Fort William to Mallaig

Storyline: A Glimpse of Scotland

Today (September 9, 2018) was to be one of the highlights of our Scottish adventure, and we weren’t disappointed. We were rather unfortunate in that the weather forecast was not promising, and as we dragged our luggage through the damp streets, looking up at the low-hanging clouds, we thought that we’d miss some of the beauty of the landscape.

At the train station we lined up (or queued, as the Brits say) outside. We arrived 45 minutes before departure and the station was not yet open. Fortunately, as it began to rain a little harder, the doors to the small station were opened and we flooded in [sigh, Alex and his puns]. We still had about 10 minutes to wait for the train to arrive, and as it reversed into the station there was an increasing buzz of anticipation.

It’s funny how an obsolete and smoky, smelly transportation method once sneered at is now a source of joy and appreciation for many. Trips on the Jacobite sell out months in advance, even this late in the season.

The carriages are of an appropriate vintage for this trip: the doors open outwards and must be closed manually and firmly. We found our carriage and seats, which were on the aisle facing each other over a table. Our seat mates were a pair of apparently disinterested French teen girls whose parents it turns out were travelling in another carriage. What a waste of window seats. The picture windows were large, however, and a pair of opening (sliding) panes topped them off. Not that anyone would want to open them in this weather (or would they?)

Since there was plenty of time before our departure, Alex went off to take some photos. Many others had the same idea, and given that this is a tourist attraction it was encouraging that people were welcomed to join the engineer on the footplate to have their pictures taken. The engine that would haul us on the 42 mile (68km) one-way trip to Mallaig was The Jacobite itself, one of the two engines used on this route.

The views were once again spectacular. As we turned northwest we passed the ruined Inverlochy Castle that we had explored the day before, crossed the Caledonian Canal swing bridge just below Neptune’s Staircase, and chuffed our way onwards towards the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct.

This amazing and picturesque structure was used by the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films. Our hopes weren’t high for spectacular views of the viaduct which, we have read, is best observed from the ground. But wonder of wonders, as we approached the bridge the clouds parted, the sky turned a beautiful blue, beige fields became electric green and everyone jumped up to start taking pictures, those on the right side of the train reaching over we lucky ones on the left, to get the best views.

All down the carriage those little sliding windows were opened and filled with cameras creating a discordant symphony of clicks. The train slowed. The breeze blew in through the windows, carrying with it streams of grimy water from the carriage roofs. Our disinterested seatmates were drenched and the table was covered with bits of black coal ash. Ok I thought, disinterested or not, they are welcome to the window seats.

Below and above the viaduct, groups of hikers and other train spotters had gathered to enjoy the spectacle. I’m sure that they were well-rewarded for their perseverance in the less-than-ideal weather.

We huffed a few minutes later into Glenfinnan Station for a 20-minute stop. The train was so long that passengers from the rear two carriages (this included us, as we had the cheapest fare) had to walk forward to the third carriage to alight on the platform, so by the time Diana walked out of the train and took a few pictures it was time to head back. The station is pleasant, but a tourist trap. Lots of souvenirs to shop from and the people from the front carriages had formed a respectful queue for the on-sale wares.