Scotland – The West Highland Line

This is one of the more famous mainline train journeys in the UK, especially since the Glenfinnan Viaduct featured in several of the Harry Potter films.

The journey north begins at Glasgow Queen Street Station, just off George Square, roughly in the centre of Glasgow, and finishes at Mallaig on the west coast of Scotland. Trains from Queen Street Station head northwards and there’s a regular fast service to Waverley Station in Edinburgh. 

I found my seat in the correct carriage, facing the same way as the train was heading in i.e. I was travelling facing forwards, so all lefts/rights are based on this perspective.

From Queen Street, the train snakes through the suburbs of Glasgow on left and right, before the River Clyde comes into view on the left. The train stops every few minutes in the suburbs before picking up speed after Helensburgh as it passes Loch Lomond on the right. The train gains height before drawing into Crianlarich. 

If you’ve ever driven a car in the western part of Scotland, you’ll know that signs for the village of Crianlarich are seen from as far away as Glasgow in the south, Perth in the east, Oban in the west and Fort William in the north. This village is a real crossroads and bills itself as the gateway to the Scottish Highlands. This is true for trains too. My train split in two at Crianlarich. The first two carriages headed off westwards towards Oban, past Tyndrum Lower and Loch Awe to the west coast, and the ferries to Mull and the Outer Hebrides. The other four carriages continued northwards on their way to Mallaig via the Bridge of Orchy. At Rannoch, you’ll notice that the landscape has changed on both left and right. This is the famous moor with its small streams, lochans, and clumps of heather. Over on the left is the area surrounding Glencoe. The train continues through Corrour, Tulloch, Roy Bridge and Spean Bridge before arriving at Fort William with a view of Ben Nevis.

Many people leave the train at Fort William but even more seem to get on. Fort William is a terminus station, so the train continues by backing out of the station on its way to Mallaig. If you’re interested in admiring the Glenfinnan Viaduct from the train, then it’s better to be on the left-hand side facing forwards at this point.

Glenfinnan is a popular spot. It’s at the head of Loch Shiel, a long freshwater loch that is a haven for birdwatchers, because of the presence of eagles in the trees on certain parts of the shore. The Glenfinnan Monument marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard and began the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.

Most people seem to be here, though, to have a good look at the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the work of Robert McAlpine, between 1897 and 1901. The viaduct, made of concrete, stands one hundred feet above the River Finnan. The Jacobite steam train crosses the viaduct once per day and stops at Glenfinnan Station, where there’s a compact but interesting museum showing the layout of the stationmaster’s office from over one hundred years ago.

I had the good fortune to travel on the line from Crianlarich to Oban, where the train skirts the edge of Loch Awe, before I headed over to Mull.

The West Highland mainline is a tremendously scenic route, however, if you like scenic railways that are part of the national rail network, then I would suggest travelling down the Welsh Marches line from Shrewsbury (allow a day’s sightseeing here) to Cardiff via Ludlow, Craven Arms, and Hereford. 

The route from Shrewsbury via Machynlleth to Pwllheli in northern Wales is lovely too. A lot of this journey after Machynlleth is within sight of the seaside, heading through Fairbourne, Barmouth, and Harlech. Eagle-eyed visitors will also spot the Italianate folly village of Portmeirion across the large bay just after the train has left Harlech. Portmeirion is a mile away from Minffordd Station where the Machynlleth to Pwllheli train arrives at the lower platform. The upper platform at Minffordd allows people to go to nearby Porthmadog on the Dovey Junction to Pwllheli line. You’ll find three steam railways in Porthmadog. 

My new book is available here.

The book covers not only the Great Little Trains of Wales but also other methods of transport in the UK.

I was eight years old when my interest in steam trains began. My parents and I lived close to someone who worked at Doncaster train station. The Flying Scotsman was the most famous train of the time, and for some reason it was at Doncaster for a few days. I was asked whether I’d like to see the train and go on the footplate. Of course I did. What I remember most was the enormous size of the train and that the driver’s cab seemed as big as my bedroom. Everything about the train, the colours, the gleaming metal, the gorgeous carriages, the mountain of coal, made a lasting impression – I wanted to go to places, and I wanted to go on a train like this one.

My father wanted to travel, and the plan was for my parents to see the world when he retired. Cancer cut short his life and their plan died with him. Once I had the finances, I felt duty bound to travel to the places he wanted to go, and if possible, go by steam train. This book is what I found.