11 March 2011

The West Highland Line....Off To Mallaig...Hogwarts And All...continued...

After a 5 minute stop at Fort William and a change of Scotrail staff we were soon heading back down the track in the direction which we had come..is this normal I thought..the adjacent track sidings were occupied by several Caledonian Sleeper carriages coupled to a diesel locomotive which had made their way up leaving London Euston around 9.15pm the night before arriving in the morning at about 10 a.m...As we accelarated the wheels on the train shreaked and shrilled as we were redirected by the points towards Mallaig relieving my directional concern..We soon arrived at Banavie with Ben Nevis still visible through the glass...


The train left Banavie very slowly which seemed strange at the time but the reason for this was soon understood as we went over the girder bridge spanning the Caledonian Canal linking Inverness with Fort William...Looking in a northly direction crossing the bridge "Neptunes Staircase" a series of stepped canal locks came into view...

Neptune's Staircase

The journey continued towards Mallaig...with views coming all the time...one this side of the train then one on the other...there are some awesome landscapes in this part of the world...




After a few stops including the bizarrely named Loch Eil Outward Bound we approached the curved 100 feet high Glenfinnan Viaduct...21 arches of concrete splendour built between 1897 and 1901 by engineer Sir Robert McAlpine...close by at the head of Loch Sheil stands a monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie commemorating where he landed to commence the rebellion of the Jacobites in1745...This location has been used many times in the film industry most notably in the first two films of the Harry Potter series where it was used together with the Jacobite Steam Train which was then called the "Hogwarts Express "...

Glenfinnan Viaduct

Past Glenfinnan station the west highland line and the A830 run side by side interchanging positions on several ocassions then you come to Loch Eilt...the line runs along the southern shore for what seems an age...circular small islands with tall trees are dotted repeatedly through the loch...

Loch Eilt

Loch Eilt

Its not long before we arrive and depart Lochallort station...the next station is Beasdale which is a request stop...Soon the track runs next to the coastal Loch Nan Ceall and arrives at the village of Arisaig...this stations claim to fame is that is the most westerly station on the UK mainland...

Arisaig Station

Arisaig looking out to Loch Nan Ceal

One thing I love about Scotland is the changing light...the weather on the journey up had been changeable... rain in Glasgow...blue skies appearing over Rannoch Moor and now back near the sea in Arisaig grey blue skies.We were just one stop away from journeys end at Mallaig....Turning inland once again we soon came to  the village of Morar with renowned for its pale white sands...

 Morar

8 minutes after leaving Morar the train arrived at our destination Mallaig...the 2 carriages slowly rolled into the terminus at 13.36...quietness suddenly became apparent as the diesel engines of the train were silenced...the guard on the train told us via the trains public address system that the same train would leave Mallaig for the journey back to Glasgow at 16.05 leaving some some 2hrs 29mins to explore Mallaig...


First impressions leaving the station were as expected out of the tourist season...Jaffy's Seafood Shop was closed for refurbishment so no big prawns to take back...the tourist information centre the same...walking into the harbour area wondering around it soon became apparent how quiet it was...I often think yeah I could live in places like this but this made me wonder especially out of season...

Mallaig

Over on the slipway fishing boats were undergoing maintenance having their hulls painted...


Strolling back towards the main road fancying a brew we came across a sign directing people to a table fair at the Mallaig & Morar Community Centre...On investigation the fair unfortunately was packing up but we managed to get a cup of tea and free homemade sandwiches and cakes...fantastic hospitality...Talking to the local lady who offered us tea she told of how the local fishing industry had shrunk to just a few boats operating out of Mallaig as the fish stocks had declined...Much like the Scotrail ticket office staff in Ayr station she thought it was crazy to come to Mallaig and back in a day...

Crossing the road and entering the car park after leaving the centre the view across to the islands of Eigg and Rhum was something special...

Eigg & Rhum Islands

After exploring the beach area for a while the thought of the return journey came to mind...having consumed most of the liquid refreshment on the journey up it was time to restock at the local supermarket...armed with a couple of bottles of red wine and some snacks it was time to head back to the station...next to the station is the Mallaig Heritage Centre which housed some abstract artworks of the late american artist Jon Shueler who lived in Mallaig for some years...His work is also in several public collections in Scotland...

Time soon passed and people were starting to embark the return train...we left Mallaig and headed back towards Fort William...with the light changing once again as daylight started to fade in preparation for the evening and night...the reflections in Loch Eilt and Ben Nevis looking sinister as we approached Fort William again...

Loch Eilt

Ben Nevis in the evening reflected in Loch Eil

Not long after departing Fort William the light faded to darkness...the red wine tasted great as did the nibbles and tiredness from the day set in...

The Kyle Of Localsh Line beckons next and soon...but thats an early morning start 5.12 am train...ouch...