Back to Glasgow by Train

We left the highlands today, returning to Glasgow by train, retracing our walk, this time from north to south in the comfort of a train car.

We left our BnB, Rhu Mhor, after a big breakfast. I let our host Ian, know that I was leaving my boots in Fort William. After nine years and three continents, I am ready for a new pair. Great boots that served me well.

The train route is not exactly along the West Highland Way, but crosses it several times. Leaving Fort William, the tracks headed east of Ben Nevis  where the Way is on the west. Past Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge, and Tulloch along the river Spean through hard wood forest, the tracks turned south at the river Treig gaining elevation. The tracks continued along Loch Treig and the woods began to thin as we entered Rannoch Moor, a high treeless plain. We spotted several red deer in the highland mist.

The train stoped at Corrour station the highest (1339') and most remote rail station in the UK. The nearest road is 10 miles away. The station house has a restaurant and a three room guest house. A youth hostel is a mile away by trail without a tree in site. The moor was covered in mist as hikers disembarked to bag some munros.

The train descended past Rannoch station, coming back into the trees. Soon we passed the east shore of Loch Tulla, the same loch we had walked the west shore of 5 days ago. Pulling into Bridge of Orchy station, I asked Mari for a time check. The next section of track closely parallels the Way, making its way to Tyndrum Upper station. Another quick time check let us know that the Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy section had taken us 4 hours to walk but only 10 minutes by train.

Our train journey continued along the same path as the Way until parting at Beniglas Farm, the destination of our third day of the walk. From there the train runs south on the west banks of Loch Lomand, giving us views of the Way on the east shore. At Tarbet, the train heads west leaving the West Highland Way for good.

Past Loch Long and Gare Loch, the train brought us by the river Clyde and back to good old Glasgow town.

The train ride was a great way to relive our walk from a different perspective, seeing things we missed the first time, and reminding us of our long walk in the highlands. What took us eight days to walk took us less than four hours by train.