Steaming across the Glenfinnan viaduct, Scotland 04 Jul 2017

Posted on 04 Jul 2017

Steaming across the Glenfinnan viaduct, Scotland

About this photo

The Jacobite steam train makes its way across the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct in the north-west of Scotland, where there are dramatic views over Glenfinnan Monument and Loch Shiel. A round trip of 84 miles will take you past some of the most remarkable natural sites in Britain. The journey starts near Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK, and passes the deepest loch, Loch Morar. The turning point is the westerly most station of Arisaig. Alight here for views over the North Sea, which is speckled with islets. Since the train's appearance in the Harry Potter films as the Hogwart's Express, a trip on this line has become hugely popular.

This article was originally published on 30 November, 2015

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Rough Guides worked with us from July 2022 until June 8th, 2023, the day we flew out of Scotland. They were very invested in our trip, taking what we thought we wanted to see and do and making it happen. They made the car rental-pick-up and return very easy. Arnold Clark Car Rental was awesome and easy to work with. We did not need the car navigator as we used Google Maps on my daughter's phone. Rough Guides had someone pick us up at the Airport and drive us to our hotel in Edinburgh, then a taxi to pick us up the next morning to drive us to Arnold Clark to pick up our car. The detailed itinerary was great and easy to follow. Anna and Becca were the ones we corresponded with the most, but Becca is the one we reached out to when we had questions or concerns while we were in Scotland. She always answered back in a very timely manner. Everything was great and we loved our adventure in Scotland. The only thing I would change is I would not do the Dunevegan Castle, it was beautiful but not as interesting as the Eilean Donan Castle, which we toured on our own. I also would not have taken the Jacobite train trip. This is not Rough Guides fault, we asked for the train trip, thinking it was more than it really was. This was a wasted 5 hours we could have used to drive to Edinburgh and visited more on the way from Ft. Williams. All the accommodations were excellent except for Westlands of Pitlochry, it just wasn't as welcoming or comfortable. Premier Inn allowed us to check in early and we ate supper there, very comfortable beds. Inverglen Guest House was awesome, very welcoming and breakfast was a great English Style breakfast. We loved Borve Country House Hotel. Room was clean, comfortable and quiet. Food was also delicious. Eilean A Chou Guest House was beautiful and very comfortable and the hostess was very helpful and informative. Breakfast was also very good. Torbeag House was like a country house in the country, so beautiful and felt welcoming and friendly. Food was very good. The only lodging complaint we had was our final stay at Motel One Edinburgh-Royal. Even though it was a very nice hotel, they do not have double beds in their rooms. Only a queen size. We did complain about that to Becca, who was able to get an extra room for my daughter, as she really does not like to share beds. The bad thing about Motel One was how far it was from parking areas. We had 5 pieces of luggage, my daughter dropped myself and our luggage at Motel One, drove to the nearest parking lot and had to walk back to Motel One, which was about 4 blocks away. This was at 11:00 pm and she has asthma, so a woman walking alone and in the cool night air was not good. My daughter had a work presentation for the morning of June 7th, and Becca arranged for a taxi to take us to and from the facility. If I ever take another trip abroad I will definitely contact Rough Guides to help me.

Snoma Headrick May 2023