all aboard the hogwarts express

In the last few days, one might easily have got the impression that I’m a big Harry Potter fan. I like the books but I certainly wasn’t lining up each time one came out and I didn’t see the movies at midnight the day they were released. It’s just that HP is a big thing for England, and for Scotland, so several tourism attractions are linked to the books or movies. That’s the case for the Jacobite stream train. It’s been running as a tourist train since 1984 and was very popular then, but then the train and part of the track was used as the Hogwarts Express. Mum and Dad came across the trip when they were in Scotland and it was also something Amy and David hadn’t done.

The train leaves from Fort William and travels along Loch Eil for a bit before reaching the Coast near Arisaig and Malaig. It’s a 43 mile trip and takes just more than two hours. The highlight is definitely the Glenfinnan Viaduct; it’s the bridge the Hogwarts Express travels over in the movies. It’s such an attraction the passing is marked on our timetable. It’s about 30 minutes into the journey. You can tell when the train is getting close as everyone starts gathering on one side of the train for pictures. It was raining but there were two little windows up the top that slid open so we just stuck our cameras out that. Aside from the Harry Potter connection, the viaduct is rather impressive. It has 21 arches that are 15-metres wide.

Glenfinnan Viaduct

Despite the rain, the landscape is stunning. The track follows the loch for a lot of it, but in between that are green paddocks, hills and little rivers - and the odd tourist who pulls up in their car to take a picture of the train. There were lots of such people at a viewpoint near the viaduct. The train stops for about 20 minutes at Glenfinnan. There’s a broomstick lying about so Amy and I have our pictures with that, before boarding again. Every now and then a little town pops up in the distance. This area does look like a nice place to live. It’s quite close to Ben Nevis so it attracts a lot of tourists, particularly hikers and cyclists. There quite a few kayaks out on the loch too.

Malaig

The rain doesn’t let up and is still coming down when we arrive at Malaig, a little fishing village. We walk along the wharf before finding a table at one of the many cafes for fish and chips for lunch. We have a two-hour stop here, which is just enough time for lunch and a quick walk around the town. Then it’s back on the train. There is no turning circle here to the engine can’t turn around. Instead it jumps the tracks and goes to the other end of the carriages, facing into them. We’ve gone from being in the last carriage to the first. I spend most of the return trip in one of the doorways where I can lean out to take better photos. Another tourist blocks it for most of the viaduct but since the train was facing backwards for the return crossing, I was lucky to get good pics on the way there.

We arrive back in Fort William about 4pm and quickly head to the car. Before we head back to Gretna, Amy wants to find the viaduct so we can get a photo from below. It turns out to be only about 16 mile from Fort William and it’s only a short, but muddy, walk up to the view point. Then it’s back in the car for the drive home. There aren’t too many ‘big’ roads in Scotland, so the back way is the only way. It might be frustrating for the commuter but for me it means more gorgeous scenery. The mountains have lots of crevasses, which are formed by the water running down them when it rains. Amy and David said it was not unusual for the little trickles to turn into large waterfalls when there is enough rain. We also drive past Loch Lomond, the largest loch in Scotland.

Loch Lomond