The Best of Both Worlds
It’s pretty warm just now, but I’ve caught the weather forecast for the end of the week and next and it’s less rosy and more ferocious, so passengers on the so called “Polar Express” will be looking out their thermals, hats, gloves, scarves and packing extra togs for the journey. The West Highland Line between Oban and Glasgow has gained honorary membership of the Arctic Circle as the temperatures regularly plunge to minus zero on the ScotRail train. And if you are of a certain age the lack of heat could indeed pose a threat to health. The trains themselves are diesels of a certain age, built in the 1980s and well into their forties. The diesel locos are meant to send excess heat from their engines to heat the carriages, but if it’s minus 10° C outside there isn’t a lot of spare heat to go round. Aside from breaking up the seats and burning them, there’s not a lot that can be done to heat up the old carriages. Passengers describe the three hour journey as “positively Baltic.” Not much of a welcome to the Highlands.
Now you wouldn’t send your granny, your mother or your lovely wife on the Polar Express unless you’d had a pretty fearsome row, but where would you send them as a treat? Perhaps you would book them on the Royal Scotsman a real luxury train. It’s a lovely, elegant nine coach train painted in rich burgundy . It goes from Edinburgh Waverley station. Passengers follow the piper from the first class lounge to the train like mice and the Pied Piper of Hamlin. There’s an observation car and two spa cabins, plush sleeping cabins and your meals will be cooked on board as you journey north, staying in the occasional swanky hotel. But it is far from cheap weighing in at about £4,000, but it is the polar opposite of ScotRail’s Polar Express.
So there you have it two versions of Scotland, one for the frozen blue nosed traveller and one for the well heeled voyager. Now we here at James Pirie want to give your, our lovely customers, the very best of both worlds. We have luxury, but it’s affordable. We have fine quality, but it’s reasonably priced. We have tasteful, but it’s not extravagant. It’s just been very James Pirie since 1890. And for the best of both worlds for the woman in your life on Mother’s day you can rely on us. You can give her a present that shouts love. How about personalising it too? We have a hand cut crystal G&T glass that can be personalised with your message engraved on this stylish piece. It’s there in the picture at the top. It’s affordable too as we have it at half price to help in these expensive times. There’s a handy text box to write your message in, but always I’d say write it out before hand, perhaps in word and then cut and paste it into the little box on the product page. It works, I just tried it and you can choose the typeface too. I liked Monotype Corsiva, it’s lush as the kids say.
Engraving takes a while so PLEASE ALLOW 7-10 DAYS FOR PERSONALISED ITEMS.
