I am sitting in the bar of my hotel in Edinburgh, looking out onto the Royal Mile, drinking ridiculously cheap and ridiculously good whisky, and feeling sorry for myself because I must return home tomorrow.

I'm using this opportunity to at least start my review of the Royal Scotsman train trip. I did the Classic journey, 4 days up the coast, through the lowlands and highlands, and back again.

The experience begins in the first class lounge at Waverley Station in Edinburgh, as the travelers begin to gather. The train carries a max of 36 pax, with a service crew of 11. I arrived Monday a bit after noon, to be greeted by Mike, the train Host (the equivalent of a cruise director). Gradually, others began to arrive. As I sipped tea, I was joined by the second solo traveler to arrive--Wendy, a woman of about my age from Melourne, Australia. By the time we boarded the train an hour later, we were already friends. There were two other solos, another Melbournian (he and Wendy had never met) and a Canadian lady on board to celebrate her 80th birthday. John and June, respectively. The whole train was bent on fixing them up.

Come boarding time, we were "piped aboard"--led single file through the train station by a bagpiper. We were quite the spectacle. As we boarded, we were each handed a glass of champagne (Perrier Jouet), and gathered in the beautiful observation car for some get-to-know-you time, as the train crossed the Firth of Forth and headed south along the coast.

As the scenery entered a dull patch, we dispersed to our cabins to unpack. The entire interior of the train is done up in fine inlaid wood--the O lounge, the cabins, the halls, the dining rooms, etc.

I was surprised to discover I was in a "twin" room--I.e., two twin beds. I'd managed to avoid the single supplement by booking a single--one twin bed, a desk and a bathroom. But because the train was not full, all of the solos were uppgraded to twins.

The train has 4 single rooms, 2 with double beds, and the rest with twins. The double beds are such that there's a person on the inside, and one on the outside, meaning the inside person must crawl over the outside person to get out.

The twins have one bed at the head of the room, and another along the side. There is just enough room to walk in it. The bathroom is quite compact. You can stand at the sink and easily retrieve the soap from the shower.

The hallways on the train are only just wide enough for one person to get through. We all quickly learned the courtesies of standing aside if you see someone in the hall. We also learned the benefit of having the walls close by after an evening sampling the bar in the O lounge--but more about that later.

After the unpack, we all gathered back in the lounge for high tea--yummy sandwiches and pastries. Brian the waiter took one look at me and said "you know, it doesn't have to be tea that you drink.". The man had my number. Out came the whisky--Scotch of course--and there was a domino effect throughout the train. One that would set the tone for the next four days.