Travel: Smooth and spectacular train ride on Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer

A skirl of the pipes, a rush of excitement and then it’s all aboard for the train ride of a lifetime. But this isn’t the Flying Scotsman. It is Canada’s world-leading Rocky Mountaineer.

I’m about to embark on a “Journey Through the Clouds” from cosmopolitan Vancouver to some of the most spectacular and remote places on the planet, reachable only by rail.

Heaven beckons, but first there’s a piper to be paid – with compliments, not cash; that’s already covered. Mike Chisholm is a talented fourth-generation Nova Scotian whose “people” arrived in Canada from the Scottish Highlands in the 19th Century.

When he learns that The Sunday Post is on board, he pauses his pibroch to launch into Flower of Scotland.

This adventure began – after a nine-hour flight from the UK – with a Sip and Shuck welcome (Champagne and oysters) at downtown Vancouver’s stylish Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. Getting to grips with the art of opening the prized mollusc was surprisingly easy under the expert guidance of sous chef Barbara Gregoire. The hotel is my home for a couple of nights.

I have a vast room with panoramic views of the bay. It was the first in the city to boast a green roof, its rooftop garden housing a honeybee apiary and inspiring not only the dishes elegantly conjured by its stylish ARC restaurant, but also its signature gin distilled from the rooftop honey.

Glasgow’s Angus Porter, the restaurant’s assistant general manager, and award-winning bartender Frank Palter are a demon mixology duo whose gin-infused delights are highly recommended, especially when enjoyed in the high-rise garden after a lesson in all things bee from Julia Common, a master beekeeper who practised her art in Scotland’s Borders.

But if nature’s bounty isn’t Zen enough, Fairmont’s wellness activities – like sound bathing – are.

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This hedonist preferred the heated rooftop pool, floating aimlessly as the sun danced off mirrored skyscrapers and spotlit sea planes and sail boats on the picturesque bay below. Fairmont Waterfront is a stone’s throw from the famed Gastown, Stanley Park Seawall, and iconic Canada Place, where I tried its Flyover experience, an all-immersive virtual flight over the Rocky Mountains, the perfect precursor to the train ride.

As the Rocky Mountaineer team lined the tracks, waving off passengers with flags and smiles, we settled into sumptuous seats in its glass-domed upper level designed to afford the most arresting views. The Rocky Mountaineer has several times been given the prestigious award of the world’s leading travel experience by train, and the world’s leading luxury train.

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Our package? Its top-notch, GoldLeaf option, which not only includes the best seats but a steady flow of wine, cocktails and snacks, while on the lower level that gives access to a traditional open-air viewing platform, chefs prepare gourmet meals in the dining car.

The first of two legs on this train head out along the mighty Fraser River, where gold glittering in its sand and gravel bars became a magnet for mid-1800s prospectors from Scotland, England, America, China and beyond.

We pass Yale, in 1848 a gold rush boomtown, before hitting the fury that’s Hell’s Gate, the narrowest part of the river where 200 million gallons of water surge each minute through a 110ft gorge. And we marvel at Rainbow Canyon, where minerals in the rock reflect rainbow colours, the green and purple of oxidised copper and white iron appearing in orange and red.

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As we go, senior manager Wendy Mitchell regales travellers with tales of onboard marriage proposals and friendships forged while bear spotting.

Nearing Kamloops, for thousands of years a trading place for the Shuswap people, we discover a Loch Ness Monster equivalent, the Ogopogo, a legend to keep children from the freezing Kamloops Lake almost 500ft deep.

With an overnight in the former fur trading town cuffed, it’s back to the train for the 274-mile trip to Jasper, with the best yet to come.

Back in the 1800s, a ball system was displayed trackside to indicate required speed; low ball indicating slow-to-stop and a high ball, full steam ahead. We’re high-balling when one of our number spots a black bear trackside. En masse, we nose-press the windows for a clearer view.

Low-balling, we approach the mesmerising Pyramid Falls that drain from Cheadle Lake to cascade 300ft trackside, so close the train travellers can feel their mist. This is the only place they can be seen up close.

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This area boasts some of Canada’s most magnificent mountains, the Premier range, named after the country’s early prime ministers. And before we know it, there she is, Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, visible for 10 miles along this stretch. Snow-topped and vertiginous, she’s an awesome sight.

Then as we close in on Jasper, a crystal clear stretch of water appears – Moose Lake, with Thunder Falls beyond – and we’re dumbstruck by its beauty.

Next week: part two

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P.S. Vancouver’s bustling Granville Island and its public market are not to be missed, offering everything from the fruits of the sea and field to sweet treats and unique artisan crafts.

I visited with the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel’s director of food and beverage, Mike Pagnacco, and executive chef Harris Sakalis, who buy ingredients for their five-star culinary creations here.

The Lobster Man had us wowed; he’s been selling live shellfish since 1977, including geoducks, the world’s largest burrowing clam with a lifespan of about 140 years.

Meanwhile, Northern Bar’s Michelle Avelana is on a mission to take The Nanaimo Bar – Canada’s classic sweet treat – to the world. I’m a convert.

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Factfile

A Rocky Mountaineer two-day rail-only package with an overnight stay in Kamloops starts at £1,606 per person for SilverLeaf, and £2,160pp for GoldLeaf. Flights are not included. For details see rockymountaineer.com or call 0800 088 5541