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Published: April 9th 2023
Ever since I first watched the Harry Potter movies, I knew I had to ride that marvelous steam train, the
Jacobite Express across the
Glenfinnan Viaduct. During my current stay in Glasgow, I took the opportunity to investigate this further, but discovered the specific famous train journey only begins and ends in Fort William (2 hours and 107 miles away). This route has been in operation each year since 1984 and covers part of the West Highland line. It’s a massive hit with tourists, effortlessly combining legendary Scottish folklore, luxury travel and fantastic scenery. Described as the greatest railway journey in the world (always subjective and open to interpretation), this 84-mile roundtrip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. Starting near the highest mountain in Britain,
Ben Nevis, it visits Britain's most westerly mainland railway station,
Arisaig; passes close by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain,
Loch Morar and the shortest river in Britain,
River Morar, finally arriving next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe,
Loch Nevis! It operates twice a day, morning and afternoon 7 days a week, between early April and late October. Roundtrip adult/child tickets begin at $70/$41 and should you decide to splurge, consider reserving
an entire compartment which seats up to 6 passengers at a cost of $475. You will have access to the buffet carriage for the purchase of teas, coffees, and light snacks available at additional cost. As this is a tourist attraction, no one-way tickets are offered.
As I liked the idea of much longer train rides while still making this incredible journey, where there’s a will there’s a way, I found a great substitute. ScotRail has an exact, albeit extended, rail trip lasting over 5 hours direct to Mallaig - quite possibly the most beautiful and scenic rail route in the Highlands. It won’t be a steam train, but I will see the identical scenery. A major plus is that I can select different departure and return times at a cheaper price – that always gets my vote. Booking my $53.20 off-peak return ticket online (with confirmed window seats) I saved $11.
Placing an advanced order with the hotel’s restaurant for a packed breakfast box, I was on my way at 7am with a brisk 15-minute walk in bright sunshine to Glasgow’s Queen Street Station in time to validate my online ticket and board the train. Getting settled
into my window seat, the train promptly pulled out of the station at 8:21am to begin the 150-mile nonstop journey to Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands. The carriage offers plenty of amenities onboard, including free Wifi, power sockets (bring an adaptor for UK plugs) and an at-seat catering service.
Top Tip: For the best views, sit on the left-hand side on the way to Mallaig and on the right-hand side on the way back! I’m about to travel through a daunting landscape of mountains, steep-sided lochs, and heather-coated moors. Have to keep my eyes wide open to spot red deer, silhouetted on a skyline or half-hidden in the heather. I’m told we pass some of the smallest, remotest stations on the entire railway network – a few buildings, and nothing more for miles around. I’m glad I’m seeing all this from a train, as this route passes through country where no roads were ever built.
It doesn’t take long to leave Glasgow behind, heading west parallel to the River Clyde to Helensburgh, and then north via Garelochead and Loch Long. From here we enter a world of deep forests, towering mountains, and mirrored lochs, as far as
the eye can see. The rail line divides at Crianlarich and heading north is a real spectacle, beginning with the remarkable Horseshoe Curve that enters, circles, and then leaves the glen beneath Ben Doran. Here the landscape empties into the broad wilds of Rannoch Moor – where the line floats over the peat bog that stretches to the mountains, far in the distance on all sides. If you like to tick these things off (as I do), the train passes the UK’s highest altitude station in Corour - scenes from the movie “Trainspotting” were filmed here. As the train approaches Fort William, Britain’s highest peak – Ben Nevis – comes into view.
Situated at the southern end of the Great Glen, Fort William is known for being the largest town in the whole of the Scottish Highlands. It sits in the shadow of Ben Nevis and is easily accessible from all directions. The small town itself is named after William of Orange, and was famously besieged for two weeks by Jacobites, who had taken the other two forts nearby, but failed to conquer Fort William.
Beyond Fort William, we trace the iconic curve of the
Glenfinnan Viaduct, (it appears on Scotland’s currency) built from mass concrete and is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland at 1,247’ long, crossing the river Finnan at a whopping height of just over 90’
. The 21-arched bridge was made particularly famous when featured in the Harry Potter film series. The company running the Jacobite service provided Warner Brothers with the train used as the Hogwarts Express in all the movies and allowed them use of the Jacobite's route for filming. If you are not aboard the train but would like to witness it crossing over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, be at the Glenfinnan Visitor Centre before 10.45 am or 3.00 pm daily. Even with all the outstanding vistas along the entire train route, this is without a doubt the most thrilling of all.
A Little Bit of History: From the train’s windows you can’t help but admire the view towards the Glenfinnan monument. This 59’ high monument was built in 1815 as a poignant reminder of the clansmen who gave their lives to the Jacobite cause. It was here in Glenfinnan that Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his Father’s standards, less than a year before the Battle of Culloden, marking the start of the 1745 Jacobite campaign.
