Mallaig to Glasgow (1)

After a couple of nights in Mallaig and my trip to Arisaig it was time to move on so I was booked on the train down to Glasgow. This is the other great Scottish west coast train journey and having now done both is, to my mind, the better one of the two as the scenery is more varied.

Looking across Loch Nan Aumh

The first section takes you down the coast with sea lochs to your right. Then you head inland towards Fort William where, at Glenfinnan station, we passed "The Sherwood Forester" hauling "The Jacobite" steam special which I'd seen the previous two days at Mallaig and Arisaig. It was an appropriate place to do so as another half a mile or so down the line is the Glenfinnan viaduct.

Glenfinnan viaduct

If you're wondering why it's familiar this is the "Harry Potter" viaduct and if from there you look down Loch Shiel then Hogwarts is somewhere on the right hand side from what I can remember ...

The view towards Hogwarts

Then it's on down the side of Loch Eil into Fort William where, after picking up a lot more passengers, the train reverses out of the station to continue towards Glasgow across Rannoch Moor. This involves a serious climb across the wild country of the moor towards Corrour station.

High on the moor just after passing the summit, Loch Ossian in the distance

Corrour station is a bit special as it's only really accessible by train or on foot as there are no roads leading to it only a rough track running more many miles across the moor. As a result it's a favourite place for walkers.

The Scottish YHA already had a hostel at Loch Ossian a mile or so away which was always well booked up but they have recently got the lease on the station house and they've turned that into a second hostel.

From there the line continues across the moor before dropping down to Crianlarich where we joined up with the train from Oban and trundled on down the side of Loch Lomond for a while before diverting across to Loch Long and then Gare Loch passing the nuclear bunkers before finally turning up the Clyde towards Glasgow. I didn't take any photos on this section as I've done it a few times before on other trips.

Glasgow Queen Street station - the end of the line

Anyway five and a half hours after setting out I arrived at Glasgow to find it drizzling. What a welcome after two days of lovely warm sunny weather in Mallaig.