Last week I did something that I haven't done since the pandemic: I took a trip down to Glasgow on the West Highland Line
If you aren't aware of where the West Highland Line goes, it is a train that starts in Glasgow and finishes in Mallaig, a gateway stop to some of the Inner Hebridean islands. Along the way, the train travelled through some of the Highlands most amazing landscapes, including through Rannoch Moor and over the Glenfinnnan Viaduct.
I have many memories of travelling on this train. When I was 10 years old, I came to the Highlands for the very first time when I traveled on the steam train from Fort William to Mallaig for my Grandpa's 80th birthday. It was my first time travelling on a steam train and I can still remember the way the smoke made my clothes smell, even hours after we got off the train and headed back home to Glasgow.
I traveled on this train again over 7 years ago, the first time I was visiting my now husband after we started dating. I somehow managed to get return tickets for £6.60 (the days of cheap Scotrail tickets are sadly no more) and was absolutely entranced to travel from a cold and wet Glasgow throughout the snowy countryside north. I started trying to count deer I saw from the train window but quickly lost count once the amount of deer we saw started to get into the hundreds.
My trip last week was very different from that February journey 7 years ago. Rather than snow capped hills, the hillside was was lush and green. The train was full of walkers heading home after a long day on the hills. There was plenty of amazing scenery to look out at and to inspire to continue exploring the Scottish Highlands.
For someone who often chooses to drive from home to Glasgow, mainly due to convenience, it was lovely to only drive for an hour and a half to Spean Bridge to pick up the meet the train and then spend the time I would normally spend driving reading a book or looking out the window.
If you are travelling around the Scottish Highlands, might I encourage you to consider getting a train journey rather than driving everywhere. Having that chance to look out the window, to see the world go by, really helped me feel relaxed in a place that is often incredibly busy. It gave me a space to slow down.
Would you ever consider travelling through the Scottish Highlands by train?
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