Jacobite Train

This morning we headed down to the Fort William station to catch the Jacobite Steam Engine to Maillag. We found our seats in the First class carriage and departed at 10.15. It takes about 2 hours for the train to get to Maillag. The journey is about an 84 mile round trip and starts close to Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Great Britain. We pass the village of Corpach which lies at the entrance to the Caledonian Canal, which opened in 1822 which connects the Scottish east coast with the west coast.

We passed over the 21 arched Glenfinnan viaduct (made popular as it is used in a number of Harry Potter movies) which overlooks Loch Shiel and the Glenfinnan Monument (also known as the Jacobite monument) that was erected 70 years after the 1746 battle of Culloden, the last military battle to be fought on British soil. It pays tribute to the Jacobite clansmen who fought and died for the cause of Prince Charles Edward Stuart otherwise known as “Bonnie Prince Charlie”. It was on this site in 1745 that Charles raised his Royal standard after landing from France before marching South.

We briefly stopped at the village of Glenfinnan for a leg stretch before continuing our journey. Beyond Glenfinnan are a number of lovely villages including Lochailort, Arisaig and Morar. Just out of Lochailort we passed Dumbledore’s island. As you pass Arisaig you can see the “Small Isles” of Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna and the southern tip of Skye. The train then continues on passing Morar, home to Britain’s deepest freshwater loch, the silvery beaches used in the films Highlander and Local Hero and home to Brian, an 82 year old gentleman who greets the passenger with a sign wishing them a nice day, he does this rain, hail or shine.

The train trip terminates at Mallaig, which was founded during the 1840’s when the owner of the North Morar Estate, Lord Lovat, divided up the farm on the coast into a series of parcels of land and encouraged his tenants living around Loch Morar and Loch Nevis to resettle there. Mallaig grew slowly but also suffered due to a great storm destroying many of Mallaig’s boats and a number of houses in the village. The population reduced from 170 to 133 in 1891.

Mallaig’s fortunes changed with the extension of the West Highland Line from Fort William. The line opened in 1901 and the transformation of Mallaig was immediate and lasting. The Jacobite Steam Train started in 1984 and continues to be a success. They also introduced a roll-on, roll-off ferry service to Armadale on Skye from Mallaig. Mallaig is a working port first and foremost and tourism is a secondary focus.

Katie went on a 1-hour wildlife tour while I wandered around the port and town and had some lunch. When then had a 2-hour return journey back to Fort William. We decided to go to the Ben Nevis pub where we had drinks on the deck, where we met some lovely locals, an English hiker and a couple from Echuca.

We then had dinner there, Katie had a chicken pie and I had steamed mussels, which were delicious.Læs mere