus went past the beautiful buildings of Edinburgh and over the Forth Road Bridge, which spans the Firth of Forth and connects Edinburgh to Fife. Our first stop was Dunkeld, a lovely village of largely whitewashed shops, cottages and hotels near Perth. We made our way to the fine cathedral, which has a superb setting on the north bank of the River Tay and must surely be one of the most beautifully sited cathedrals in the country. Half of it is still in use as a church, the rest is in ruins. The oldest part of the original church is the choir, completed in 1350.
    In the turbulent history of Scotland, Dunkeld Cathedral suffered desecration and devastation twice. Following the Reformation in the 1560s, the Privy Council issued instructions to local lairds to destroy 'images of idolatry'. They interpreted this order as an excuse for widespread destruction and caused much damage to the cathedral. The structure was again burnt during the Battle of Dunkeld in 1689.
    The adjoining village of Birnam lies just across the bridge from Dunkeld. Birnam is best known for its Shakespearean associations where, in the play Macbeth, the moving of Birnam Wood to Dunsinane, 12 miles to the south-east, heralded the death of Macbeth.
    The Cairngorms National Park is an outstanding location for exploring the rich fabric of the Highlands. The mountains that have shaped the people, culture, natural heritage, scenery and character of the area dominate the national park and give it its name. We were treated to breathtaking views of ancient pine forests, lochs, rivers and moorlands as the bus whizzed past some of the best wildlife habitats in the UK.
    Nestled in the straths and glens, tucked away in the forests or busy thoroughfares, the towns and villages in the area each have their own character and identity. There are traditional distilleries where we learnt the secrets of Scotland's national tipple and special centres where we got up close and personal with exotic creatures such as reindeer, snow monkeys and wolves. Whether we were indoors or outdoors, we were never be short of something to do!
    The Cairngorms is a natural larder. Fresh salmon and trout from the Spey and the Dee, venison from the many Red Deer that roam the hills and locally-reared lamb make it a paradise for foodies. Boats from the nearby Moray Firth deliver the freshest seafood – juicy scallops and fat mussels, lobster, langoustine, prawns and an impressive range of fish. The peaty soil produces peerless soft fruits – not just world-renowned Scottish raspberries, but strawberries, blackberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants!
    When eating out, we asked the restaurant staff where the food came from. By choosing local options where available, we not only got a real flavour of the Cairngorms but also supported local food producers.
    The clean, bracing Cairngorms air made us ravenous. We stopped for a quick bite at Loch Insh, which is popular with windsurfing and sailing enthusiasts. The restaurant was teeming with people and many of them had come on cycles. The national park has plenty of quiet country roads and there are opportunities for every kind of cycling – a gentle family ride or tough and punishing routes on tarmac, cycle path, tracks and trails.
    We then made our way to Loch Ness, famous the world over for its elusive resident. The loch itself is Scotland's largest and it is more than 600 ft deep for much of its 23-mile length. The reporting of something unexpected in the lake began to interest the world's media in the 1930s and it's been an attraction for tourists, explorers and Nessie hunters ever since.
    We stopped at Dores, a hamlet on the edge of the Loch. Dores boasts a pub, a few houses... and that's it. If you are looking for nightlife or even a shop, forget it. But sipping latte, we marvelled at our magnificent surroundings.
    Being in the centre of the Great Glen, Loch Ness and its camerashy monster draw their fair share of summer visitors, with the two main visitor centres being Urquhart Castle and the village of Drumnadrochit. However, we were glad that we had stopped at the quiet Dores instead of the more touristy Drumnadrochit.
    Our final destination was Inverness, where we halted for the night. Located at the top of the Great Glen, the city boasts a host of historic buildings in the Old Town to appreciate while we shopped. We enjoyed a pleasant stroll along the lovely riverside before returning to our delightful B&B. The owners were extremely friendly and helpful and we indulged in some craic – Gaelic for chat and light-hearted conversation.
    Few places in the world offer such a wealth and diversity of natural beauty and attractions as the Scottish Highlands. I was a long way off from my home in Leicester, but the combined rewards of beauty, peace and, above all, quiet, far outweighed any concerns over the length of the journey back home!