Continuing the route to Mallaig passing Lochs Eilt, Ailort and Nan Uamh – all starkly beautiful – before arriving at Morar’s sandy shores, yet another cinematic location, this time “Local Hero”. The final stretch into Mallaig brings glimpses of the Isle of Skye, which is just a short ferry trip from the port. Mallaig is a port village in Lochaber, the terminus of the railway line, which is linked to Fort William (well known to “Outlander” fans) by the A380 road – the “Road to the Isles”.
Arriving in Mallaig just before 2pm, I had 2 hours to explore this tiny place before my return ride to Glasgow. Stepping onto the platform, what immediately caught my attention? The inner harbor with boats stranded in the mud at low tide? NO; the delightful stone houses along the tiny main street? NO; it was the most delicious smell on earth: fish and chips and malt vinegar wafting from a few steps away! The tiny ScotRail station is a multi-use building including J. Lowrie’s Traditional Fish and Chips/Deli Shop. Passengers were already crowding the place as they closed at 2:30pm, so I quickly got into
line to place my order. Cod and chips to-go cost me $13.17 and when they pulled a complete fish filet out of the fryer, I couldn’t believe my eyes. This regular portion was the entire fish (minus head, tail, and bones of course) – at least 10” long by 5” wide! Add to this a mound of chips (French fries) and I had died and gone to culinary heaven. Drenched in malt vinegar and a very light sprinkling of salt, I carried this precious lunch to a sunny spot at the harbor wall and spent the next hour inhaling the heavenly dish and people watching. The majority of passengers were, like myself, returning on the 4:05pm train and were exploring the best places to eat – I counted 5 fish and chips shops in the space of 4 village blocks…. wonder what the favorite food is around here?
Another Little Bit of History: Mallaig is a small working fishing-port which grew during the herring boom of the 1800s and later benefited from the construction of the railway from Glasgow. Today it is a bustling, working port with few pretentions but a spectacular location. Founded in the 1840s when Lord Lovat, owner of North Morar Estate, divided up the farm of Mallaigvaig into 17 parcels of land and encouraged his tenants to move to the western part of the peninsula and turn to fishing as a way of life. The population and local economy expanded rapidly in the 20
th century with the arrival of the railway.
Ferries sail from here to the Isle of Skye, Inverie, Lochboisdale and the Isles of Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna (sounds like a firm of shady attorneys). Mallaig is the main commercial fishing port on the West Coast of Scotland, and during the 1960s was the busiest herring port in Europe. It prided itself at that time on its famous traditionally smoked kippers, the fishmonger Andy Race still providing genuine oak smoked kippers from the factory shop on the harbor. Most of the community speaks English, with a minority of residents speaking both English and Gaelic. In addition, traditional Gaelic is still taught in Mallaig Primary School to pupils who choose to learn the language.
The village has several restaurants and cafes (including the aforesaid 5 chippies), also a community-run swimming pool and a leisure center. The focus is on
the summer tourist trade, although some facilities open year-round, including the swimming pool. Mallaig certainly qualifies as a small place: with less than 700 inhabitants, it has three hotels, some self-catering accommodation, and several guest houses, one bank and three pubs. All of these are close to the harbor and railway station. Add to this list, two minimarkets and a few gift shops. An art gallery sells work by local artists and there is a tiny bookshop. All of this can be explored in less than an hour. A heritage center next to the railway station is based around old photographs of the locality, but as Mallaig has only existed during the age of photography, this offers a good introduction to the history and heritage of the locality.
I felt as though I had stepped back in time a couple of hundred years or more, and half expected to see fierce kilted warriors come screaming like demented banshees over the hillsides, blue paint smeared across faces, brandishing cutlasses and axes, with bagpipes playing in the background. All thanks to the television series
Outlander for my wild imagination.
The Scottish Highlands is really the Scotland of your imagination. With
welcoming people, a unique culture, dramatic landscapes, romantic castles, and a fascinating history, this is the perfect backdrop for your next adventure. It's no wonder that it was named as one of National Geographic's 'Best of the World' destinations for 2023. Explore the mysterious Loch Ness, pass through the Cairngorms National Park, marvel at iconic castles on the Isle of Skye, witness dolphins frolicking off the Moray Speyside coast, walk up Britain's highest peak, Ben Nevis, in Lochaber, or explore the rugged coastline of Caithness.
The return journey presented the opportunity to watch the sunset over this wild and wonderful land – twilight creeping across the countryside, turning brilliant colors into subdued replicas and plunging everything into total darkness as the train arrived at Queen Street Station just after 9:30pm. I decided to walk the short distance to the Doubletree and enjoy the night lights of the central city enroute. Being a Saturday night, local bars and restaurants were doing a landslide business, with half drunk patrons staggering out into the streets and music blaring into the evening air. I finished off this delightful day with a night cap (or two) in the Executive Lounge – always have to
ask for my drinks “on the rocks”, marking me forever as a Yank!
This was the best day of the entire Scotland trip. There are insufficient adjectives to describe the Highlands – it’s beyond
spectacular –
beautiful hardly comes close – photographs cannot do it justice – all that remains is to say: you
must come here and see for yourself. Put it on your bucket list ASAP!
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